Stephen Smith
Captain Stephen Smith of the bark George Henry is credited with first bringing pianos to California, and he established an early sawmill and the first steam-sawmill in the Bodega Bay area north of San Francisco.
In 1841, he sailed north from San Francisco Bay and saw the tall redwoods through coastal mists. He realized a business opportunity in that people had been shipping lumber from as far away as the Sandwich Islands where here prime lumber grew less than 100 nautical miles north of San Francisco.
He returned in 1843 with a sawmill from Boston, hired white laborers from San Franicsco to help him build the mill, and began his operation. He was the first American to settle in this area.
Captain Stephen Smith married a 15-year-old Peruvian, Manuela Torres, and became a Mexican citizen in order to receive a land grant. He petitioned the government to establish a ranch and In August of 1844, Captain Stephen Smith was granted the 35,487 acre Bodega Rancho, bordered by the Russian River to the north and Estero Americano to the south, a large portion of the Bodega Bay Area.
Then he built the first steam-powered saw mill in California with parts he also brought in by ship. Bodega suited him well with its abundant source of wood and nearby bay for shipping and he helped establish the commercial and fishing shipping industries out of Bodega Bay.
By the mid-1880s, more than 400 mills operated in California's Humboldt forest region alone.
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Breverton's Nautical Curiosities: A Book of the Sea
Breverton's Nautical Curiosities" is about ships, people and the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright extraordinary.
Thus, someone most of us do not know, Admiral William Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the "Monitor," the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War.
You will be stimulated as you read about the remarkable people - explorers, admirals and trawlermen - who have shaped our world. The sea has had a remarkable effect upon our language. We hear the terms "steer clear of," "hit the deck," "don't rock the boat," "to harbour a grudge: and the like, and give little thought to their origins. In the pages of this book, the reader will find the roots of "bumpkin," a "brace of shakes," "born with a silver spoon," "booby prize," "above board," "bombed" (in the sense of being drunk), "blind-side," "the pot calling the kettle black," "wasteres," "barbecue" . . . Other colourful terms, which have passed out of common usage, such as "bring one's arse to anchor" (sit down), "belly timber" (food) and "bog orange" (potato) are also included, as well as important pirate haunts, technical terms, famous battles, maritime inventors and ship speed records.
"Master Under God"
Captains exercised absolute authority at sea and so were dubbed "Master Under God" by early insurance writs, agreements with ship owners and passengers and the Board of Trade.
The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag state policies.
All persons on board, including officers and crew, other shipboard staff members, passengers, guests and pilots, are under the captain's authority and are his ultimate responsibility.
On international voyages, the captain is responsible for satisfying requirements of the local immigration and customs officials. Immigration issues can include situations such as embarking and disembarking passengers, handling crewmembers who desert the ship, making crew-changes in port, and making accommodations for foreign crewmembers.
Customs requirements can include the master providing a cargo declaration, a ship's stores declaration, a declaration of crewmembers' personal effects, crew lists and passenger lists.
