Andrew Smith Hallidie
Encyclopedia
Andrew Smith Hallidie was the promoter of the Clay Street Hill Railroad
in San Francisco
, USA. This was the world's first practical cable car
system, and Hallidie is often therefore regarded as the inventor of the cable car and father of the present day San Francisco cable car system
, although both claims are open to dispute. He also introduced the manufacture of wire rope
to California
, and at an early age was a prolific builder of bridges in the Californian interior.
in England
. His grandfather, Smith, a Scottish
schoolmaster and soldier during the Napoleonic wars, had served at Waterloo. His father, Andrew Smith, had been born in Fleming, Dumfrieshire, Scotland
, in 1798, and his mother, Julia Johnstone Smith, was from Lockerbie
, Dumfrieshire. He later adopted the name Hallidie in honor of his uncle, Sir Andrew Hallidie, who had been a royal physician to King William IV and to Queen Victoria.
Andrew Smith's father, also called Andrew Smith, was an engineer and inventor with several patents to his name, most importantly those for the making of wire ropes, granted from 1835 to 1849. The younger Andrew Smith was initially apprenticed to a machine shop and drawing office. In 1852 both father and son set sail for California
, where the father had an interest in some gold mines
in Mariposa County. These proved disappointing, and the father returned to England in 1853. The son, however, remained in California, and became a gold miner whilst also working as a blacksmith
, surveyor and builder of bridges.
In 1856, whilst working on the construction of a flume
at a mine at American Bar, Hallidie was consulted over the rapid rate of wear on the ropes used to lower cars of rock from the mine to the mill. These ropes were wearing out in 75 days. Hallidie improvised machinery to make a replacement wire rope, which lasted two years, and in the process began wire rope manufacture in California.
Hallidie was also heavily involved in bridge building. During 1861-2, he constructed bridges across the Klamath River
at Weitchpeck
, at Nevada City
, across the American River
at Folsom
, and across the Bear, Trinity
, Stanislaus
, and Tuolumne
rivers. In 1863 he built a bridge across the Fraser River
, 10 miles upstream of Yale
at Alexandra in British Columbia
.
Also in 1863, Hallidie married Martha Elizabeth Woods. They had no children. In 1864, he became a United States
citizen
. In 1865, he gave up bridge building in order to devote himself entirely to his wire rope manufacturing business, which was experiencing increased demand from the silver mines
on the Comstock Lode
.
In 1867, Hallidie invented the Hallidie ropeway
, a form of aerial tramway
used for transporting ore and other material across mountainous districts, which he successfully installed a number of locations, and later patented.
There is also doubt as to when exactly the first run of the cable car occurred. The franchise required a first run no later than August 1, 1873, however at least one source reports that the run took place a day late, on August 2, but that the city chose not to void the franchise. Some accounts say that the first gripman hired by Hallidie looked down the steep hill from Jones and refused to operate the car, so Hallidie took the grip himself and ran the car down the hill and up again without any problems.
The engineer of the Clay Street line was William Eppelsheimer
. However, given Hallidie's previous experience of cables and cable haulage systems, it seems unlikely that he did not contribute to the design of the system.
The Clay Street line started regular service on September 1, 1873 and was a financial success. In addition, Hallidie's patents on the cable car design were stringently enforced on cable car promoters around the world, and made him a rich man.
from 1868 until his death, and as a trustee and vice-president of the San Francisco Mechanics Institute in 1864 and president from 1868 to 1877 and from 1893 to 1895. In 1873, Hallidie stood for election to the California State Senate
, and in 1875 he stood for election as mayor
of San Francisco, but in both cases he was defeated.
Hallidie served as trustee of the First Unitarian Church, and as its moderator in 1883 and 1884. He held memberships in the American Society of Inventors, American Geographical Society
, California Academy of Sciences
, and other scientific and literary bodies. He was a member of the old California Historical Society
and of the Pacific-Union
, Olympic
, and Sierra
clubs.
