San Francisco County
Biographies
CAPTAIN
HENRY S. LUBBOCK
CAPTAIN H. S.
LUBBOCK, Supervising Inspector of Steam Vessels, San Francisco, and one of the
oldest and most experienced engineers on the pacific coast, is a native of
South Carolina, born in the city Charleston. His parents were Henry W. and
Susan B. Lubbock. Captain Lubbock attended school in his native State, and
went to New York and served an apprenticeship at the Machinist’ trade in the
machine shops of T. F. Secor, which were afterward
merged into the Morgan Iron Works. After acquiring his trade he was
appointed dock engineer in his native city for the Brooks & Barden line of steamers between Charleston and Savannah.
Upon the breaking out
of the gold excitement in California he sailed on the ship Prometheus to Chagres, thence by canoes pulled by natives to Gorgona, and thence by mules to Panama in a party of
nine. One of them was taken with small-pox, and Captain Lubbock would not
leave him; so he remained behind and took care of him, and came upon the ship
Union, Captain Marks, on her first trip, reaching here in February
1851. Captain Lubbock came out here for the special purpose of putting up
the iron steamer American Eagle, which was built by I. P. Morris & Company
of Philadelphia, and was brought here in sections by the ship George Brown,
Captain Higgins. The American Eagle was put together
here and ran on the Stockton route. Captain Lubbock was engineer, and his
brother, William M., was captain. After running her two years she was sold
to the Stockton Combination Company, and then Captain Lubbock went home to
bring out the Bay City, which steamer, on her way here, was disabled and put in
at port of Rio Janeiro, and was sold. Captain Lubbock remained here and
took charge of the steamer Sophia for the California Steam Navigation Company,
on the San Jose route, and continued until 1859, and then he went East and remained until 1868, when he returned and engaged
in farming at San Jose until 1871. Then he went in the mountains of Nevada
and Utah and took charge of the Flora Springs Water Works of Nevada. In
1876 he went to Utah and remained there until 1884, when he returned to San
Francisco and was appointed b the harbor Commissioners Superintendent of dock
repairs, and while in that position he was urged to accept the appointment to
his present position. In July, 1887, he was appointed Supervising
Inspector of Steam Vessels, and since then has filled this important office
with signal ability.
He has been a
prominent member of the Masonic fraternity since 1851, when he joined Manhattan
Lodge, No. 106, New York city, and is a Knight
Templar.
Captain Lubbock
married Mrs. Mary J. Haughout, of New York city and they have had four children, two of whom survive:
Oswald and Mrs. George Arnold, both living here.
Transcribed
by 8-31-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The Bay of San
Francisco," Vol. 2, Page 328-329, Lewis
Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.