I See by the Papers...

Press Democrat editor Ernest Finley had the cloudiest of crystal balls in 1904/1905. First he gave his paper's enthusiastic endorsement for the weakest presidential candidate in the 20th century (which really says something), then a few months later wrote the editorial below, proclaiming that "the so-called flying machine [will never be] useful for any practical purpose." Perdant un jour, perdant toujours.

Finley's swipe at aviation was a comment on a story that appeared in the paper a day before, datelined July 18, 1905: "Professor John J. Montgomery's aeroplane, the 'Santa Clara,' collapsed this morning at an elevation of 3000 feet. Aeronaut Daniel Maloney was hurled to the ground, with the collapsed wings of the 'human bird' falling on him." As the pilot tumbled to his death, a crowd of 2,000 watched on.

To be fair, Finley probably thought that the accident happened at the sort of air exhibition show that was common in 1905 all across America, where locals could pay for an ascension in a tethered hot-air balloon, then watch a parachutist make a jump. A balloon troupe visited Santa Rosa about a month later, in fact, as shown in the blurb below (although earlier that year, Prof. Hamilton wasn't touring with the lovely Miss Carrie, but instead a parachuting monkey named "Jocko").

But the tragedy with the "human bird" was part of no novelty act. More than anyone else, Dr. Montgomery was the father of modern aviation; as early as 1883 he had a glider that could be controlled by its pilot, more than two decades before the Wright Brothers flew with an engine attached to their aircraft. Montgomery invented the word, "aeroplane" and had the first patent for such. (Film buffs may know the story through the 1946 soapy biopic, Gallant Journey.)

Here in July 1905, Montgomery and the pilot of his glider, Daniel John Maloney, an experienced aeronaut in the balloonist/parachutist vein, were demonstrating their aircraft before an audience in the (now-Silicon Valley) city of Santa Clara. The aircraft, named after the town and college where Prof. Montgomery taught, was pulled aloft about 4,000 feet by a hot-air balloon. Cut loose, he was expected to make a graceful, safe, and awe-inspiring bird-like descent that took up to half an hour. Practice sessions earlier that spring in Santa Cruz had gone very well. A picture-perfect trial demonstration at Santa Clara in April boosted confidence. But two discouraging failures followed, including a fund-raiser where the balloon rope snapped about 200 feet off the ground. The audience felt cheated and booed.

On the next test flight on July 18, the largest audience yet watched as the aeroplane was pulled upwards. Montgomery reportedly noticed that one of the balloon's lines had damaged a wing, and shouted orders for Maloney to again abort the flight. His warning wasn't heard, or was ignored.

As reported in the Press Democrat: "Maloney cut loose at 4,000 feet and began maneuvering the aeropane. He circled gracefully for some minutes, having the machine under perfect control. Suddenly the machine swerved, hesitated, and then turned completely over. It righted itself, sank down a considerable distance, and turned over again. Maloney was clinging desperately to his seat, and evidently endeavoring to regain his control, but all efforts were in vain. Again the aeroplane turned in the air, and this time the wings came together and the man and machine plunged straight downward."

A little over two years from that moment, doubters like Finley would have to concede the practicality of aviation when the Wright Brothers made their first public flight in France. Adding a dose of irony to the editor's poor prognostication, in 1911 local pilot Fred J. Wiseman swooped over the farms between Petaluma and Santa Rosa in his experimental aircraft, and as a woman on the ground waved to him, Wiseman tossed something down to her that would become recorded as the world's first airmail delivery. It was a copy of the Press Democrat.