A. S. Hallidie & Co. became the California Wire Works in 1883 with Hallidie as president. In 1895, it was sold to Washburn and Moen Co., the oldest manufacturers of wire in the United States (established in 1831).
Hallidie died at the age of 65 at his San Francisco residence.
Clay Street Hill Railroad
The Clay Street Hill Railroad was the first successful cable hauled street railway. It was located on Clay Street, a notably steep street in San Francisco in California, and first operated in August 1873....
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, USA. This was the world's first practical cable car
Cable car (railway)
A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
system, and Hallidie is often therefore regarded as the inventor of the cable car and father of the present day San Francisco cable car system
San Francisco cable car system
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system, in the US sense of a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. It is an icon of San Francisco, California...
, although both claims are open to dispute. He also introduced the manufacture of wire rope
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and at an early age was a prolific builder of bridges in the Californian interior.
Early life
Andrew Smith Hallidie was born as plain Andrew Smith. His birthplace is variously quoted as LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His grandfather, Smith, a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
schoolmaster and soldier during the Napoleonic wars, had served at Waterloo. His father, Andrew Smith, had been born in Fleming, Dumfrieshire, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in 1798, and his mother, Julia Johnstone Smith, was from Lockerbie
Lockerbie
Lockerbie is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately from Glasgow, and from the English border. It had a population of 4,009 at the 2001 census...
, Dumfrieshire. He later adopted the name Hallidie in honor of his uncle, Sir Andrew Hallidie, who had been a royal physician to King William IV and to Queen Victoria.
Andrew Smith's father, also called Andrew Smith, was an engineer and inventor with several patents to his name, most importantly those for the making of wire ropes, granted from 1835 to 1849. The younger Andrew Smith was initially apprenticed to a machine shop and drawing office. In 1852 both father and son set sail for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where the father had an interest in some gold mines
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
in Mariposa County. These proved disappointing, and the father returned to England in 1853. The son, however, remained in California, and became a gold miner whilst also working as a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, surveyor and builder of bridges.
In 1856, whilst working on the construction of a flume
Flume
A flume is an open artificial water channel, in the form of a gravity chute, that leads water from a diversion dam or weir completely aside a natural flow. Often, the flume is an elevated box structure that follows the natural contours of the land. These have been extensively used in hydraulic...
at a mine at American Bar, Hallidie was consulted over the rapid rate of wear on the ropes used to lower cars of rock from the mine to the mill. These ropes were wearing out in 75 days. Hallidie improvised machinery to make a replacement wire rope, which lasted two years, and in the process began wire rope manufacture in California.
Wire rope and bridges
Hallidie abandoned mining in 1857 and returned to San Francisco. Under the name of A. S. Hallidie & Co., he commenced the manufacture of wire rope in a building at Mason and Chestnut Streets, using the machinery from American Bar.Hallidie was also heavily involved in bridge building. During 1861-2, he constructed bridges across the Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
at Weitchpeck
Weitchpec, California
Weitchpec is an unincorporated community in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is located northeast of Eureka, at an elevation of 361 feet...
, at Nevada City
Nevada City, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Nevada City had a population of 3,068. The population density was 1,399.7 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Nevada City was 2,837 White, 26 African American, 28 Native American, 46 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 40 from other races,...
, across the American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
at Folsom
Folsom, California
Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its famous Folsom Prison. The population was 72,203 at the 2010 census....
, and across the Bear, Trinity
Trinity River (California)
The Trinity River is the longest tributary of the Klamath River, approximately long, in northwestern California in the United States. It drains an area of the Coast Ranges, including the southern Klamath Mountains, northwest of the Sacramento Valley...
, Stanislaus
Stanislaus River
The Stanislaus River in California is one of the largest tributaries of the San Joaquin River. The river is long and has north, middle and south forks...
