Features

This third and last section for the fourth week in October, 1918, reports on non-flu related news from that week including the approaching denouement of the “Great War” and wartime “Homefront” activities. It begins with the obituaries of those who died from the influenza in Berkeley that week.

Flu Deaths in Berkeley

I continue here the practice of transcribing, in their entirety, obituaries and news stories about the death of Berkeleyans from the 1918 flu or pneumonia. This includes both people who died in Berkeley and people from Berkeley who died elsewhere of influenza. For the first week in October I found one such obituary in the paper. The second week had six, the third week had ten. This week there are twenty-two, twenty of them for people who died in Berkeley. The date after the obituary is the date in which the item appeared in the Gazette. 

Charles Hall Cope, of 2140 Los Angeles Avenue, manager of the Acme Lithograph company, died this morning at Roosevelt Hospital, following a week’s illness of influenza and pneumonia. Cope was twenty-seven years of age, and is survived by his wife, Mrs. Eloise Cope, and two young children. The body will be taken to Los Angeles, where funeral services will be held and interment made.” (October 21, 1918). 

“Joseph Thomas died at his home Saturday, following a week’s illness from Spanish influenza and pneumonia. Thomas was a native of California and was 39 years of age. He is survived by his widow, Gertrude Thomas, and by four brothers, Frank, William, Manuel and George Thomas. Open air funeral services will be held at St. Colombo’s Church at 9:30 o’clock tomorrow morning and interment will be made at St. Mark’s Cemetery.” (October 21, 1918). 

“Miss. Florence L. Pattee, sophomore in the College of Letters and Sciences and instruction (sic) in swimming at the university, died Saturday night at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Pattee, 1533 Spruce Street, of pneumonia following Spanish influenza. Miss Pattee was a native of Nevada and was twenty-six years of age. She had been instructor in swimming at the university for a couple of years in the physical education department and was also an instructor in the Oakland swimming school at Lake Merritt last summer. Miss Pattee is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs, Edgar Pattee, and by one brother, who is in the navy, and one sister. Funeral services will be conducted at Santa Cruz, the former home of the family.” (October 21, 1918.) 

“John Kenneth Moody, 22, captain of the University of California track team last year, is dead at Mare Island today following an attack of pneumonia induced by influenza. His father, H.L. Moody of this city (Redding), received word of his son’s death this morning. Young Moody enlisted in the navy and began a course in January. He would have taken an examination this week for an ensign’s commission….Moody was a third year student in letters and science at the university last year. he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.” (October 22, 1918) 

“Funeral services for Robert A. Mann, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.V. Mann of 2330 Webster Street, will be conducted at Oakland undertaking parlors, at 3:30 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Dr. R.C. Brooks of the First Congregational Church will conduct the services. Mann died in Tarkington, Wyo., last Saturday, following a brief illness from pneumonia. He is survived his widow, one son, his parents and two sisters.” (October 22, 1918.) 

“Mrs. Ida Cuneo, wife of J.D. Cuneo, of 2219 Roosevelt Street, was stricken with Spanish influenza last Thursday while caring for her husband, who was ill with the disease, and passed away last night at the family home. Her husband is recovering, but will be unable to attend the funeral services. Mrs. Cuneo was a native of San Francisco and was thirty-five years of age. The family lived in this city for the last ten years. Mrs. Cuneo is survived by her husband, J.D. Cuneo, and by one brother, John Bedoni of San Francisco.” (October 22, 1918). 

“W.L. Parry of 2112 Grove Street, has returned from Junction City, Ore. where he attended the funeral services of his son, William Clarence Parry, newspaper man of that city, whose death occurred following two days’ illness from pneumonia. Parry was twenty-nine years of age. He formerly lived in this city attending the Berkeley schools and graduating from the college of commerce at the university. He is survived by his widow, one young son, David Dixon, his father, W.L. Parry of this city, and two brothers. One brother is serving in the trenches in France.” (October 22, 1918). 

“George P. Drew, a member of the Students’ Army Training Corps, died yesterday afternoon at the U.C. Infirmary of pneumonia. Drew’s home was in Canada, and his mother is en route to this city. Jose Dubero, a freshman, died Sunday of the influenza.” (October 22, 1918). 

