Guide to the Charles Derleth Papers, 1893-1953
Processed by Elizabeth Konzak
The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu
© 2003
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Charles Derleth Papers, 1893-1953
Collection number: BANC MSS 91/116 c
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Contact Information:
- Collection Processed By:
- Elizabeth Konzak
- Date Completed:
- October 2003
- Finding Aid written by:
- Elizabeth Konzak
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Charles Derleth Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1893-1953
Collection Number: BANC MSS 91/116 c
Creator:
Derleth, Charles.
Extent:
3 Boxes and 5 Cartons
(7.5 linear feet)
Repository: The
Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Abstract: The Charles Derleth Papers, 1893-1953, include engineering project records, documents from Derleth's tenure at the University
of California, Berkeley College of Civil Engineering, a personal scrapbook, scrapbooks from the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
and Fire, and collected reference materials. Project records consist of correspondence, specifications, and drawings for a
number of projects including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Carquinez Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Broadway
(Caldecott) Tunnel, and the Posey Tube. Faculty Papers contain lecture notes, examination materials, and research for civil
engineering courses. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire scrapbooks contain clippings, correspondence, documents, and
maps relating to the destruction and rebuilding process.
Physical Location: Collection stored off-site. Advance notice required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please
consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages Represented:
English
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the appropriate curator or the Head of Public Services for forwarding. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Charles Derleth Papers, BANC MSS 91/116 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Related Collections
Charles Derleth Papers. Photographs of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, 1868-1908, bulk 1906-1908. BANC PIC 1958.021-fALB.
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Derleth, Charles. Correspondence, plans, specifications and blueprints for Sather Tower, 1913-1914. CU-13.8. University Archives,
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Derleth, Charles. [Collected reprints] 1902-1940. 308x D434 c. University Archives, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley.
Derleth, Charles. Carquinez Bridge Company. Carquinez Strait bridge. [San Francisco, 1923] fF868.S156C33. The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley.
Charles Derleth Papers, 1865-1952. DERLETH. Water Resources Center Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
S. Clifford Doughty Papers, 1952-1978. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Separated Material
Pictorial material transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
American Toll Bridge Company.
University of California, Berkeley.
Civil engineers--California.
Bridges--Design and construction--California.
Bridges--Virginia.
Bridges, Cantilever.
Bridges--California--Carquinez Strait.
Tunnels--California--Alameda.
Tunnels--California--Oakland.
Bridges--Design and construction.
Earthquakes--California--San Francisco.
Fires--California--San Francisco.
Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, Calif.).
Administrative Information
Provenance
The Charles Derleth papers were transferred to The Bancroft Library from the University of California, Berkeley Transportation
Library in 1991, and were originally cataloged as BANC MSS 91/116 c. The current collection, also cataloged as BANC MSS 91/116
c, consolidates materials previously cataloged as BANC MSS C-B 717, given by Paul F. Keim in 1957, Celeste Ashley of Stanford
University in 1966, and purchased from J Swingle in 1960.
Biographical Information
Charles Derleth, Jr. was born October 2, 1874 in New York. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the City College
of New York in 1894 and a Civil Engineering degree from Columbia University in 1896. Derleth served as an instructor and lecturer
at Columbia until 1901, when he moved west to become Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado. In 1903
Derleth accepted an appointment to the University of California, Berkeley to serve as Associate Professor of Structural Engineering.
By 1907 he was Professor and Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, and in 1930 when the Colleges of Civil, Mechanical,
and Electrical Engineering combined, Derleth was appointed Dean of the College of Engineering, serving until 1942.
Derleth played a pivotal role in the design and construction of some of the best known buildings, bridges, dams, highways,
and tunnels in northern California. He was chief engineer for the Carquinez Straight Highway Bridge, the longest cantilever
bridge west of the Mississippi at the time it was built in 1927. Derleth was a member of the Board of Consulting Engineers
for the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and the Broadway Tunnel (Caldecott Tunnel). He was in charge
of engineering work for the San Francisco Bureau of Architecture and was a consulting engineer for numerous Alameda County
municipal structures.
