CAPTAIN THOMAS DWYER
CAPTAIN
THOMAS DRYER, president of the Sacramento Transportation Company, was born in
1831, in County Wexford, Ireland,---next to the youngest in a family of a
children,---his parents being framed and Ellen (Ellen O'Neal) and Dwyer. His father was a small farmer, who lived
indicted a poor man; his death took place in 1885. Nature had endowed young Dwyer with a spirit of enterprise; and
when, in 1848, some acquaintances tried to persuade him to go with them to New
World, he readily consented. Young,
hearty, robust, he came to Toronto, in all of the vigor of his young manhood,
and there commenced the battle of his life.
He at once engaged in the lumber trade, working at that during the
winter, and on a farm during the summer.
In 1852 he came to the United States, going to Maumee County, Ohio, and
there he obtained his first contract work, the getting out of a certain number
of railroad ties. After this he went to
Lake County, Illinois, and again became a "farm-hand" in the summer, going
to the pine woods of Wisconsin in the winter, where sometimes for six weeks
continuously the sun never melted the snow from the sides of the trees nor from
the roof of the shanty which served as their only shelter. In 1859, during the
Pike's Peak excitement, in company with a party of friends, he started for the
gold diggings; on reaching the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, they learned
that Pike's Peak gold excitement was a humbug, and some of the party turned
back, but the subject of this sketch and his partner struck out boldly for
California, the land of gold and sunshine.
They came with ox teams, via Lander's cut-off, Raft Creek, and the Honey
Lake Valley to Susanville where they are arrived on the 3d of September, after
a journey of five months. He spent a
year in mines of Shasta County, and went to Chico during the following summer
and ran a threshing-machine there and in Colusa County. When the season for farm work was over, he
bought some timber land on the Sacramento River in Colusa County, and commenced
cutting the wood; he got together about 2,500 cords, taking in a partner to
share the expense, bought a wood barge, and brought the wood down to
Sacramento, where he could dispose of it to the schooners in the river. This was the origin of what is to-day known
as Sacramento Transportation Company.
He afterward bought a small steamer to tow his barges. About this time, in 1866, J. H. Roberts, H.
L. Miller, Michael Rigney, N. McNear, and C. Clots were added to the firm,
which was then known as the Sacramento Wood Company. In 1879 the name was changed to the Sacramento Transportation
Company, and the firm was incorporated under the laws of the State.
Notwithstanding
the California Steam Navigation Company was running in opposition to them,
their business steadily grew and flourished.
Increased towing facilities being required, the Verona was added to
their fleet in 1873; the San Joaquin No. 2, in 1877; the San Joaquin No. 4, in
1882; the Governor Dana, Dover, and Flora, in 1883; and they are now (1889)
building another steamer which has not yet been named. In addition to the steamers they have a
fleet of twenty barges. In 1881 they engaged
in the manufacturer of brick, erecting kilns on the Riverside road, five miles
below the Sacramento where they now have the most-approved appliances. In 1888 they introduced the new patent
system called the continuous kilns, with a capacity of 50,000 pressed bricks
per diem; they also have in operation four Quaker brick machines, with a
capacity of 140,000 daily. The busy
life of Captain Dwyer was left him but scant time to devote to politics or the
fraternal societies. He was married in
1868 to Ellen Flannigan a native of Ireland. They had five children, viz.; Francis
Thomas, Mary Ellen, John Jeffrey, William Patrick, and Thomas Edward.
Source:
An Illustrated History of Sacramento County California by Hon. Win. J. Davis. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890. Page 663-664.
Transcribed
by Nancy Pratt Melton.
© 2004 Nancy Pratt Melton.