As noted earlier, it was reported October 22, 1918 in an article on the situation on the UC Berkeley campus that “seven deaths have occurred in the university community to date”. These are the names of those who haven’t separately been listed by obituary in previous installments or in the list above. Miss Alma Gunderson (nurse), Kenneth Henry Coats, Vernon Thurwell. I have not found obituaries in the Gazette for them. 

“Mrs. Helen E. Shone of 2110 Kittredge Street, a resident of this city for the last six years, died Friday of pneumonia following three weeks’ illness. Mrs. Shone was a native of Iowa and was sixty-eight years of age. Before coming to this city she was for a time, matron of the Fred Finch Orphanage. She was a woman of rare traits of character and charitable in disposition and was active in the work of the First Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Shone is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Edward Euel, who came from Wyoming to be with her her mother during the last of her illness. Brief funeral services were held here and the body was taken to Healdsburg, where internment will be made beside her husband.” (October 22, 1918.) 

Dr. Herbert C. Mills, well known physician and surgeon of this city, died last night at his home, 1921A Francisco street, following a week’s illness of Spanish influenza and pneumonia. Dr. Mills was a native of Sydney, Australia, and was thirty-eight years of age. Dr. Mills has been a resident of this city for the last eighteen years, with the exception of two years spent in Alaska. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Craig Marshall Mills, and by a number of brothers who live in Australia. Private funeral services will be conducted at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning at local undertaking parlors, by Rev. A.M. Elston.” (October 23, 1918.) 

“Mrs. Mary Catherine Hansen, wife of Benjamin Hansen of 984 University Avenue, died yesterday after a brief illness of Spanish influenza. Mrs. Hansen was stricken with the disease shortly after the birth of an infant, last Thursday. She was a native of this state and was twenty-nine years of age. Funeral services were conducted today at St. Mary’s cemetery.” (October 23, 1918.) 

“Funeral services for Private Rolla Ramos, whose death occurred at Camp Lewis last Sarturday, will be held at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Antone Ramos, 2007 Fifth Street, at 9:45 o’clock tomorrow morning. Interment will be made at St. Mary’s cemetery. Ramos died at Camp Lewis. The body arrived yesterday from the north. Ramos is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. Ramos, and three brothers, Joseph, Antone Jr. and William Ramos. He also leaves a sister who lives in Ogden, Utah.” (October 23, 1918). (Although this obituary does not mention the cause of death, I am surmising it was influenza. The other plausible reason for death at a military camp in that period would be an accident during training, and that cause would most likely have been mentioned in an obituary. Camp Lewis was in Washington State and had been specially built in 1916-17 as a training camp for the vastly expanded wartime Army.) 

“Funeral services for Private Rolla Ramos” were held at the home conducted by Rev. F.X. Morrison of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church a small item reported the next day. “The casket was draped in the American flag and was banked with flowers. Soldiers acted as pallbearers. Interment was made at St. Mark’s Cemetery. This was the first soldier’s funeral which has been held in West Berkeley.” (October 24, 1918.) 

“Mrs. Reba Ballou Hunter, wife of Lieutenant Colonel George B. Hunter, commander of the School of Military Aeronautics on the campus, died yesterday at her home of bronchial pneumonia, following an attack of Spanish influenza. Mrs. Hunter had been ill for two and a half weeks. Mrs. Hunter was born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, thirty years ago. She was the daughter of Major General C.C. Ballou, United States Army, in command of the 92nd Division of the American Expeditionary Forces in France and was a graduate of the Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. She came here a year ago from Washington, D.C. when her husband was ordered to the Berkeley school. Mrs. Hunter is survived by her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Hunter, a four-year-old son, George B. Hunter, Jr. and her parents, Mayor General and Mrs. C.C. Ballou. Mrs. Ballou is now in Washington, D.C. No funeral services were conducted here and the body was sent to West Point, for interment, accompanied by Colonel Hunter.” (October 23, 1918.) 

