P. P. CAIN

     P. P. Cain is the senior member of the firm of Cain & Co., commission merchants, and wholesale dealers in California and Oregon fruit and produce, one of the best established fruit and produce firms of San Francisco, located for the past seven years at 206 and 208 Washington street.  The trade of the company extends from Tacoma and Seattle in the north, to Los Angeles and San Diego in the south, as well as east to Salt Lake and beyond.  The business consists of handling fruits and produce and shipping to all parts of the coast.  Agents of the company in the interior buy orchards and gather, pack and ship to this city. Large quantities never reach the company's premises, being sold and reshipped at the wharf.  The business of the past year has been exceedingly good, showing a gratifying increase over the preceding year.  In the handling of apples the company does a larger business than any other, and makes a specialty of that branch of the trade, in some cases receiving as many as 3,000 boxes in a single day.  A large part of this trade is with Oregon.  Potatoes and grain are also handled in large quantities, and the shipments of few firms in the city equal that of Cain & Co.  A large business has of late been opened up with Australia and the colonies, and the prospects are favorable for a steady increase in the dried-fruit trade, which of late years has assumed large proportions.  Recently Mr. Cain purchased the Thorn Dairy Ranch and a tract of land of William E. Wilds, located near Visalia, in Tulare county.  The Thorn tract consists of 213 acres, for which $20,000 was paid.  The twenty-seven acres purchased of  Mr. Wild sold for $3,000, and was originally a portion of the larger tract, the whole making 240 acres; the total price paid was $23,000.  There are five deep-bored wells on the land, all cased and furnishing an unlimited quantity of excellent water.  Mr. Cain bought with the ranch all of the stock, consisting of sixty-one cows, nineteen herd of stock cattle and six horses, one span weighing over 2,800 pounds.  The dairy will be operated for a few years, and in the meantime, in addition to the present orchard, it is the intention to  continue the planting of fruit trees, principally peaches, prunes, apricots and pears; its special object will be the raising of early and choice fruits for the San Francisco and other markets.

     June 25, 1891, was organized a joint-stock company known as the Cain Fruit & Nursery Company, with a capital stock of $72,000, divided into 240 shares of $300 each.  The incorporators were:  P. P. Cain, of San Francisco, president; George F. Beales, of Visalia, vice-president, and A. P. Jacobs, of San Francisco, secretary and treasurer.

     The subject of this sketch is a native of Nova Scotia, born April 12, 1846.  He received his education by attending night and day school, and was reared to farm life.  His father, James, was a native of Ireland and came to Nova Scotia about 1840.  The mother's maiden name was Johanna Hennasey, and she also was a native of Ireland.  The father died in 1876, the mother having passed away one year before.  To them were born eight children, of whom our subject was the third.  He came to the United States in 1866 and located at Boston, Massachusetts, until 1873; then he removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained until 1874, when he came by rail to San Francisco.  Mr. Cain is a stone-cutter by trade, having learned the business in Massachusetts, and followed his trade previous to his emigration to California.  Soon after his arrival here he engaged in the retail fruit business, continuing in that line until 1882, when he, in company with his brother, opened up the commission business in his present quarters.  Later the brother withdrew and another partner succeeded him for a time. About two years ago the present partner, Mr. J. T. Lamb, was admitted.

     Mr. Cain springs from a long-lived and prolific race of people.

     Politically he is a Republican, although not active in political work, and belongs to no secret societies.

 

Transcribed 10-18-04  Marilyn R. Pankey