Author: Jeff Madruga

Commercial fishermen out of San Diego & Southern California increasingly expand their fishing into MEXICAN waters; and moreover…

The first experimental test of VACUUM CLOSING canning machines for TUNA are installed in Southern California, a process already widely used in the Salmon industry. — When, as Fate would have it, the 1928 albacore (white meat) tuna seasonal catch turned out to be so BAD (5,000 cases versus the usual 400,000 cases), the “newer” option to take other tuna species (such as “small yellow-fin tuna, etc.) from southerly waters proved to be vitally important in sustaining the West Coast’s U.S. tuna fishing fleet.

*NOTE: In 1926, MANUEL O. MEDINA and the Campbell Machine Co. of San Diego built the largest (to date – ed.) documented U.S. flag tuna clipper, the ‘ATLANTIC’, to begin fishing off Turtle Bay, Baja in the final quarter of that year. Shortly after, San Diego’s second tuna clipper, the ‘LUSITANIA’, was built in March 1927. The ‘Lusitania’, built by a successful Portuguese fisherman, MANUEL G. DA ROSA, was designed by Al Larson Boatyard of San Pedro. By June 1927, San Diego would have its third tuna clipper, as the Campbell Machine Co. launched the ‘OLYMPIA’, owned and commanded by Captain JOE C. MONISE of San Diego. In July of 1927, the ‘DEL MONTE’, another tuna clipper built by Campbell Machine Co. for a group of Portuguese tuna fishermen, took her successful maiden voyage under the command of her co-owner Captain MANUEL HOMEM FREITAS. All four of these new tuna clippers were designed specifically for operation off the MEXICAN coast.
Although the 1926-1927 albacore season was disappointing, the YELLOWFIN and SKIPJACK landings increased dramatically. The successes of the ‘Atlantic’, ‘Lusitania’, ‘Olympia’, and ‘Del Monte’ were responsible for the large yellowfin and skipjack landings, making it the *FIRST TIME* in history that over 50% of the tuna processed in California ports was caught south of the border.

https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/v58-1/v58-1felando.pdf

HERMOSA MAKES RECORD / LOSES IT TO GLENN MAYNE – “The old passenger steamer ‘HERMOSA’, recently converted by WILLIAM MAGGIO (yes, that same “Maggio” family of which Baseball legend Joe de Maggio came from!) of San Pedro into a tuna fishing boat, is making an enviable record in Southern California and Mexican waters. During the last weeks of 1928, she made three LONG-DISTANCE fishing trips, which totaled about 10,000 miles, without any adjustment of her main OR auxiliary engine. The latter, a 45-h.p. Fairbanks-Morse diesel, made one 600-hour run and another 800 hours; without stopping. This makes it possible to keep seawater constantly circulating in the bank tanks. As a result, the fish not only are kept alive; but some of them were brought back to port considerably increased in size… (*The Point Here: These voyages showed that the ‘Hermosa’ could travel longer distances, and make the total cost [both FUEL & OIL] at only *6¢ per mile*!)…, *AND* Not long afterward… — “Editorial Note: Since the above was written, the ‘Hermosa’ has lost her position as the largest tuna boat on the Pacific Coast. The ‘GLENN MAYNE’ has come out from the East Coast to fish out of SAN DIEGO, and this vessel (formerly the deepsea tug ‘Endeavor’) is 160’ long, 31’ beam, and 12’ loaded draft, with a capacity of 350 tons of iced fish and 160 tons of live bait and water.” — *Editorial Note: Clearly, these working examples of larger vessels successfully, and *economically*, carrying larger loads of tuna did not go unnoticed by the PA ‘Power Brokers’ in the local tuna fishing fleet. A “new direction” would be right around the corner.

