CAPTAIN MARTIN CORCORAN
CAPTAIN
MARTIN CORCORAN, Chief Wharfinger of the port of San Francisco, is one of the
first pioneers here, arriving first at this port as early as August, 1844. He was born on Fox Island, December 8, 1824. His father, of Irish descent, died in
Wareham, Massachusetts. From the age of
nine to sixteen years, Corcoran was employed in the nail and iron works at
Wareham. October 2, 1842, he shipped on
the bark Levant, a whaling vessel, and came around Cape Horn, and was on the
Pacific until July 24, 1844. Then,
leaving that vessel at the Sandwich Islands, he joined the sloop of war Levant
and sailed to San Francisco. He
remained on the coast here two years and then, in 1846, enlisted in the Mexican
war, been placed on the sloop of war Warren; was brought to San Francisco by
way of Monterey, after the United States flag have been raised there, and was
stationed at the old customhouse on the plaza.
At that time Lieutenant W. A. Bartlett, of the sloop of war Portsmouth, was alcalde. In December, 1846, the Lieutenant took Mr. Corcoran and another man out into the country to obtain some beef cattle for the command. Arriving at their destination too late in the evening to get the cattle out, they waited until morning; then, sending out Indians for the cattle, they alarmed the Californians, who rose against them, and they did not obtain their horses until two o'clock in the afternoon. Then Lieutenant Bartlett ordered Captain Corcoran down to the Seventeen-Mile-House, saying that he would come with the Californians and help pick out the cattle. Yoking a wild ox to a tame one, they drove them down and began to pick out the cattle. Captain Corcoran had the men stack arms in the corral, and while busy with the cattle they saw about twenty men on horseback coming out of a ravine. The Lieutenant asked Sanchez who they were, and the reply was that they were Omega's friends coming to his aid. Little attention was therefore paid to them until they rode up, when they proceeded immediately to capture Lieutenant Bartlett and his party, and they took them across Half-Moon bay to San Francisco Sanchez' ranch. The captain, Charles M. Weber, came down in search of them, missed them and came on to San Francisco. The next day the captive party were taken back to Redwood Mountain, where they remained during Christmas and a few days afterward; next they were taken to Murphy's ranch near San Jose, and to Mountain View and Santa Clara, and while they were at their Lieutenant Marston, with some "blue jackets" and Charles and Weber's force, came out after them. January 8, 1847, the Californians rode into camp and said the Americans were coming, and with their Yankee overcoats and Yankee rifles. About half an hour after they left the Mexicans opened fire; and Captain Corcoran, when he heard the regular volley and the field-piece, said he knew they were all right. The Americans continued marching in retreat to the camp where Captain Corcoran was, and rushed up to the mountain, and pressed forward to Santa Clara. They opened lines to let our men go through, then circled around in the rear of them. The plains were covered with cattle, and the Californians collected large bands of the cattle and ran them down on the Americans, a field-piece opened upon them, and they also opened on each side. The Americans advanced to Santa Clara, with the Californians in the rear, but on approaching their village the ladder left and the Americans rode into camp.
Next day the English consul at Santa Clara, under a flag of truce, held a conference with the men, and they wanted Bartlett and Weber given up to them. The Americans would not agree; eighty rifle men then came from Monterey, and the Californians finally agreed to give up their arms and surrender everything to the Americans, and afterward they were permitted to return home. Captain Corcoran returned to San Francisco and rejoined the ship Warren. About this time the famous Colonel Stevenson’s New York regiment arrived; and also at this time the late General W. T. Sherman was here, as a subordinate officer in the army. After the war was over Captain Corcoran went to Monterey with the Warren, was transferred to the store-shipped Erie, and taken to Callao and Peru, and took the remains of the Commodore Dallas to the United States navy yard at Brooklyn, where the Captain was discharged.
After visiting Fall River he went to Dover’s Mill near Richmond, Virginia, where he was employed in the iron works eight or nine months. On the gold discovery being made he formed a company of 137 members, purchased the ship Mary Ann and came to California, as second mate, arriving October 13, 1849; but before their arrival the company dissolved. The ship, which cost $27,000, was sold for $4,500. The Captain spent six months in the mines; then bought an ox team and after about six days tugging along they made a distance of only eight miles, on account of mud. He then sold his oxen to a Missourian there, who knew how to drive them. The Captain proceeded to Stockton, bought a pack train, loaded it with hard bread and took it to the Chinese camp in the mines, stored the bread in the and took a load of miner’s supplies and tools to Murphy's diggings; then returned to the camp, repacked the bread and took it to Wood’s Creek. He and his partner, Smith, returned to Stockton and took out another load. Hiring a burro he peddled the bread to the miners, at fifty cents a pound; but he says that he is "still waiting for Smith to return." He has never seen him since.
Mr. Corcoran then came again to San Francisco, obtained a boat and made a few freighting trips to Stockton, until the freight rates went down; then he began as stevedore and pile-driver around the old Niantic on Sansome street. After following this for five-months he drove a bakery wagon a short time; then entered the bakery business for himself and made money rapidly; but he was soon burned out, and lost everything. Starting out again he had a good business, but he soon sold out and started a similar institution at Stockton. Next he conducted a wool and coal yard on DuPont street in the city; then he brought the steamer Jenny Lind and commenced running it on the San Jose route, with good success; and he soon put another steamer on the route, and the fare went from $8 up to $25. But in 1854 a combination was formed, and he sold out to them. Then he ran a hotel at Alviso a short time, with a partner, who soon took the funds to San Francisco for the purchase of goods, and "has not yet returned." While at Alviso, in March 1854, the Captain was married to Eliza Crogan. In 1856 he kept the Franklin House in San Jose, then was at Alviso again until 1858, next went to the Fraser river mining region with Captain Lubbock, and, as an exception to the general rule, made considerable money. A year afterward he returned to Alviso and purchased a hotel, which he conducted three years; then the San Jose & San Francisco railroad reached there, and he was appointed the first agent, which position he held for two years. Then he followed teaming between Clear Lake and Napa, sixty miles distance. Selling out to his partner, he went to San Jose and opened the New York Exchange, which he conducted from 1867 to 1872. From 1866 to 1867, however, he served as Tax Collector of Santa Clara county, and he also served as Treasurer of that county to terms, 1868 to 1872. In the latter year he purchased the Cameron House at Santa Clara, but the Bank of California soon failed, and he lost $10,000. He next ran a livery stable in San Jose for a time; then was agent of the South Pacific Coast Railroad (narrow gauge) 1881-'83, for A. B. Davis; and since then he has had his present position, a State office, to which he was appointed by the State Harbor Commissioner.
Few men have had the varied experiences of life through which the subject of the foregoing sketch has passed, a few men of this age are so vigorous to-day; he is one of the most lively of all the earliest pioneer Americans in California. Of his seven children, two sons and one daughter survive, namely: Richard William, now in the employ of the Northern Pacific Railroad at San Francisco; Mary Ann, at her father's home; and Thomas R., a railroad man.
Source:
"The Bay of San Francisco" Volume 1. Lewis Publishing Company 1892.
Page 475-477.
Submitted by: Nancy Pratt Melton.
© 2004 Nancy Pratt
Melton
San Francisco County California Biography Project