In addition, Derleth consulted for well known projects such as the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, the San Francisco
Civic Center and Auditorium, Grace Cathedral, the Native Sons Hall in San Francisco, First National Bank of Berkeley, the
Contra Costa County Hospital and was Chief Consulting Engineer on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary Tunnel (also known as the George
A. Posey Tube). At the University of California, Derleth assisted with the design and construction for a number of buildings
including California Hall, Wheeler Hall, Doe Library, Gilman Hall, LeConte Hall, and Sather Tower (the Campanile). In 1930
Derleth received an honorary degree from the University of California in recognition of his services. Charles Derleth died
on June 13, 1956.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Charles Derleth Papers, 1893-1953, include engineering project records, documents from Derleth's tenure at the University
of California, Berkeley College of Civil Engineering, a personal scrapbook, scrapbooks from the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
and Fire, and collected reference materials. Project records consist of correspondence, specifications, and drawings for a
number of projects including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Carquinez Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Broadway
(Caldecott) Tunnel, and the Posey Tube. Faculty Papers contain lecture notes, examination materials, and research for civil
engineering courses. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire scrapbooks contain clippings, correspondence, documents, and
maps relating to the destruction and rebuilding process.
The collection documents the engineering of important transportation and building projects in the San Francisco Bay Area during
the first half of the twentieth century. Many of the bridges and tunnels Derleth worked on are now major thoroughfares. Researchers
looking for materials on specific structures should find documents of interest in the collection.
Documents from Derleth's time in the University of California, Berkeley College of Civil Engineering illustrate the evolution
of engineering education in the first half of the twentieth century, particularly through documents from the course Civil
Engineering 113-114, Foundations and Masonry Structure.
The personal scrapbook contains clippings, programs and invitations collected by Derleth and his wife from 1902-1909. The
1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire scrapbooks contain a variety of clippings, correspondence, and documents. The materials
focus on engineering and building techniques in the buildings destroyed as well as new construction methods. Those interested
in the rebuilding of San Francisco from 1906-1909 will find the collection of materials informative.
Cartons 1-2, Carton 3, Folders 1-16
SERIES 1:
Project Records, 1919-1940, n.d.
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and chronologically
Scope and Content Note
The Project Records series documents Derleth's work as an engineer on large projects such as the Broadway (Caldecott) Tunnel,
the Carquinez Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Martinez-Benicia Railroad Bridge, and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Also includes information on tunnels and bridges in Alameda County, the Posey Tube, the San Francisco Civic Auditorium, and
the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Records consist of correspondence, specifications, blueprints, reports, brochures, articles
and clippings.
1.1.:
Alameda County, 1919-1939
carton 1, folder 1
Oakland Inner Harbor Bridge, 1919-1922
carton 1, folder 2-3
George A. Posey Tube (Oakland-Alameda Estuary Tunnel), 1924-1928
carton 1, folder 4-9
Park Street Bridge, 1928-1935
carton 1, folder 10-11
High Street Bridge, 1935-1939
1.2.:
Broadway Tunnel (Caldecott Tunnel), 1929-1940, n.d.
carton 1, folder 12
Maps and Reports, 1929-1935
carton 1, folder 15
Specifications and Bidding Data, 1934-1936
carton 1, folder 18
Notes and Brochures, 1938, n.d.
1.3.:
Carquinez Bridge, 1922-1937, n.d.
carton 1, folder 19
Traffic Records, 1922-1928
carton 1, folder 23
Geological Statement, 1923
carton 1, folder 24
Cost Estimates and Data, 1923-1925
carton 2, folder 1-5
Specifications, 1923-1925
carton 2, folder 6
Report on Probable Income, 1924
carton 2, folder 8
Rip-Rap (rock fill) for Piers 2 and 3, 1926-1929
carton 2, folder 18
Water and Gas Pipes, 1930
carton 2, folder 19
Report on Toll Operations, 1933
carton 2, folder 20
Miscellaneous Blueprints, 1923-1925, n.d.
1.4.:
Golden Gate Bridge, 1931, 1936-1938
carton 2, folder 21
Drill Borings Progress Chart, 1931
carton 2, folder 22
Volume 29, January - June 1936
carton 2, folder 23
Volume 30, April - June 1936
carton 2, folder 24
Volume 31, July - September 1936
carton 2, folder 25
Volume 32, October - December 1936
carton 3, folder 1
Volume 33, December 1936 - January 1937
carton 3, folder 2
Volume 34, February - April 1937
carton 3, folder 3
Volume 35, May - June 1937
carton 3, folder 4
Volume 36, July - September 1937
1.5.:
Martinez-Benicia Railroad Bridge, 1928-1931
carton 3, folder 6
Clippings and Printed Materials, 1928-1931
1.6.:
San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge, 1929-1940, n.d.
carton 3, folder 9-10
Wichert Trusses, 1932-1940
1.7.:
Additional Projects, 1915-1929
carton 3, folder 13
Arlington Memorial Bridge, Washington D.C. to Virginia, 1927
carton 3, folder 14
Mokelumne River Project, California, 1926
carton 3, folder 15
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, 1928-1929
carton 3, folder 16
San Francisco Auditorium, 1915
Carton 3, Folders 17-20, Carton 4, Folders 1-12
SERIES 2:
Faculty Papers, 1897-1944, n.d.
