SILAS CARLE & EDWARD J. CROLY

Sacramento County

Biographies

MESSRS. SILAS CARLE

EDWARD J. CROLY

MESSRS. CARLE & CROLY, contractors and builders, formed their partnership in 1870, and have ever since been prominently identified with the improvements of Sacramento, and indeed of a large portion of the State. Among the prominent buildings erected by them are the residences of Charles McCreary, Tenth and L street; the residence of L. Williams, on Tenth and H streets; L. Tozer’s residence of Fifteenth and H; the dwelling of F. J. Stauffer, Fourteenth and I; of L. B. Mohr, Twelfth and L; of George Merkel, L. Frazier, C. A. Yoerck, Judges McFarland and McKune, etc. In 1880 they built the addition to the Insane Asylum at Stockton, and the business houses of Austin Bros., and the residence of Judge Patterson at that place; in 1886-’87 they built the Stoneman House in the Yosemite Valley, and their bid for building it was selected against seven competing firms, by a difference of only $125 from one of them; the cost of the building was about $40,000. During the years of 1884 and 1885 they built the Santa Rosa court-house, in 1886 and 1887 they built the Masonic Hall and Hughes’ Hotel at Fresno, the latter at a cost of about $120,000. They also built the Masonic Temple at Stockton, and at Sacramento the Beet Sugar Manufactory; in 1871-’72, the Western Hotel, the Sutter Block, the County Hospital, the Hall of Records, and rebuilt the Wells & Fargo Express Block, etc., and the court-house at Colusa. An incident worthy of special note in connection with this well-known firm, as illustrating not only their ability, but also the readiness and skill with which they undertake responsible and arduous duties, should here be related. During the high water in the spring of 1878 a serious break occurred in the levee on the east bank of the Sacramento River two miles below the city. The results were disastrous in the extreme, involving a loss to the adjacent property-holders of their crop for the season. The Levee Commissioners and city authorities were baffled in their attempts to repair the break, and after spending a large amount of money, the project was abandoned. After some delay the property owners called for proposals for repairing the break, and the contract was awarded to Messrs. Carle & Croly. Their plan contemplated the building of a sack-dam,—that is, grain sacks filled with sand and gravel, temporarily across the break; and this was successfully accomplished, although 40,000 sacks had to be used to check the flowing waters until the levee could be substantially rebuilt, and the entire work was completed within sixteen days, much to the gratification of all parties interested, notwithstanding that during the progress of the work, a severe storm arose, with a strong north wind, adding greatly to the peril of the task and entailing a loss of 10,000 sacks, which were washed away; and it was only by keeping a large force at work night and day that the work was finally brought to a successful termination. In May, 1887, they began, and in September, 1888, finished, the San Diego flume, for bringing water from a distance of forty miles into the city of San Diego. The construction of this immense flume required 9,000,000 feet of lumber, and 600 head of mules and horses to haul it. This is said to be the largest structure of the kind in the world. Other buildings erected by Messrs. Carle & Croly are the residence of L. M. Hickman, in Stanislaus County, the Byron Springs Hotel, and Mr. Shipee’s Agricultural works at Stockton. Silas Carle was born in the town of Waterborough, Maine, December 13, 1833, where he was also educated at the high school. When eighteen years of age he started out for himself, going to North Bridgewater, Mass., and becoming an apprentice to the carpenter and joiners’ trade, under the supervision of H. Perkins, and serving three years. Next he worked for three years as journeyman and contractor in Boston and different parts of the State, and in the fall of 1858, in company with his elder brother, he came by steamer from New York, by way of the Isthmus of Panama, to California, arriving in San Francisco September 28, 1858. His brother died in that city, in April, 1859. There he worked at his trade as journeyman and contracting. Two years afterward he came to Sacramento, arriving here September 4, 1860, and engaged in farming and stock-raising upon a farm on the upper Stockton road, which he had previously purchased. After the great flood of 1861-’62 he was engaged, much of his time, in contracting and building levees around the city, also in filling of streets to the high grade. In 1868 he formed a partnership with E. J. Croly, as above mentioned. In 1864 he sold out his ranch and stock, and again went to work at his trade, which he has since continually followed. Mr. Carle’s father, Jeremiah, was a native also of Waterborough, Maine, and learned in early life the trade of ship carpenter and builder at Portland, that State, but was a farmer the remainder of his days. He died January 2, 1889, aged eighty-seven years. The maiden name of his mother was Mary Pitts, and she also was a native of Maine; she died in 1871. Mr. Carle was married April 10, 1856, at Lowell, Massachusetts, to Melissa M. Smith, of Bristol, Vermont. In 1873 Mr. and Mrs. Carle made a visit to the scenes of early life, visiting all principal places in New England. In his political sympathies he is a Republican; and in his social relations he affiliates with the El Dorado Lodge, No. 8, I. O. O. F.

E. J. Croly was born in the Province of Canada, near Toronto, October 20, 1836. His paternal ancestors were French Huguenots, and his mother, a descendant of the De Puy family, was born in London about 1798, and in 1826 his parents emigrated to Toronto (then called York), where his father was a builder, contractor and farmer. Mr. Croly’s mother, nee Ann Supple, was a daughter of John Supple, a native of Ireland, and a descendant of the Baldwin family, of Cork. The latter was an eminent lawyer, and at one time was Prime Minister of Canada, where he resided until his death in 1843. Mr. Croly was the fifth in a family of six sons. He attended school at Cleveland, Ohio, and at Oberlin College, same State. At the age of seventeen years he began business for himself as a carpenter in his native town. Having met with a painful accident, which for a time disabled him from pursuing his trade, he taught school for a year, and then became interested in the natural-oil wells of the Tilsonburg district, in which he was engaged for three years. In 1865 he moved to California and engaged at once in his trade of carpenter and builder. In 1879 he married Bertha R. Van Norman, a daughter of Johnson Van Norman. He is a Republican in his political principles, but is liberal in his sympathies. Becoming in early life connected with the Masonic fraternity, he is still faithful to the order, being a Knight Templar a member of Sacramento Commandery, No. 2, and is also a member of Sacramento Chapter, No. 3, and Sacramento Lodge, No. 40, F. & A. M.; is also a member of Capital Lodge, No. 87, I. O. O. F., and of Pacific Encampment, No. 2, same order.

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 702-704. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.