, and Tuolumne
Tuolumne River
The Tuolumne River is a California river that flows nearly from the central Sierra Nevada to the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley...
rivers. In 1863 he built a bridge across the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
, 10 miles upstream of Yale
Yale, British Columbia
Yale is an unincorporated town in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was founded in 1848 by the Hudson's Bay Company as Fort Yale by Ovid Allard, the appointed manager of the new post, who named it after his superior, James Murray Yale, then Chief Factor of the Columbia District...
at Alexandra in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Also in 1863, Hallidie married Martha Elizabeth Woods. They had no children. In 1864, he became a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
. In 1865, he gave up bridge building in order to devote himself entirely to his wire rope manufacturing business, which was experiencing increased demand from the silver mines
Silver mining
Silver mining refers to the resource extraction of the precious metal element silver by mining.-History:Silver has been known since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and slag heaps found in Asia Minor and on the islands of the Aegean Sea indicate that silver was being separated...
on the Comstock Lode
Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...
.
In 1867, Hallidie invented the Hallidie ropeway
Hallidie ropeway
In mining history, a Hallidie ropeway is a cable system used to haul ore from a mine.-History:Andrew Smith Hallidie was a Scot who came to America to seek his fortune, with his father, in the goldfieldsof California...
, a form of aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
used for transporting ore and other material across mountainous districts, which he successfully installed a number of locations, and later patented.
Cable cars
Accounts differ as to exactly how involved Hallidie was in the inception of the Clay Street Hill Railway. One version has him taking over the promotion of the line when the original promoter, Benjamin Brooks, failed to raise the necessary capital. In another version, Hallidie was the instigator, inspired by a desire to reduce the suffering incurred by the horses that hauled streetcars up Jackson Street, from Kearny to Stockton Street.There is also doubt as to when exactly the first run of the cable car occurred. The franchise required a first run no later than August 1, 1873, however at least one source reports that the run took place a day late, on August 2, but that the city chose not to void the franchise. Some accounts say that the first gripman hired by Hallidie looked down the steep hill from Jones and refused to operate the car, so Hallidie took the grip himself and ran the car down the hill and up again without any problems.
The engineer of the Clay Street line was William Eppelsheimer
William Eppelsheimer
William E. Eppelsheimer was a tramway engineer known for his work on cable car systems. He was born and studied engineering in what is now Germany. Eppelsheimer designed the Clay Street Hill Railroad in San Francisco...
. However, given Hallidie's previous experience of cables and cable haulage systems, it seems unlikely that he did not contribute to the design of the system.
The Clay Street line started regular service on September 1, 1873 and was a financial success. In addition, Hallidie's patents on the cable car design were stringently enforced on cable car promoters around the world, and made him a rich man.
Other activities
Hallidie occupied many positions in San Francisco society. He served as a regent of the University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
from 1868 until his death, and as a trustee and vice-president of the San Francisco Mechanics Institute in 1864 and president from 1868 to 1877 and from 1893 to 1895. In 1873, Hallidie stood for election to the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
, and in 1875 he stood for election as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of San Francisco, but in both cases he was defeated.
Hallidie served as trustee of the First Unitarian Church, and as its moderator in 1883 and 1884. He held memberships in the American Society of Inventors, American Geographical Society
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
, California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
, and other scientific and literary bodies. He was a member of the old California Historical Society
California Historical Society
The California Historical Society is California's official state historical society and is located in San Francisco, California at 678 Mission Street -History and collections:...
and of the Pacific-Union
Pacific-Union Club
The Pacific-Union Club is a private social club located at 1000 California Street in San Francisco, California, at the top of Nob Hill. It was founded in 1889 as a merger of two earlier clubs: the Pacific Club and the Union Club ....
, Olympic
Olympic Club
The Olympic Club is a San Francisco, California, athletic club and private social club with three golf courses located at San Francisco's border with Daly City, California. The club's main "City Clubhouse" is located in downtown San Francisco. The club's "Lakeside Clubhouse" is located just north...
, and Sierra
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
clubs.
A. S. Hallidie & Co. became the California Wire Works in 1883 with Hallidie as president. In 1895, it was sold to Washburn and Moen Co., the oldest manufacturers of wire in the United States (established in 1831).
Hallidie died at the age of 65 at his San Francisco residence.