“Two Deaths in one Family Within One Week. William F. Streuli, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Streuli, of 2141 McGee Street, passed away yesterday afternoon, while members of the family were attending the burial service of his sister’s husband, Michael O’Connell. Streuli was a native of San Francisco and was thirty-three years of age. he had been ill for one week of Spanish influenza and pneumonia. Michael O’Connell died in a military camp at St. Paul of Spanish influenza, and the body was brought here for burial, which took place yesterday at Holy Cross Cemetery, San Francisco. Mrs. O’Connell has been residing with her parents,while her husband was in the service. Streuli is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Streuli; his sister, Mrs. Louise O’Connell, and one brother, Albert Streuli. Private funeral services will be conducted at 12 o’clock tomorrow.” (October 25, 1918) 

“George S. McComb, for sixteen years clerk of the Justice Court, San Francisco, died yesterday at his home, 2443 Derby Street of influenza. He was forty-six years of age and had been identified with many activities in San Francisco. He was the son of General John McComb, one of the pioneer newspaper men of California. 

McComb was a member of Stanford Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden West, and was leader in the swimming class at the Olympic Club, San Francisco before the fire. Of recent years he has been in the marine insurance business. McComb is survived by his widow, and one daughter, Alice, who was on the stage with DeWolf Hopper. Funeral Services will be conducted in San Francisco tomorrow.” (October 25, 1918). 

“James Robb of the Robb Paper Company of South Berkeley, died at his home, 3027 Grove Street, last evening following a week’s illness from Spanish influenza and pneumonia. Robb was a native of Pennsylvania and was 36 years of age. He came to the western coast nine years ago today and for the last five years had been a resident of this city, where he had been engaged in business. Robb is survived by his widow, Mrs. Evelyn Robb, and his mother, Mrs. James Robb of San Francisco. He leaves one sister, Miss Elizabeth Robb, and two brothers, Alexander and Russell Robb of San Francisco. Funeral services and internment will be private.” (October 25, 1918) 

“Grover C. Dawson, outside foreman of the Eldorado Oil Works, who is the father of nine children, died this morning at his home, 2100 Sixth Street, following an illness of the influenza. Dawson was 32 years of age and had been employed at the Eldorado Oil Works for the last seven years. The flag at the oil works was at half-mast in his honor today. Dawson is survived by his widow and nine children. Funeral services will be conducted Monday.” (October 26, 1918). 

“Charles Wesley Miller, inspector for the Santa Fe (Railroad), employees at Richmond, died this morning at his home 2330 Shattuck Avenue, following an illness of influenza. He was thirty-two years of age and is survived by his widow and one child.” (October 26, 1918). 

Here’s one obituary without a cause reported, but might have been the influenza. “The five months old son of Mr. and Mrs. Ira V. Boehrer of 2926 Fulton Street, died Saturday morning following a brief illness. Boehrer is a member of the fire department.” (October 21, 1918) 

War news 

As the epidemic raged in the United States, the Great War continued. Allied forces were on the offensive in France near the border of the Netherlands and elsewhere. There were repeated reports in the paper that week that German defenses through Belgium and northern France were strained and giving way in some places. 

As the Germans retreated from long-held defensive lines in occupied Belgium and French territory, “from all quarters of the countries that have been under the heel of the enemy come stories of brutality toward helpless women and children, theft of provisions intended for their help and other acts of savagery”, the United Press wrote October 21. German troops were said to be looting or destroying buildings in some towns about to be liberated, removing civilian men—who were reportedly taken to Germany to do forced labor—and removing portable foodstuffs, livestock, and industrial equipment. 

A German diplomatic note argued that “for covering a retreat, destructions will always be necessary and, insofar as necessary, they are permitted under international law.” 

There was also a lot of news and speculation in the Gazette about diplomatic offensives and neogtiations, the possibilities of a cease fire, and American opposition to ending the war without unconditional surrender. 

October 21, the paper reported that the war department “is forging ahead with its plan of four million men abroad by mid-year…and the shipping board has been called on for more troops and cargo ships.” Some pundits said that as Austrian and Turkish war-fighting capacity collapsed, paradoxically German resistance might stiffen since Germany would no longer be supporting the extensive Austrian and Turkish fronts in south eastern Europe and could draw inward. 