THE FLYING MACHINE

Tuesday's shocking accident at Santa Clara, in which Aeronaut Maloney lost his life while attempting to manipulate Professor Montgomery's aeroplane, again emphasizes the difficulties that attend and must always attend any systematic attempt to navigate the air. Encouraged by the success reported to have been achieved by inventors in different parts of the world, many people have allowed themselves to become enthused to the point of predicting all kinds of impractical results in the line aerial navigation, but it is not at all likely that machines built for that purpose will ever develop beyond the toy stage. The favorite argument advanced in answer to this contention is to point to the things that have been accomplished in other lines, and say that many other inventions once considered equally impossible have been perfected and brought into general use, so why not the flying machine? This argument is manifestly unfair from the fact that the phonograph, the telephone and most of the other scientific attainments that come under that head have been new discoveries -- developments of ideas not only unperfected but also unthought of until such time as accidentally suggested by unforeseen and unexpected circumstances. The flight of the bird, on the other hand, is something man has been endeavoring to imitate ever since the eagle first stretched wing. If it were possible to endow a machine with intelligence and instinct, the successful flying machine might perhaps be numbered among the coming [line illegible] certain. The limited supporting power of the air itself and the consequently light and fragile method of construction that must in all cases be followed, together with the variability and uncertainty of the atmospheric conditions that have to be overcome, promise to continue to baffle human ingenuity in the future as they have in the past, and no matter how highly perfected, forever prevent the so-called flying machine from becoming useful for any practical purpose.

- Press Democrat editorial, July 20, 1905

Would Press Democrat editor Ernest L. Finley have believed that his newspaper would still be fighting against Fourth of July fireworks more than a century later?

While the returns are not yet all in, the figures so far received indicate that the casualties resulting from this year's celebration of the Glorious Fourth will equal and perhaps exceed those of last year, when 476 persons were killed and 3,973 seriously injured through the foolish custom of making fireworks the principal feature of the country's annual birthday party. In addition to the casualty list, which each year exceeds that of most battles, several million dollars' worth of property is always destroyed by fire, and an enormous sum spent uselessly on a form of amusement that is utterly without rhyme or reason. The things are matter of common knowledge, and slowly but surely the country is coming to a realization of the fact that some better manner of celebrating Independence Day should be evolved. Will it be possible to bring about such a change? If so, who will come forward with a suggestion that will meet all the requirements of the case?

- Press Democrat editorial, July 6, 1905

Telephones were almost commonplace in 1905 Santa Rosa, with an average of about one phone for every ten residents. But that rapid expansion came at the cost of personal service; no longer could you ring the operator and ask for a connection to John Smith -- now you had to use your "Hello Book" (what a great name for something as mundane as a telephone directory!) to first lookup his "number."

It may seem a small thing today, but it was a bit of a milestone in the history of the way we use technology, being probably the first time that an individual was associated with such an abstract thing as a series of numbers.

HELLO BOOKS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED

PATRONS ARE ASKED TO GIVE "NUMBERS" WHEN CALLING FOR "PARTIES"
Good Business is Now Assured -- Growth of the Business in This District is Big

The new telephone directories have arrived and are being issued. This is indeed a comfort.

Santa Rosa now has 800 subscribers to the Sunset Telephone & Telegraph Company and the very latest "central" equipments, and patrons are now assured good service. This, however, is on condition that the parties cooperate to make the service what it should be. With the 800 phones in use it is impossible for "central" to do good work or give any kind of service unless the "numbers" are called for instead of individuals. When only a few phones are used and one or two operators are employed to mention the name may be sufficient, but in such large offices to get a subscriber it is necessary for the party calling up to give the number wanted.

The "Sunset" now has 2,086 phones in Sonoma county, and about 3,000 in this district, which comprises Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake counties. There are 223,539 phones on the Pacific Coast, any of which may be connected with a Santa Rosa subscriber on short notice. Conversations were had last night from here to San Diego, Fresno, Portland and Vancouver, B. C., and in each instance the conversation was carried on almost as well as if the persons were living in Santa Rosa.

There are 2,086 phones in use in Sonoma county divided as follows: Santa Rosa, 800; Petaluma, 700; Healdsburg, 310; Sonoma, 64; Sebastopol, 64; Windsor, 42; Forestville, 26, scattering, 80.