(*Source: 1929 Pacific Marine Review [annual] magazine – April ed. – Pg. 157)

(*Amended transcript) – “DEVELOPMENT OF SAN DIEGO BAY WILL RELOCATE INDUSTRIES – On the Ballot in the San Diego Municipal Election is an item of special interest. Under the banner title of ‘Annexation of Paradise Hills to the City of San Diego’ other items of long-term value to San Diego’s fishing industry budget changes included calling for the Amendment of the CITY CHARTER to allow an ANNUAL TAX LEVY of 10¢ per $100 of assessed valuation to be used for HARBOR DEVELOPMENT. The Chamber of Commerce and other civic bodies are very actively campaigning for the adoption of this item. — Probably the first project of development to be undertaken in case this measure is approved by the voters will be the:
(1) Extension of the present Broadway pier, the installation of overhead passenger ramps, and other facilities.
(2) Of great importance to the FISHING and BOATING interests is the filling and bulkheading of the areas at the foot of 28th STREET and the construction of two mole-type piers at this site. It is planned to remove the present FISH CANNERIES and BOAT BUILDING plants to this area as soon as possible. Relocating the canneries on this 9-acre pier will enable the deep-sea fishing boats to come alongside and unload without many of the current difficulties at current sites. The bulkhead area between the two piers will be approximately 3,600’ x 1,000’, will should allow the establishment there of nine boat-building concerns, each having a frontage on deep water of approx. 400’.
(3) Another mole-type pier is planned for the foot of 5th Ave., downtown; as well as the paving of Belt, Harbor, and Atlantic Streets, and the making of a *HUB* at the foot of Market St. (formerly H Street) suitable for ferry landings, etc. as well as another mole-type pier at the foot of Grape Street.
(4) Dredging of the channel at La Playa and Roseville on the bayside of Point Loma is also planned.
HARBOR COMMITTEE ACTIVE – The campaign for the passage of this measure is being handled by the Harbor Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, whose membership includes the managers of the various fish canneries, fishermen’s associations, fresh fish companies and boat building concerns in San Diego.” ~~~ *Note: This new tax was expected to produce about $250,000 annually (equivalent to $4,105,666 today – ed.) specifically for harbor development purposes.

(*Source: The California Fisheries magazine – March 12, 1929 – Pg. 21)

“YEARLY FESTIVAL TO BEGIN FRIDAY – Practically Entire Fishing Fleet in Port for Celebration at La Playa on Point Loma – All is in readiness for the FESTA do ESPIRITO SANTO, the annual festival of the fishermen at La Playa which starts today with the preparation of the steers for the barbecue.
The festival which is the outstanding feature of the year for the local Portuguese colony; will find virtually the entire fishing fleet in port this year, many laying over just to be able to attend. The tuna clipper ‘ABRAHAM LINCOLN’ under Captain JOE S. SOARES, will sponsor the feast this year, and Soares’ niece, Miss ELIZABETH SILVA, is to be crowned Queen of the festival.
The festival, which will last through Sunday, will be featured by religious observances, processions, dancing and feasting, and by a display of fireworks on Saturday night; it was reported yesterday.” –

(*Source: The San Diego UNION newspaper – Thursday, June 5, 1930 edition – Pg. 11)

The GREAT DEPRESSION hits in August 1929, punctuated by “Black Thursday” of October 24, 1929; dramatically effecting the entire economy, incomes, FISH PRICE$ (and subsequently the fishing fleet) for several years to come.