An article on October 21 in the Gazette profiled the service of African-American troops in segregated units in France. I quote from it verbatim here to give readers an accurate sense of the times, despite the racist offensive terminology it includes. “Darkey Doughboys Win Approval of French Officers”, the piece was headlined. 

“Colored troops from America already have established themselves in Europe as being cool and reliable fighters in the front line. Both American and French commands say so and, if the Germans ever discovered who it was that held part of the line through Argonne Forest when the boches failed to get through some time ago, the German command has a decidedly high respect for American colored infantry. 

Up and down the line, after the test of a year’s service, you hear no doubts expressed regarding the colored infantry. The darkie doughboys have made good in the line as well as behind. They have proven themselves cool and brave soldiers in the trenches, and gentlemen when back at rest in French towns. You are continually running into units of these colored chaps as you travel up and down the line from Switzerland to Flanders.”

The article went on to describe practice maneuvers of African-American units and how troops had entered into and held the front lines and were praised by both French officers and civilians. 

Homefront
 

Berkeley remained on its own war footing to support the national effort. Results from Berkeley’s Fourth Liberty Bond loan drive were in on October 21, and the City had subscribed at least $3,006,200 to the cause. Berkeley’s Federally assigned quota was $2,357,735. 

“According to the latest advices, Berkeley leads the cities in Class D in the competition for the honor of having a ship named after the city which makes the greatest percentage of oversubscriptions. The other cities in this class are Sacramento, San Diego, Pasadena, San Jose and Ogden, Utah.” 

“Unfortunately, Berkeley has a few residents who have not done their duty by the government. The announcement made during the closing days of the campaign brought a large percentage of these into the list of subscribers. But the others are being carefully checked and if the records show that they have subscribed either nothing or an amount far below what they should, their names will be published”, the article noted, repeating the threat made the previous week.
 

I couldn’t find in the Wednesday edition or subsequent papers any such list of names to be shamed. Maybe everyone bought a bond, or perhaps the threat was just for publicity sake. 

By the end of the week, on Saturday October 26, the Fourth Liberty Loan Committee published precise final results. Berkeley had raised $3,061,00 from 21,689 subscribers, totaling $709,300 above the loan drive target. That total doesn’t necessarily prove that nearly 22,000 Berkeley residents individually participated since Albany residents were also included in Berkeley’s total, and many bundled subscriptions that came in from Berkeley businesses represented contributions by their employees, who weren’t all necessarily Berkeley residents. But regardless of the exact number, the response from a city of not much more than 50,000 residents at the time, was considerable. 

It is interesting to see what banks were used for the subscriptions, since that would also indicate the leading banks in Berkeley in that era. The largest by far was the First National Bank, followed by the Berkeley Branch of the Oakland Bank of Savings, and the West Berkeley Bank. The Berkeley Branch of the First Savings Bank of Oakland brought up the rear. 

(The West Berkeley Bank building still stands at the northwest corner of the intersection of University and San Pablo where it is now a Wells Fargo branch. Two of the other bank buildings, at least, have been demolished.) 

October 23, 1918 it was announced that a “big War Work Drive” was planned for the week of November 11-18, and organization work was continuing despite the influenza. Headquarters were at 2282 Shattuck Avenue. This was part of a national campaign. 

October 25, the Gazette ran an editorial signed “The Manufacturer” that mocked the idea of health insurance. 

“It would make a cat laugh to have heard a supporter of Health Insurance get up and with tears in his voice say: ‘The only pity is that it is physically impossible to put health insurance into operation now as a war measure. It is actually needed now as a measure of justice and efficiency to the industrial army. We don’t ask the individual soldier to bear personally the financial risk of injury in war, and we ought not to ask the individual workman, who happens to be broken down by the war pace of industry, to bear a cost which ought to be distributed over the industry and the public.’ 

The ‘broken-down’ war workers—think of it! Working eight hours a day at unheard-of wages and double pay for overtime and the boilermakers’ union now demanding a 44-hour week—5 1/2 days. 