Sebastopol has just had thirty-six phones added and Green Valley has contracts for 200. Next Tuesday subscribers here and at Sebastopol will have a special 15-cent rate as is the case to several of the county towns.

- Press Democrat, July 30, 1905

Both 1905 Santa Rosa papers regularly reported on children, who seemed to shatter bones or suffer terrible wounds with astonishing frequency -- that is, when they weren't narrowly escaping death, disappearing from home, or being jailed. The selection of items below is typical; note that most of the stories are from just two days.

RAN AWAY BUT DID NOT GET VERY FAR

Rodney Lawson, aged 12, and Gus Bonilla, aged 14, of San Francisco, ran away from their homes on Sunday morning, the latter having swiped five dollars and ten cents from his mother for expense money, and started for Petaluma.

While their parents were searching in San Jose and vicinity, a neighboring child received a letter from the youngsters and informed them.

A. L. Lawson, father of one of the boys, went to Petaluma on Tuesday and told the constable his troubles, and a little later the boys were found fishing near Washington street bridge. The officer locked the boys in the city prison and Mr. Lawson took them to San Francisco on the afternoon train.

- Press Democrat, May 4, 1905

Boy Falls Into Vat

John Resso, a two-year-old Italian child, fell into a vat at M. Reutershan's tannery Wednesday, and would have been drowned but for the timely appearance of John Lindsay, who jumped into the vat and rescued the boy.

- Press Democrat, May 5, 1905

AIR GUN CAUSES LOSS OF AN EYE

While playing with an air gun on Thursday evening a lad named Dannhausen was accidentally shot in the right eye. The eye-ball was penetrated by the bullet and the sight is destroyed. He was brought to M. H. Dignan's drug store where the eye was dressed and a compress applied by a physician. As yet it is not known whether the eye-ball can be saved or not. The boy is about fourteen years old and resides at 418 College avenue with his mother, Mrs. Metta Dannhausen.

- Press Democrat, May 5, 1905

LITTLE JOKE RECKONED WITHOUT ITS COST

A dozen or fifteen Napa youths bethought themselves of a little joke at the California Northwestern depot yesterday afternoon but unfortunately for them they reckoned without railroad ethics.

The lads were among the picknickers from Napa to Mirabel park and were returning home on the first section of the excursion train. The train passed through the depot here very slowly and the boys hopped off to await the coming of the second section of the train. But unfortunately for them the second section went through town at a fast rate of speed, much too fast for them or anyone else to board the cars and so they were left behind in Santa Rosa for the night. They doubtless caused their relatives some anxiety. If the reader chanced to notice a bunch of boys walking about town last night in twos and threes, some of them wearing khaki and others outing suits, there were the lads who jumped from the excursion trains yesterday afternoon intending to hop onto the second section and got left.

- Press Democrat, May 13, 1905

Blew Police Whistles

On Monday five young men who on Saturday night amused themselves by blowing police whistles in Petaluma appeared for trial before Judge Green. All plead guilty and were fined three plunks apiece. They went their way and promised to sin no more for they had paid dear for their whistles says the Argus.

- Press Democrat, June 22, 1905

Following the earlier 1905 report of a bicycle kidnapping, we now learn that there was a virtual crime wave of pilfered "wheels" that year, and all because too-trusting Santa Rosans didn't lock up their ride.

Interesting is this aside: "This has long since become a matter of frequent comment among the policemen, newspapermen and others whose duties keep them abroad on the streets in the early morning hours." It's understandable that a cop or two would be on duty all night, but why would a newspaper in a farm town of 9,000 souls have someone prowling the dark streets? This wasn't a city of all-night debauchery, like San Francisco. And what's with counting up all the unlocked bikes? Is this another one of Editor Finley's Queeg-like obsessions?

