EX-CHIEFS OF THE VOLUNTEERS
AND
THEIR ASSISTANTS
J.
E. NUTTMAN and A. C. BRADFORD were chosen to act as chief and assistant chief
respectively on June 26, 1850. We have been unable to find any record showing the
length of time the above named gentlemen served, but presume that Chief NUTTMAN
remained at the head of the department until he removed to San Francisco, a
short time previous to the election of E. W. COLT to the office, January 11,
1854. George H. TINKHAM in his "History of Stockton" mentions Frank
Q. BROWN as an assistant chief in the list of the "pioneer firemen"
who served the city in the earliest days of its existence. Andrew LESTER held
the latter office September 13, 1853, and was elected for another term January
11, 1854.
August
18, 1855, Wm. B. CLARK and Samuel L. BALDWIN were elected first and second
assistant chiefs and E. W. COLT was re-elected to the commanding office. Mr.
CLARK presented his resignation and Wm. B. COOMBS was selected to fill the
vacancy thus occasioned on December 12, 1855. August 12, 1856, A. S. RIDER was
elected chief. Samuel L. BALDWIN and John REMSHART were chosen to act as first
and second assistants. RIDER and BALDWIN tendered their resignations two months
later; Mr. REMSHART was advanced to the rank of first assistant and on December
8th, J. M. Van SYCKLE and M. L. BIRD were selected to perform the duties of
chief and second assistant respectively.
Mr.
Van SYCKLE tendered his resignation to the Board of Delegates on June 9, 1857,
but that body prevailed upon the gentleman to reconsider his action and he
continued to perform the duties of the office in an able manner until August
11th, when, at the regular annual election John REMSHART was honored by
election to the office. On the same date M. L. BIRD and E. B. WHITMAN were
elected assistants. August 10, 1858, Messrs. REMSHART and BIRD were re-elected
but as Philip NEISTRATH of the "San Joaquins"
had received the larger number of votes he was, under the then existing rules,
declared entitled to rank above Mr. BIRD as assistant. The latter gentleman
declined to serve and the secretary was instructed to call a special election
for the purpose of naming his successor. No record of such an action appears,
however, in the minutes of the board.
At
the regular annual election, August 9, 1859, John W. HART, D. J. OULLAHAN and
C. F. WURSTER were chosen to act as chief, first assistant and second assistant
chiefs respectively. George H. SANDERSON of the "Hooks", Philip
NEISTRATH and W. T. SMILEY of the "Webers"
were elected to fill the offices, ranking in the order named, on August 14,
1860. One year later the two first named gentlemen were re-elected and P. W.
DUDLEY of the "Eurekas" was chosen second
assistant. August 12, 1862, Mr. SANDERSON, who subsequently moved to San
Francisco and later was elected Mayor of that city, was continued in the
chief's office by the unanimous vote of the department. M. A. ROBINSON of the
parent company and R. S. CONLEY of the "Eurekas"
received the majority of the votes for the offices of first and second
assistants. Mr. ROBINSON resigned and Philip NEISTRATH was chosen to fill the
vacancy thus occasioned on August 25th, but he, too, declined to serve. Mr.
CONLEY tendered his resignation November 11, 1862, and all the duties of
commanding the department fell to the lot of Chief SANDERSON until December
9th, when P. W. DUDLEY and Joshua BARSTOW were elected assistants.
At
the regular election August 11, 1863, R. B. LANE was the unanimous choice of
the department for chief and M. SEVERY and A. DURANT were
elected first and second assistant chief respectively. All declined to serve
and August 29th was set as the date upon which a special election would be held
but no record of the same appears. The next annual election should have been
held on August 1, 1864, and A. DOHRMANN, L. E. YATES and Byron GALLUP were
appointed judges for the conduct of the same. No candidates put in an appearance
and the judges, at a subsequent meeting of the Board of Delegates, expressed
their belief that unless Chief SANDERSON continued to serve, the department
would be without a commanding officer, as it was impossible to find a member of
the department willing to allow his name to be placed in nomination for the
office until such time as the Common Council should show its appreciation of
the organization's efforts by appropriating a stipulated amount monthly as a
salary for its chief officer. At a meeting of the City Fathers held Monday,
October 10, 1864, the following resolution was adopted: "Resolved, That
this Council fix the salary of the Chief Engineer of the Stockton Fire
Department at the sum of twenty dollars per month, and that the department be requested
to hold an election forthwith." On the day following the adoption of the
above Chief SANDERSON tendered his resignation. Thirteen days later Thomas
CUNNINGHAM, Philip ROHRBACHER and G. C. HYATT were elected to the several
offices, ranking in the order named. All were re-elected the following year.
