Charles Derleth papers
Finding aid prepared by Water Resources Collections and Archives staff.
Special Collections & University Archives
The UCR Library
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives
© 2001
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Charles Derleth papers
Date (inclusive): 1865-1952
Collection Number: WRCA 035
Creator:
Derleth, Charles
Extent:
13.69 linear feet
(24 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Abstract: The collection consists of correspondence, engineering reports, blueprints, photographs, notes, and news clippings relating
to Derleth's work as a consulting engineering on the Golden Gate Bridge, Carquinez Bridge, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge,
a proposed Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Antioch Bridge, U.S. Engineer Foundation's Committee on Arch Dam Investigation, Spring
Valley Water Company, and others. Also includes materials on masonry structures (chiefly dams), the Hetch Hetchy Project,
Lake Spaulding Dam, and other bridges and dams in California and elsewhere.
Languages: The collection is in English.
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives.
Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission
of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable
rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [date if possible]. Charles Derleth papers (WRCA 035). Water Resources Collections and Archives.
Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.
Acquisition Information
Provenance unknown.
Processing History
Processed by Water Resources Collections and Archives staff, 2001.
Collection Number
Collection number updated January 2019. Legacy collection number was DERLETH. This change was part of a project in 2018/2019
to update the collection numbers for collections in the Water Resources Collections and Archives.
Biographical Note
Charles Derleth, Jr., was born on October 2, 1874, in New York. He received a bachelor of science degree at the City College
of New York in 1894 and civil engineering degree at Columbia University in 1896. He served as Instructor and Lecturer at Columbia
from 1896 to 1901. He moved westward in 1901 to become Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado. In 1903
Derleth accepted appointment as Associate Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. In
1907 he became Professor and Dean of the College of Civil Engineering, and in 1930, when the Colleges of Civil, Mechanical,
and Electrical Engineering were combined, he was appointed Dean of the College of Engineering. He served in this capacity
until 1942.
The hallmark of Derleth's career as a civil engineer is undoubtedly his work on San Francisco Bay bridges. He was Chief Engineer
for the Carquinez Strait Highway Bridge, which, at the time it was built in 1927, was the longest cantilever bridge west of
the Mississippi. He was a member of the Board of Consulting Engineers for both the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland
Bay Bridge. He also visited, usually in the company of the Chief Engineer, nearly every major bridge construction site in
northern California.
In addition, Derleth played a pivotal role in the design and construction of some of the best-known buildings, bridges, foundations,
dams, highways, and tunnels in northern California. He was in charge of engineering work for the San Francisco Bureau of Architecture
and was Consulting Engineer for Alameda County on numerous municipal structures, including the 1915 Panama Pacific International
Exposition, the San Francisco Civic Center and Auditorium (which he also designed), Grace Cathedral, and the Native Sons Hall
in San Francisco, First National Bank of Berkeley, and Contra Costa County Hospital. Derleth also served as Chief Consulting
Engineer on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary Tunnel (now called the George A. Posey Tube) and as Consulting Engineer to the University
of California, designing and constructing California Hall, Wheeler Hall, Doe Library, Gilman Hall, LeConte Hall, the Campanile,
and other structures on the Berkeley campus. In 1930 Derleth received an honorary degree from the University of California
in recognition of his service.
Charles Derleth died on June 13, 1956.
Collection Scope and Contents
The collection consists of correspondence, engineering reports, blueprints, photographs, notes, and news clippings relating
to Derleth's work as a consulting engineering on the Golden Gate Bridge, Carquinez Bridge, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge,
a proposed Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Antioch Bridge, U.S. Engineer Foundation's Committee on Arch Dam Investigation, Spring
Valley Water Company, and others. Also includes materials on masonry structures (chiefly dams), the Hetch Hetchy Project,
Lake Spaulding Dam, and other bridges and dams in California and elsewhere.