Picture our ‘broken down’ war workers as they trudge home (the majority of them in their own automobiles now days) Saturday night with from $35 to $100 in their weekly pay envelope. 

Isn’t it a shame the way they have to work for eight hours when our soldier boys only work 24 hours a day seven days a week if called on and lay down their lives in addition if necessary. Yet they work for $32 a month and don’t grumble nor strike. 

It’s pulling the sob stuff pretty strong when the state is asked to load up with personal doctor bills for the ‘broken down’ workmen and their families when they are making double, treble and quadruple what they ever made before and who are fully projected by the work-union’s compensation act against all accidents due to their employment. 

Why not go a step further and have the state do their laundry and buy their shoes as these are most essential articles and worn out working for the country (at $5, $6, $7, $8, $9, and $10 per day). 

Nay, nay, Pauline! The public will gladly assume any amount of financial burden for the boys who go to the front, but it can’t see that the poor, ‘broken down’ workman who stays at home and assumes the heavy burden of working shorter hours at larger pay than ever before received is in the same class. 

The workmen’s compensation act already fully protects the workman.” 

Today, of course, we can see the more than echoes of century-old editorials like that in some contemporary American politicians and pundits. It’s telling that the business-oriented Gazette felt it advisable to run this piece even as hundreds of local people, many of them hourly workers, fell sick from the flu. 

In 1918, of course, if a workman caught the Spanish influenza and couldn’t work for weeks, that supposedly munificent paycheck would simply stop and he and his family would be thrown on their own resources not just for living expenses but also for medical care—since workman’s comp would presumably not cover the influenza since it was not a work related illness. 

A previous editorial on October 24 provides more background context for this editorial assault. “Two vicious measures will be submitted to the voters of California in November, health insurance and single tax. This state is fertile ground for experimentation and every faddist finds it easy to have his fads placed before the people…Health insurance is something new. It is opposed by labor, whose welfare it is presumed to have in mind. It is a measure of creation of more jobs for the job seeker, and to saddle the state with an enormous additional expense. It is legislation that is contrary to the spirit of our institutions, will impose on the many a heavy burden for the benefit of the very few. It should be defeated at the polls.” The source was given as the Bakersfield Californian, presumably the paper that first ran the piece. 

(It’s also illuminating that during October, 1918, the Gazette found the room to run only one editorial about the flu epidemic—urging that churches be kept open—but two editorials attacking reformation of the heath care system.) 

There was a housing shortage in Berkeley in 1918 resulting from the influx of war industry workers into the Bay Area, including at East Bay shipyards in Oakland and Alameda. It’s also likely that the University of California’s rapidly growing enrollment placed pressure on local housing stock, along with Federal restrictions on civilian construction that were in place to ensure that vital or scarce materials went directly to war-related uses. 

October 24, 1918 the Gazette reported: “Berkeley’s application for a federal permit to construct 300 houses for war workers will receive official approval as the outcome of a conference held at the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce last evening. 

James W. Plachek, chairman of the U.S. Homes Registration committee for this city presided, and statements from property owners who are planning to build were heard by L.B. Swaner, chief aid to R.A. Petit, the Pacific Coast manager of the U.S. Housing Corporation, all projects for construction being inquired into carefully…It was shown that plans for at least 116 houses are ready at this moment. All of these come within the requirements of the government for early construction, namely: that they shall cost not more than $3,500; that they are such as will be used to house war workers; that they shall be sold on reasonable conditions or rented at about $25 per month. 

It was developed that without such a permit as contemplated in Berkeley’s application it is not possible for owners or contractors to obtain material. Swaner explained that he would not promise that either material or labor could be obtained. In the east there is a great shortage of both these elements…Swaner said that in company with Chairman Plachek he drove to the different parts of Berkeley yesterday afternoon, and made a careful inspection of the factory district, and was impressed with the splendid transportation system which this city possesses, rendering it an ideal place for the housing of all who desire to make their homes here…A motion was adopted requesting that a telegram be forwarded to Washington for the federal permit to build 300 cottages and bungalows. Swaner stated that this method will be recommended buy him and that he hoped to have favorable action by the government authorities in a few days, though of course he could make no promise on that point, as the decision rests with officials in Washington.” 

