San Francisco County
Biographies
JOHN
HAYS HAMMOND
HAMMOND, JOHN HAYS,
Consulting Engineer, San Francisco, New York and London, was born in San
Francisco, California, March 31, 1855, the son of Major Richard Pindle Hammond and Sarah Elizabeth (Hays) Hammond. His
father, a native of Maryland, was graduated from the United States Military
Academy in 1841 and served with distinction in the Mexican War, retiring from
the army with the rank of major. He afterwards settled in California with
his wife, who was a daughter of Harmon Hays, A Tennessee planter, and sister of
Colonel John C. Hays, famous as a commander of Texas Rangers in the border war
days. Mr. Hammond married Miss Natalie Harris, daughter of Judge J. W. M.
Harris of Mississippi on New Year’s day, 1880, and to
them there have been born four sons, Harris, John Hays, Jr., Richard Pindle and Nathaniel Hammond.
Mr. Hammond, who has
been called the greatest engineering genius of his era and has conquered obstacles
in most of the civilized and uncivilized parts of the world, inherited his
engineering ability from his father. He was also fortunate in having
splendid educational advantages in his training period. He received his
preliminary education in public and private schools, going from Hopkins Grammar
School, at New Haven, Connecticut, to Yale University. He was graduated
from Sheffield Scientific School of Yale in 1876, with the degree of Bachelor
of Philosophy, and in 1898, twenty-two years later, Yale conferred upon him the
degree of Master of Arts. Following the completion of his course at Yale,
he studied for three years in the Royal School of Mines at Freiberg, Saxony,
but did not graduate. Other collegiate honors bestowed upon him in later years
were the degree of Doctor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology,
in 1906, and that of Doctor of Laws, conferred upon him in 1907 by St. Johns
College.
From the time he left
school Mr. Hammond has been progressing successfully and successively in the
world of mining and mine engineering, until today, with a wonderful record of
accomplishments behind him, he stands at the head of his profession, this
position being voted him by his contemporaries in all parts of the world.
Upon his return from
Saxony, in 1880, Mr. Hammond was chosen by the United States Government as
special expert for the Geological Survey to examine the gold fields of
California. His report on the gold resources of his native State, made
after the most thorough investigation, was the most comprehensive ever prepared
up to that time and is one of the recorded government authorities.
His work in this
capacity established Mr. Hammond as one of the experts of the mining world and
for the next few years succeeding he was in great demand for examination and
research work. In 1892, when he was barely thirty-seven years of age, Mr.
Hammond was chosen as superintendent of large silver properties in Sonora,
Mexico, and during the time he was there he also examined a number of other
valuable properties, thereby gaining first-hand information about the mining
possibilities of the Republic.
He was called back to
San Francisco from Mexico to become consulting engineer of mines in Grass
Valley, California, and also was chosen as Consulting Engineer for the Union
Iron Works of San Francisco, the Central Pacific and the Southern Pacific
Railroads.
The works
accomplished by Mr. Hammond in these offices added to his reputation and he was
commissioned to examine mining properties in all parts of the world. Finally,
in 1893, he was summoned to South Africa by the celebrated diamond and gold
magnates, Barnato Brothers of London and South
Africa. This was the beginning of one of the most thrilling and
picturesque chapters in his entire life, for, after a short experience in the
country he became associated with Cecil Rhodes, then in the midst of his great
work in South Africa, as Chief Engineer of his enterprises, and with the
immortal empire-building he took a conspicuous part in that country’s upbuilding.
Mr. Hammond was one
of the intimates of the great Rhodes in his plans and in his engineering
triumphs not only won the respect and admiration of the leader, but caused a
feeling among the natives of the country that made them put him in the class of
the wonder-worker. For instance, Mr. Hammond turned the wild trails of
certain places into level streets and platted cities almost over night; built
mine elevators by which thousands of the natives were shot down into the mines
in the morning and brought back to the surface of the earth at evening, and
accomplished other feats which so startled the people that they really regarded
him as superhuman.
As an ardent
supporter of Cecil Rhodes, Mr. Hammond naturally came to have a prominent part
in the political plans of his leader and was one of the four great leaders of
the reform movement in the Transvaal. It was during this time that Rhodes
stationed a body of 600 men, under Dr. Leonard Starr Jameson, on the border of
the Transvaal to be prepared for any disturbances which might be fomented by
the Uitlanders. Mr. Hammond was with
him. Finally, Jameson made his celebrated raid, which resulted so
disastrously, and Mr. Hammond, who was not in sympathy with the movement, was
one of the chief sufferers. Dr. Jameson, on his own initiative, went
forward one day to attack Krugersdorp, but met with
such fierce resistance that even his bombardment of the town proved ineffectual
and his attack failed. He next attacked Doornkoop,
but after a terrific battle of thirty-six hours’ duration, in which he lost
seventeen men killed and forty-nine wounded, he was compelled to surrender to
the Boers.
Jameson and his
officers were turned over to the British Government for punishment and Mr.
Hammond, as one of the supposed leaders, was first sentenced to death for his
part in the raid. This later was commuted to fifteen years’ imprisonment
and finally he regained his freedom by paying to the Transvaal Government
$125,000.
While connected with
the Rhodes enterprises as Consulting Engineer of the Consolidated Gold Fields
of South Africa, the British South Africa Company and the Randfontein
Estate Gold Mining Company, Mr. Hammond accomplished marvels in the engineering
work and is given credit for a large part of the success attaching to the
development of Rhodesia. It was while there that he displayed a side of
his character that showed the bigness and fairness of the man, the incident
here related being told by a warm friend of his some years after it occurred.