“WORKBOATS AND THEIR POWER PLANTS – Larger Tuna Boats – The CAMPBELL MACHINE CO. has already taken contracts to build TWO of the largest tuna fishing boats yet laid down in California. These vessels are to be identical, one being for Mr. MANUEL FREITAS and the other one being for Mr. JOAQUIN MEDINA & CO. The general characteristics of these boats are:
Length overall………. 120’ 0’
Beam ……………………. 27’ 0’
Depth of hull ……..… 11’ 6”
They will be built of Oregon pine, heavily timbered to the designs and following the well-known practice of this very competent wooden shipbuilder. An interesting feature in connection with the equipment of these boats is that they are said to be the FIRST fishing boats built in California TO BE EQUIPPED WITH ALL ELECTRICAL DRIVEN AUXILIARY MACHINERY. The main power will consist of a 400-horsepower, 6-cylinder, directly reversible marine diesel engine built and supplied by the Union Diesel Engine Co. in Oakland, California. It is interesting to note in this connection that in the case of each boat, the Union diesel engine is a repeat order, Manuel Freitas is already the owner of a Campbell-built 95’ fishing boat, the ‘DEL MONTE’, powered with a 225-h.p. Union diesel; and JOAQUIN MEDINA & CO., being interested in the ownership of an older boat powered with a 150-h.p. Union diesel.
For auxiliary power, two 30-kilowatt Westinghouse generators are to be installed in each boat. One of these is to be driven by a 45-h.p. Union diesel engine is directly connected, and the other by belt drive, from the main engine. These two generators will supply light and power for the auxiliary machinery.
The boats will be built with large bait tanks and fish holds served by an 8-ton York refrigerating system with 3,000 linear feet of brine coils. The ammonia compressor of this York refrigeration system will be driven by a 10-h.p. Westinghouse marine-type motor.
Two BAIT PUMPS will be installed, each of the centrifugal type with 8” suction and 6” discharge, directly driven by a 7.5 h.p. Westinghouse motor. The bilge pump, anchor windlass, and cargo winch are all of the CAMPBELL MACHINE CO. make and are each driven directly by Westinghouse electric motors.
These two vessels are contracted for delivery July 15, 1929, at a cost of $95,000 each. (equivalent to $1,670,923 today, x2 – ed.)”

(*Source: Pacific Marine Review magazine – March 1929 ed. – Pg. 110)

Of approximately 24 NEW Tuna Fishing Boats launched in Southern California waters in 1928, “PA” (i.e. Portuguese-Americans) owners account for fully 33% of them. They were:

1. ‘CALIFORNIA’ – 114′ – 300 h.p. Union – J. Cardoso (fishing for California Packing Corp.)
2. ‘ST. VERONICA’ – 114′ – 300 h.p. Union – M. Silvera & Sons (fishing for California Packing Corp.)
3. ‘ST. THERESA’ – 108′ – 400 h.p. Western Enterprise – Frank Silva (fishing for Cohn-Hopkins, Inc.)
4. ‘GREYHOUND’ – 115′ – 400 h.p. Western Enterprise – Medina & Sons (fishing for Van Camp Sea Food Company)
5. ‘MARINER’ – 117′ – 400 h.p. Union – Joe Monise (fishing for Van Camp Sea Food Co.)
6. ‘SACRAMENTO’ – 112′ – 400 h.p. Fairbank-Morse – John Santos (fishing for Van Camp Sea Food Co.)
7. ‘UNNAMED at presstime’ – 95′ – 400 h.p. Atlas-Imperial – M. M. Perry (fishing for K. Hovden Co.)
8. ‘FUNCHAL’ – 113′ – 400 h.p. Atlas-Imperial – M. & S. Correia (fishing for Van Camp Sea Food Co.)

