San Joaquin County
Biographies
STOCKTON IRON WORKS
WILLIAM E. TRETHEWAY
RICHARD THOMAS EARLE
SAMUEL D. DASHER
STOCKTON IRON WORKS.-- There is
no subject which commands more attention in a progressive community than that
of manufactures, and when a change in proprietorship takes place in a leading
institution of this character, the interest of all thinking citizens, having
the welfare of the community at heart, is at once enlisted. Such a change has
taken place in the proprietorship of the Stockton Iron Works during the year
1889, and it is a matter of congratulations that the previous high standards of
the firm has suffered no loss from the change.
The Stockton Iron Works is one of the old
established institutions of the city. Away back in 1868, H. S. Farrington, G.
C. Hyatt and H. L. Farrington started the business on a small scale under the
firm style of Farrington, Hyatt & Co. The integrity of their business
operations, and the high standard of work turned out built for them a
reputation which brought them a large trade, maintained for years. H. L.
Farrington’s death caused the only change up to 1889, though the firm name was
not changed. On the 1st of April, 1889, Farrington, Hyatt & Co.
retired, and were succeeded by the present firm.
Tretheway, Earle & Dasher, the present
proprietors, have already demonstrated their good judgment in combining to
assume the responsibilities of such an important works. At the time of this
writing their bee-hive employs forty-two skilled workmen, a larger number then
was ever before utilized in connection with the business.
Their manufactured product, while
retaining its strong hold on the local trade, is in demand as far south as
Fresno, and in the counties east and west of San Joaquin. Even San Francisco
adds to the volume of the trade, though, of course, the demand from there is
principally for specialties. Architectural iron work, a feature not included in
the work of the old firm of late years, has been taken in hand by Tretheway,
Earl & Dasher, with gratifying results. They have also taken up the
building of traction engines, and find that they can turn out a machine better
suited in every way to the needs of the territory they supply than any imported
engine. Already two of these completed monsters have been turned out of their
shops.
Agricultural and mining work, brass and
other castings are also among their principal products, while attention is
given to general jobbing and repairing, boiler repairing, pattern work and
machine blacksmithing.
The three proprietors are experts in their
respective departments, Mr. Tretheway having charge of the pattern department,
Mr. Earle personally superintending the work of the corps of machinists, and
Mr. Dasher being in control of the foundry work. To give an idea of the
especial training and fitness for their respective positions, brief sketches of
them are here given:--
WILLIAM E. TRETHEWAY, of the above firm, is a native of London, England,
born in 1857. His father, Richard Tretheway, was superintendent of extensive
docks, his uncle being a director of the company. When the subject of this
sketch was a mere child the family came to America, but after two years in
Indiana went back to England. In 1867, however, they returned to the United
States and came to California via Panama, locating in Stockton, where the
father followed business as a contractor, and where he lived until his death.
William E. Tretheway attended the public schools of Stockton until he was
fourteen years old, then went to San Francisco, where he attended the Lincoln
public school and served an apprenticeship as pattern-maker in the Risdon Iron
Works. In this branch of industry he at once rose to prominence. He built the
Hope Iron Works, and turned out the patterns for the California Street Cable
Company, San Francisco. Leaving that city in 1877, he returned to Stockton and
took charge of the pattern department of Farrington, Hyatt & Co., where he
was engaged until the present firm was organized. He is Past Grand of Charity
Lodge, I. O. O. F.
R. T. EARLE, a native of Collingwood,
Ontario (near Toronto), was reared in New York State, and at a suitable age
commenced the machinist’s trade in the great shops of the New York Central
Railroad at Buffalo. Thirteen and one-half year’s experience in this great
establishment, during which he acquired every detail of the trade in the long
range from railroad to steamboat work, qualified him for the undertaking of any
and every thing connected with the machinist’s trade.
When the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
Railroad built its Topeka shops, Mr. Earle was secured to take charge of the
tool department, and held that position until the machinery was in position in
the shops. Any experienced machinist knows what that position involves.
In March, 1884, he came to Stockton, and
after three and a half years in the S. C. H. & A. Works, took charge of
Holt Brothers’ machine shops. He left that position to enter upon his new
duties in connection with the Stockton Iron Works.
SAMUEL D. DASHER, who is in charge of the foundry department was born in
Blair County, Pennsylvania, in 1843. He was reared in his native State, and
learned the molder’s trade with the firm of McLanahan, Stone & Co., general
founders and machinists, Hollidaysburg.
In 1862 he entered the service of the
Union in Company G, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, with which he served nine months. From that time until the close of the
war he was in Company D, One Hundred and Ninety-second Pennsylvania Regiment.
He was discharged at Harrisburg, then returned to Hollidayburg, where he
resumed work with his old firm.
After traveling through the Eastern
States, he went to Omaha, and secured employment in the shops of the Union
Pacific Railroad, then building. In 1876 he came to California and became
foreman for Baker & Hamilton, at their San Leandro works. He was next in
charge of their establishment at Benicia, for about thirteen months, then went
back to San Leandro, where he resided most of the time until coming to Stockton
to enter the present firm. In the meantime, however, he was for one year in
charge of the foundry of the Stockton Combined Harvester and Agricultural
Works.
Mr. Dasher is a master of his business,
and personally superintends the work in his department of the Stockton Iron
Works. He is a member of the G. A. R.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County, California,
Pages 626-627. Lewis Pub. Co. Chicago,
Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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