As the story goes,
Mr. Hammond, in his capacity of Chief Engineer, commissioned a younger man, in
whom he had great confidence, to handle a large operation and this man, through
an error of judgment, caused damage which meant the loss of a tremendous amount
of money to his employers. Humiliated and discouraged, the younger
engineer appeared before Mr. Hammond, told him what he had done and tendered
his resignation. The elder man would not accept it, but instead told his
assistant how the damage could be repaired, and then said to him:
“You cannot afford to
make this mistake. You are a young man and have your whole life before
you. If I make this mistake, the world will not take it so seriously, and,
as I sent you out, I will stand responsible for the damage.”
This he did, and the
younger man, who was ready to abondon the work for
which Mr. Hammond considered him born, was saved from disgrace. He is
today one of the great and successful engineering experts of the world.
This is a story that Mr. Hammond never relates himself, nor is
the writer aware that it has ever appeared in print before.
Following the
completion of his works in South Africa and his exoneration, morally, for his
part in the Jameson raid, Mr. Hammond settled in London, England, and there
became interested in a number of large mining companies in various parts of the
world, including the United States and Mexico. In directing and overseeing
these operations he made many trips to the United States and other parts of the
world, finally returning to his native country to remain permanently.
Becoming associated
with the great Guggenheim Brothers’ mining interests as Chief Engineer for the
Guggenheim Exploration Company of New York, Mr. Hammond took his place at the
head of his profession in this country, at a salary variously estimated from
half a million to a million dollars per annum. All the mining operations
of this gigantic concern were placed under his personal supervision and he
embarked upon one of the most extensive development enterprises ever known to
the mining industry of America. He designed and supervised the
construction of a vast system of canals in the placer fields of Alaska and
opened up many valuable coal and metal properties in that northernmost
possession of the United States. He also directed operations in various
other parts of the United States, in Old Mexico and abroad, and made frequent
trips to Russia and Siberia in the interest of his employers. His work in
this capacity is a part of mining history.
A few years back, Mr.
Hammond became interested in the Yaqui River Delta
Land & Water Company, projectors of the largest irrigation and general
development enterprise ever undertaken in Mexico. This company owns more
than a million acres of land in the Yaqui River
Valley, which it is reclaiming and opening to settlement, and Mr. Hammond is
one of the owners as well as Chief Engineer and designer of the work.
Mr. Hammond, who is
regarded abroad as the typification of American
progress, has been a factor in American political life for many years. In
1908, at the solicitation of friends, in many States, he became the candidate
of Massachusetts for the nomination of Vice President at the Republican
National Convention, held that year in Chicago. Because of his great
professional record and his personal popularity, his candidacy rapidly gained
strength, delegates from Massachusetts, his residence, and California, his
native State, making a vigorous fight in his behalf. Other States,
particularly the mining States of the West, rallied to his standard, and his
headquarters, at the Congress Hotel in Chicago, was the scene of the greatest
activity in the pre-convention days.
His choice for the
position of running-mate to Taft seemed assured and, as events proved, he would
have been elected to the second highest office in the land; but as the
nominations were about to be made, Mr. Hammond became convinced that the
election of President Taft could be made more certain by the selection of a New
York man as the Republican party’s candidate for Vice President, so he withdrew
in favor of James Schoolcraft Sherman, of Utica, New York, and threw all of his
support to him.
Mr. Hammond, because
of his great ability as an organizer, was later chosen as President of the
National League of Republican Clubs, and in this capacity was enabled to render
great assistance.
President Taft and
Mr. Hammond are warm personal friends and at their summer homes in
Massachusetts have frequently played golf together. This close association
gave president Taft a clearer insight into the character of Mr. Hammond than
could be had in the formal meetings of public life and in 1911, when it came
time to choose a diplomatic envoy to represent the United States among the
nations at the Coronation of King George Fifth and Queen Mary, the Chief
Executive appointed Mr. Hammond Special Ambassador. The visit of Mr.
Hammond and his wife to the English court was a triumph for them and their
country. They were paid many honors by the newly crowned rulers and other
notables who figured in the ceremonies, and they, in turn entertained lavishly.
The reception
accorded Mr. Hammond on this occasion was one of the most pleasing of his life
and demonstrated to the world at large that any feeling which England may have
had for his part in the Jameson affair had been obliterated by his later and
greater accomplishments for the good of the Empire. His relations with
King George were the most cordial of any had by a foreign delegate to the
coronation.
In addition to this
honor, President Taft also reposed other confidences in Mr. Hammond, advising
with him on many matters of great importance to the country. In his
world-wide travels Mr. Hammond has made a deep study of international trade
relations, and some of his utterances concerning development of foreign trade
for the United States have been adopted as the basis of trade reform. He
has also taken a very prominent part in the advocacy of reforms in the nations’
mining laws, and has helped in the creation of numerous acts passed by Congress
in recent years for the protection of lives and property of the
miners. Because of his prominence in this respect and his frequent
conferences at the White House, it was reported many times that President Taft
was seeking to have him enter his Cabinet.
Mr. Hammond served as
President of the American Institute of Mining Engineers during the years 1907
and 1908. He has contributed numerous articles on mining and engineering
matters to the technical press, and despite his diversified interests, has
found time to lecture before the young aspirants for engineering honors at
various institutions of learning. Among others he has lectured before the
classes of Columbia, Harvard, Yale and Johns Hopkins Universities.
Other organizations
in which Mr. Hammond is a leading figure are the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, of which he was elected a Fellow in 1891, the National
Civic Federation and several lesser ones of a political or civic
nature. He is a member of the Century and University Clubs, of New York,
and of the University Clubs of Denver, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. He
makes his home at Gloucester, Massachusetts but has offices in London and New
York.
Transcribed 9-30-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press Reference Library, Western
Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Pages 15-16, International News
Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.