“For all that anyone knew, it had always been the same. About the first of July of each year (sometimes earlier, sometimes later) ALBACORE arrived at the Coronado Islands in Mexican waters just south of San Diego. In three weeks they worked their way up the California coast.
By September they had worked their way back to the Coronados. Then, when the skipjack appeared, the albacore disappeared.
Albacore was the choicest of the tuna fish and a whole industry had grown up (since 1906) with a rising demand for its favored white, tasty meat.
But in 1926 the Summer albacore “run“ began to just NOT HAPPEN!?! The albacore catch in 1925 was more than 22,000,000 pounds, but in 1926 albacore caught off the California coast dwindled to a little less than 2,500,000 pounds (-88.6%! – ed.). The total rose somewhat in 1927, but 1928 was the poorest on record, with less than 300,000 pounds taken (-98.6%!! – ed.) in coastal waters! The year 1929 was even worse (less than 130,000 pounds! -99.4%!!!). Clearly, SOMETHING *NEW* HAD TO BE DONE, or else the U.S. tuna fishing industry was surely “doomed”.
And so it DID! Fishermen learned from their fruitless chase of the albacore that the farther south they went the richer the fishing for YELLOWFIN and SKIPJACK, which were steadily growing in importance. An advertising campaign successfully stimulated the acceptability of “LIGHT-meat” instead of “WHITE-meat” (aka. albacore) tuna. Perhaps even more importantly, fishermen discovered in their invasion of the southern seas that they NO LONGER have to be tied to SEASONS in the taking yellowfin and skipjack. As such, tuna fishing could now become a ~YEAR-ROUND~ endeavor, a paradigm shift!
In the Spring of 1929 the 112′ tuna clipper “ATLANTIC” with M. O. MEDINA as Captain and JOE MARQUES as Engineer, led four (curiously unnamed!? – JLM) sister vessels past Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Lower California, past Cocos Island off the coast of Central America, and drew up at the fabled GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador in South America and more than 3,000 miles from their San Diego home. There they found the grandest tuna fishing grounds of them all!
***In a few years the fishing fleet had established a pattern of operation. A study by the California Bureau of Marine Fisheries reported that from November to the end of February, the fleet exploited the Galapagos Islands. Through March, April and May the boats fished off the Central American mainland. In June and July they often fished in the Gulf of California and around Cape San Lucas, and in August and September the fleet scattered along the Lower California coast and the neighboring banks and islands as far as Clipperton Island. Through the Fall they mostly reverted to the Central American mainland. And then they began the cycle again with the coming of winter…, tuna fishing YEAR-AROUND! ~BOOM~!!!
This pattern would continue until the late 1950s, under continous pressure from IMPORTED tariff-free frozen tuna, mostly from JAPAN, which later forced the U.S. tuna fishing fleet to CONVERT to nylon-netted, power-block equipped *PURSE-SEINING* to successfully compete!

(*Source: Book – “The Rising Tide, 1920-1940” – Chapter 5)

MANUEL H. FREITAS CONTRACTS FOR ANOTHER ICE BOAT – Capt. Manuel H. Feitas (sic – actually: Freitas – ed.), owner of the iceboat ‘DEL MONTE’, one of the aristocratic craft of the tuna fishing fleet, built for him by the CAMPBELL MACHINE COMPANY about a year and a half ago, has placed an order for another boat as of the date of January 21st. The new craft will be 120’ in length, with a 27’ beam, and a 9.5’ draft. It also will be actively engaged in the tuna industry. The new boat will be christened the ‘INVADER’ and will work dually with the ‘Del Monte’. — The new craft will be powered by a 6-cylinder, 400 h.p. Union Diesel engine and a 3-cylinder 45 h.p. directly connected with a 30 k.w. electric generator. Pumps, winches, and all auxiliary equipment will be direct drive, with electric motors the proper size for each unit. — The designer of the new craft is MANUEL F. MADRUGA JR. of the Campbell Machine Co., who will also Superintendant the construction. Mr. Madruga has been in the employ of this shipbuilding concern for many years and thoroughly understands the needs of the fishing fleet – i.e. nothing short of the best construction possible. Mr. Madruga has demonstrated over and over again that he is possessed of rare genius in the field of designing and constructing watercraft and this will be the 32nd JOB of this kind turned out by the Campbell Machine Co..” ~

(*Source: The CALIFORNIA FISHERIES magazine – January 29, 1929 – Pg. 20)

“PRESENT PLAY AT CABRILLO SCHOOL – ‘Spring Comes to Flowerland’, a play written and produced by 2^nd-grade students at CABRILLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL under the direction of Mrs. Myrtle Workman, was presented Friday in connection with a program for CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOL’S WEEK.