THROW DOWN BARS FOR UNINVITED RIDE

NO WONDER THAT BICYCLES ARE FREQUENTLY REPORTED MISSING TO OFFICERS
Hardly a Night Passes but What a Score of Bicycles Are Left Where They Can Be Purloined

Hardly a week passes but several reports are brought to police headquarters regarding missing bicycles. There is no doubt that in many instances the carelessness of the owners of the bicycles is responsible for the loss. There is hardly a night passes but what fifteen to twenty bicycles -- one night recently twenty-four were counted -- are left in racks, or leaning against sidewalks, buildings, and posts on Fourth and other streets. This has long since become a matter of frequent comment among the policemen, newspapermen and others whose duties keep them abroad on the streets in the early morning hours. It is a great wonder that more bicycles are not stolen. Thursday morning, about half past two o'clock, within two blocks on Fourth street, more than a dozen bicycles had been left by their owners in positions as described above. Owners of wheels should not forget that while hardly an instance can be given in which a Santa Rosa resident has been known to steal a bicycle, that at a this time of the year there are many strangers passing through town who would take a wheel, ride out of town either for "keeps" or to give trouble in finding it.

- Press Democrat, June 23, 1905

Pet stuck up a tree? Don't ask your friendly neighborhood cop for help -- unless you want your little furry friend brought down with a bullet.

To be fair about it, raccoons aren't exactly pets like Fido and Fluffy. They're aggressive scavengers and famous for their taste for chickens, which were kept at the time by many Santa Rosa households for eggs and meat. (Disease, however, wasn't an issue; there was no recorded case of raccoon rabies in California until 1936.) More's the question why Officer Hankel showed such restraint when attacked by the dog that the owner couldn't control.

Took Fancy to Policeman

A pet raccoon belonging to ex-Marshal Charles Holmes, kept at the home of his mother, Mrs. Annie M. Holmes, got loose Thursday and created considerable excitement. Mrs. Holmes appealed to the police, and Officer Hankel responded. All attempts to capture the animal were unavailing so the officer shot it.

It was a fine shot but only wounded the pet which dropped to the ground and retreated under the house for safety. Hankel then suggested that Mrs. Holmes release the bulldog to bring the prey from cover. She released the dog but the canine saw more sport in Hankel and drove him into the house where he was kept a prisoner until Mrs. Holmes could capture and chain the dog up again.

- Press Democrat, June 17, 1905

PET COON RETURNS MINUS ONE LEG

The pet 'coon of Mrs. A. M. Holmes has been recaptured and the honor of Officer Hankel is vindicated. The animal escaped a couple of weeks ago and after all efforts to secure it had failed the officer was summoned. Failing in his efforts to capture the animal he took a shot at the creature which fell from its hiding place in the tree and took refuge under the house.

Hankel was confident he hit the animal but there are always those who feel sceptical of such stories. The 'coon, however, returned Wednesday minus a front leg which was where the officer's bullet had taken effect. The wound is healing and the animal will go through life minus one leg.

- Press Democrat, June 29, 1905

Contributing to poor Mr. Hurst's grump was knowledge that he'd probably be out of a job soon -- by August, the new electric trolley was running down Fourth street and would replace his horse-drawn car.

Jailed for Annoying Street Car Driver

Ross Howe, a young fellow of hoodlum instincts, was yesterday sentenced to serve five days in the county jail by Recorder Bagley. He was convicted on the charge of using vulgar language last Sunday to A. H. Hurst, the crippled old man who drives the street car.

Charles Edwards, who is reported to hail from Petaluma and who is a fit comrade of Howe, also annoyed Mr. Hurst last Sunday whiled the driver was attending to his duties. The old man, exasperated beyond endurance, threw a rock at his tormentor and broke a pane of glass in a Fourth street store window. Edwards has been notified that unless he returns and pays for the damage, he will be prosecuted for malicious mischief. Recorder Bagley is determined that the usual practice of annoying the street car drivers shall be broken up with a few salutary fines and imprisonments.

- Santa Rosa Republican, April 5, 1905