August
14, 1866, the duties of shaping the course of the department fell to the lot of
Frank SEILNACHT. Samuel HEWLETT and Thomas ECKSTROM were chosen to act as his
assistants and the satisfactory manner in which they performed their duties was
made evident by their re-election the following year. August 11, 1868, Thomas
CUNNINGHAM was once more called upon to direct the energies of the Volunteers,
Fred YOST and W. A. STILLSON ably filling the positions of first and second
assistant. Messrs. CUNNINGHAM and YOST were re-elected the following year;
Chas. A. MARTIN succeeded Mr. STILLSON.
August 9, 1870, Philip ROHRBACHER, Israel ROLF and Chas. A. MARTIN ranking in
the order named, were elected to the offices and one year later John NICHOLS,
George KROH and Ben. F. KOHLBERG were the gentlemen
honored by the majority of the votes of their fellow members of the department.
The three last named were re-elected on August 13, 1872, and at the next annual
election NICHOLS, KOHLBERG, and Henry ESHBACH were chosen. Chief NICHOLS was
again re-elected in 1874 as was also first assistant chief KOHLBERG. The office
of second assistant was ably filled by Jas. W. FREELEY. August 10, 1875, James
BROWN succeeded John NICHOLS as chief while Henry ESHBACH and Eli CONFER were
elected assistants.
Mr. BROWN again received a majority of the votes at the next annual election
and Henry ROHRBACHER of the "San Joaquins"
and John HAMPTON of the "Hooks" were chosen to fill the other two
offices. The election of 1877 was held July 10th. Pope MOUNTJOY received 89
votes and Henry ROHRBACHER 87. Both gentlemen were candidates for the office of
chief. A recount of ballots cast was requested by San Joaquin Engine Company
No. 3, of which Mr. ROHRBACHER was a member and the president appointed Messrs.
J. A. LOUTTIT, M. S. THRESHER and Gilbert DON a committee to conduct the same.
The recount revealed no discrepancies in the report of the judges of the
election and the committee recommended the issuance of a certificate to Mr.
MOUNTJOY, who is said to have been the youngest man to hold the office of chief
engineer during the existence of the volunteer department. Henry ESHBACH and
John B. BUCKLEY filled the offices of first and second assistant chiefs
respectively during Mr. MOUNTJOY'S term.
From the above date the records of the department are missing, hence our
inability to include a complete list of the gentlemen who officiated as
assistant chiefs during the two years next succeeding. Henry ESHBACH was
elected chief engineer August 16, 1878. He was succeeded in 1879 by John B.
BUCKLEY who served two terms. Israel ROLF was selected to act as the head of
the organization in August, 1881, during the year he was ably supported by W.
B. WOLLAM and J. W. BRADY. Ben. F. KOHLBERG was the unanimous choice of the
department in 1882 and, assisted by Edward WEBER and J. C. ZIGNEGO Jr., he
administered its affairs in an exceptionally able manner until the year
following when Henry ESHBACH was once more called upon to assume the duties of
the office. Mr. ESHBACH was re-elected in 1884. During his first term he had as
first and second assistants John D. GALL and J. C. ZIGNEGO Jr. The names of the
assistants elected in 1884 are not recorded.
In
1885 the work of shaping the destinies of the department fell to the lot of
John D. GALL, who was assisted therein by Joseph KALCK and Henry CULKINS. Louis
J. WAGNER held the office when in June of the year following the apparatus was
purchased for the city by the Council. In pursuance with the agreement entered
into with the last named body the Volunteers maintained an active organization
until the adoption of the paid system by a majority of the voters, and in
August, 1887, elected James BROWN chief engineer to serve until the
inauguration of the officers of the new regime.
Transcriber Sally Kaleta.
Proofreader Betty Vickroy.
© 2002-2007 Nancy
Pratt Melton.
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