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and chronologically
Scope and Content Note
Faculty Papers consist of materials from Derleth's tenure at the College of Engineering.
2.1.:
Course Materials, 1909-1944
Scope and Content Note
Records include notes and drawings for used to teach Civil Engineering 113-114, foundations and masonry structures, created
in 1913, 1921, and 1938.
carton 3, folder 17
Problem Statements, Examination Questions, and Course Notes, College of Civil Engineering, 1909-1910
carton 3, folder 18-20
Notes on Foundation and Masonry Structures, Courses 113-114, by C. Derleth and F.H. Tibbits, 1913
carton 4, folder 1
Notes on Foundation and Masonry Structures, Courses 113-114, by C. Derleth and F.H. Tibbits, 1913
carton 4, folder 2-3
Notes on Foundation and Masonry Structures, Courses 113-114, vol. I and II, 1921
carton 4, folder 4
Foundation and Masonry Structures, Courses 113-114, by Derleth, Jameyson, and Davis, 1938
2.2.:
Course Research, 1897-1943, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Includes information on general structural engineering topics used for teaching, particularly Civil Engineering 113-114, foundations
and masonry structures.
carton 4, folder 6
Carquinez Straight Bridge, 1938
carton 4, folder 7
Stanford University Photolith, 1939
carton 4, folder 12
Compression Test for Concrete, 1943
Boxes 1-3
SERIES 3:
Scrapbooks, 1902-1909
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
The personal scrapbook contains clippings, programs and invitations for Derleth and his wife, Emily Bush Derleth, from 1902-1909.
Topics include Columbia University alumni events, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of California, Berkeley,
the Berkeley Bohemian Club, and a set of Philosopher's Portrait Cards. The 1906 Earthquake and Fire Scrapbooks, in four volumes
titled, "The San Francisco Earthquake and the Subsequent Conflagrations: Records Pertaining to the Disaster and the Following
Events", contain clippings, correspondence, documents, and maps that describe the destruction and rebuilding of San Francisco
from 1906-1909. The volumes also contain information on earthquakes in other parts of the world, seismography, damaged buildings,
building designs, new building laws, and maps of the rebuilding process. Materials from the Structural Association of San
Francisco, of which Derleth was Secretary/Treasurer, describe the study of building types that were destroyed or stood successfully
in the earthquake and advice for rebuilding techniques.
box 1
Personal Scrapbook, 1902-1909
1906 Earthquake and Fire Scrapbooks, 1906-1909
Carton 4, Folders 13-27, Carton 5
SERIES 4:
Reference Materials, 1893-1953, n.d.
Arrangement
Arranged Hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
Reference Materials consist of articles, notes, drawings, blueprints, reports, and promotional literature on a variety of
topics related to civil and transportation engineering, particularly types of bridges and foundations.
carton 4, folder 13
American Wire Rope News, 1908
carton 4, folder 18-20
Douglas Memorial Bridge, Klamath River Construction History and Report, by Stewart Mitchell, Resident Engineer, and Jno. B.
Leonard, Consulting Engineer, 1924-1926, 1933
carton 4, folder 25
Reinforced Concrete Arch, 1896
carton 4, folder 26-27
Specifications, 1895-1933, n.d.
carton 5, folder 1-4
Specifications, 1895-1933, n.d.
carton 5, folder 14
Bethlehem H-Section Piles, 1929-1942, n.d.
carton 5, folder 15
Concrete Piles, 1905-1941, n.d.
carton 5, folder 16
Cykler Concrete Piles, 1925
carton 5, folder 17
Deep Well Process, 1893-1941
carton 5, folder 19
Pile Hammers and Machinery, 1933-1942
carton 5, folder 20
Pneumatics, 1893-1940, n.d.
carton 5, folder 21
Soil Embankments, 1931-1941
carton 5, folder 22-25
Soil Mechanics, 1920-1943, n.d.
carton 5, folder 26
Specifications, 1895, 1902
carton 5, folder 27
Steel Sheet Piling, 1933-1940
carton 5, folder 28
Timber Cluster Piles, 1907-1943, n.d.
carton 5, folder 29
Wood Sheet Piling, 1906-1920, n.d
carton 5, folder 33
Moment Distribution, 1933-1943