The cast/s included (*Editorial Note: PA childen’s names will be in ALL CAPS, the better to perhaps visualize their percentage of the 1931 student body – ed.): Bobby Tappan, Idabelle Irwin, Virginia Lee Campbell, Charles Price, Teddy Plaisters, GEORGE SOUZA, IDA GONSALVES, Mary McNevin, Gisela Grose, MAYME SILVA, MARY GOULARTE, Rosella Dares, Herbert King, George Newell, EUGENE CABRAL, Alfred Robinson, EDMUND CARDOSA, THEODORE SANTOS, Douglas Jensen, THEODORE SILVERA, JOE GOULARTE, HELEN ANDRADE, Lena Juarez, Mildred Marshall, MINA MITCHELL, KATHLEEN PAIXAO, MARY SILVA, Naomi Viegas, MARY BRENHA, ANNA FERREIRA, MILDRED FREITAS, ANITA MENDES, and Alfred Romero.

(2^nd Grade sample: 17 of 33 children PA = 51.51% – ed.)

Children of the 3^rd-grade under the direction of Mrs. Gladys Taylor presented a health play, ‘Frolicking Frogs and Their Friends.’ The cast included: JIMMIE NUNES, CLARENCE FERNANDES, MANUEL FERREIRA, MANUEL PESTANA, JOHN CORREIA, RAYMOND MEDEIROS, MIKE MENDES, Joe Blance, ANTHONY QUALIN, ROBERT SILVA, JOE COELHO, Otto Barksdale, BIBIANA LEAL, LUCIANO BRITO and JOHN SILVA. – (3^rd Grade sample: 13 of 15 PA = 86.66% – ed.)

A Japanese program was presented by children in the 3^rd and 4^th grades under the direction of Mrs. Frances France. The cast included: PHYLLIS BROWN, Arigustina Sonisa, Constance Brannon, LUCILLE CURRIER, Betty Daniels, Edwina Taylor, MARY VIRISSIMO, MARY FREITAS, ANGIE VIEIRA, ADELINE ROGERS, Ann Wansley, MATILDA TAVARES, ELDORA DRUMMOND, Miguel Pastoral, JOE BRENHA, Marney Bradberry, LLOYD SILVA, FRANK GONSALVAS, Charles Jensen, LEONARD PEDRO, Frank Huemberto, Thomas Mahoney, JOHN PAIXAO, W. Hawley Bowlus Jr. (*whose father mostly built Lindbergh’s famed ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ here – ed.), OLIVER MEDINA, RICHARD XAVIER, Carl Jensen, JOE MACHADO, VINCENT GONCALVES, Raoul Foster, Babby Farnsworth, DANNY SILVA, James Parchman, EDMUND FREITAS, and ARNOLD MONISE. – (3^rd & 4^th Grade sampe: 17 of 35 PA = 48.57% – ed.)

A May Pole Dance was given by the 4^th and 5^th-grade girls and included: Margaret Eichano, Vickey Lou Lyons, Marion Price, Virginia Goodwin, Marion Robinson, Phyllis Bradberry, Marguerite Clegiesio, Ruby Atkinson, MADELINE OLIVER, Vivian Mirow, Viola Vaterlaw, Audrew Ellis, GRACE ANDRADE, Ann Baxter, Muriel Haeger, and Mary Lou Clark. – (4^th & 5^th Grade Girls sample PA: 2 of 17 PA = 11.76% – ed.)

Also, a Polka Dance was presented by: Jean Simpson, Marion Parnman, Geraldine Seras, MINNIE ANDRADE, Rose Blanco, EVELYN BROWN, ALICE ROGERS, LUCY BRENHA, Sadie Cuevao, EVELYN TAVARES, Mary Louise Jaurez, and HELEN SEBASTIAN.” – (Polka Dance: 5 of 12 PA = 41.66% – ed. –

*Average of the 110 children (Total) in this Elementary School partial sample, approximately 58 seem to be Portuguese-American [i.e. “PA”] = i.e. 53%overall – ed.).

(*Source: San Diego EVENING TRIBUNE newspaper – Monday, April 27, 1931 – Pg. 19)