Other news:
 

There was a local labor shortage in 1918. I took a look at want ads in the October 22 Gazette. There were 22 separate ads seeking “Help Wanted - Female”. Most of them were advertising for domestic help, women who could do part-time housework, laundry, or childcare. There were also other jobs available including work for chamber maids in hotels, and waitresses, kitchen helpers, or hairdressing salon workers. 

Interestingly, there were just two jobs for males offered: one was running an apartment building elevator in the evening, the other was making deliveries for a drugstore. 

Eight individuals were advertising, looking for work. Half of them listed themselves as Japanese (it was not uncommon in that era to advertise for work, or for help, specifying the race or preferred race of the worker). “A Japanese boy wants general housework”; “Japanese woman day worker, washing, ironing, house cleaning.” A “expert young lady” wanted a stenographer and dictation position, and a “man of good repute and good workman”, wanted employment “caring for premises, home, etc.” 

A winter storm swept across Nebraska and Kansas on October 26, 1918, dropped nearly a foot of snow, blanked the land with ice, and downed telephone and telegraph lines, cutting off much communication between west and east. 

Neither influenza nor war would prevent the Cal varsity football team from playing a fall schedule in 1918, the third year of coaching by the upcoming but non-yet legendary Andy Smith. A tentative schedule was announced October 24. It would begin on October 26. Four games were scheduled at California Field, the wooden stadium on the Berkeley campus that stood where Hearst Gymnasium is located today. Two of these games would be against military teams—from Fort Baker, and from the Marines—and the other two against the University of Southern California and St. Mary’s College. November 26, a version of the “Big Game” would be played in Sacramento at Mather Field, a military base. “Aviators at Mather Field, in the majority of cases, are former university students with a football past.” 

(This late October article announcing a five game season is curious since historical records show that by that date in 1918 the Golden Bears had already played two games on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, and would play six more later in the year. Possibly the earlier October games were not noted because they were non-conference. The USC game would end up being switched to December 14, but the St. Mary’s and Mather Field games would take place as announced. Cal would also play Oregon on November 23, and Stanford on November 30, the only two Pacific Coast Conference games on the schedule. A game against “San Pedro Navy”, presumably another military team, would complete the schedule on December 7.

The Berkeley team would finish the season 6-2, outscoring opponents 186 points to 62. The Golden Bears beat Stanford 67-0 in this season, the worst Stanford loss in the history of varsity football competition between the two universities, but Wikipedia tells us, “The 1918 game, in which Cal prevailed 67-0, is not considered an official game because Stanford’s football team was composed of volunteers from the Student Army Training Corps stationed at Stanford, some of whom were not Stanford students.” 

The Berkeley City Council raised garbage fees on October 25, 1918. You’ll recall in a previous installment I wrote about earlier stages of this process. The city was now divided into three garbage districts, in bands that ran roughly north / south, and “the minimum charges in the districts are 40, 45, and 50 cents”, with west Berkeley addresses charged the lowest rates. 

And, finally, if you read this far I’ll end a relatively grim recital on a mildly humorous note. Not only flu was the scourge of Berkeley in October 1918. There was also a danger or at least, annoyance, from overly amorous young people. “Wanted: a place for young people to spoon. This S.O.S. call was sent out this morning following the action of Mrs. Dane Coolidge in calling upon the police to stop spooning on the lawn of her home at the head of Dwight Way. She told the police that during the last few moonlight nights couples have wandered to the shade of the cypress trees in her yard, where they have made themselves at home. She asked the police to watch and arrest anyone found spooning there.” This was in the October 22 Gazette. “Spooning” was then a slang term for what would be called making out in later decades. 

But…oops! The article was wrong, perhaps the doing of an over-eager re-write man at the paper or a police beat reporter trying too hard to generate a story on a slow day. October 25 a small correction ran, saying that Mrs. Coolidge had actually called the police to report a blackjack lying on the ground under a cypress tree a block from her house. She told the police officer that it was a tree where people frequently sat at night, but the follow-up article emphasized she did not report or complain about “spooning”.