Related Collections
Charles Derleth Papers, ca. 1886-1965. BANC MSS 91/116 c, The Bancroft Library
Charles Derleth Papers, ca. 1900-1938. BANC MSS C-B 717, The Bancroft Library
Photographs of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire from the Charles Derleth Papers, 1868-1908 (bulk 1906-1908).BANC PIC 1958.021--fALB, The Bancroft Library
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged into ten series as follows:
Series 1. Golden Gate Bridge, 1918-1952
Series 2. Carquinez Bridge, 1920-1937
Series 3. San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1916-1937
Series 4. Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, 1925-1937
Series 5. Masonry Structures, 1914-1938
Series 6. Arch Dam Investigation, 1914-1933
Series 7. Spring Valley Water Company, 1865-1930
Series 8. Antioch-Sherman Island Bridge, 1922-1930
Series 9. Miscellaneous, 1903-1934
Series 10. Oversize Materials, 1924-1936
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Engineering Foundation (U.S.). Committee on Arch Dam
Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.)
Spring Valley Water Company (San Francisco, Calif.)
University of California, Berkeley. College of Engineering
Antioch Bridge (Calif.)
Arch dams -- Design and construction
Bonneville Dam (Or. and Wash.)
Bridges -- California -- San Francisco Bay -- Design and construction
Calaveras Dam (Calif.)
Carquinez Bridge (Calif.)
Dams -- California -- Design and construction
Earth dams -- Design and construction
Eleanor Dam (Calif.)
Exchequer Dam (Calif.)
Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, Calif.)
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (Calif.)
Lake Hodges Dam (Calif.)
Lake Spaulding Dam (Calif.)
O'Shaughnessy Dam (Calif.)
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (Calif.)
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Oakland and San Francisco, Calif.)
Stevenson Creek Test Dam (Calif.)
Genres and Forms of Materials
Correspondence
Photographs
Reports
Series 1. Golden Gate Bridge
1918-1952
Sub-Series 1.1. Engineering
1929-1945
Sub-Series Scope and Contents
Bridge structure, foundations, design, materials, model studies, etc.
Box 1, Folder 3
Consulting Board of Engineers- records, 1930-1937.
Box 1, Folder 5
Pacific Bridge Company,1934-1935.
Box 2, Folder 7
Fender model - Kuss, 1934.
Box 2, Folder 9
Design and specifications, 1933.
Box 2, Folder 10
Wind tunnel tests, 1941 March 15.
Box 2, Folder 12
Tower travelers - A. F. McLane,1935.
Box 2, Folder 14
Lightweight aggregates, 1928-1931.
Box 2, Folder 15
Marin abutment extension, 1936-1937.
Box 2, Folder 16
Golden Gate Bridge main steel structure, 1937 March
Box 2, Folder 17
Wire for the cable for the Golden Gate Bridge, 1935 June 12.
Box 3, Folder 18
Golden Gate Bridge structure blueprints, 1931-1935.
Box 3, Folder 19
Tower construction, 1932 November
Box 3, Folder 20
Civil Engineering 113 - notes, 1938.
Box 3, Folder 21
Inspection re Strauss contract, 1931-1934.
Sub-Series 1.2. Geological Studies
1931-1937
Sub-Series Scope and Contents
Geology of foundations, earthquake vibration, etc.
Box 3, Folder 22
Geology - Willis correspondence, 1934-1935.
Box 3, Folder 23
Geology - Willis reports, 1934-1935.
Box 4, Folder 24
Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District. Investigation of criticism of foundation by Dr. Bailey Willis, 1934 November 27.
Box 4, Folder 25
Geology - general, 1931-1934.
Box 4, Folder 26
Earthquake vibration, 1935-1937.
Sub-Series 1.3. Miscellaneous
1924-1952
Sub-Series Scope and Contents
Contracts, insurance, approaches, toll plaza, traffic, lighting and color, rapid transit, costs, engineers' reports, accidents,
etc.
Box 4, Folder 27
Charles Derleth, Jr.,contracts and payments, 1929-1931.
Box 4, Folder 30
Records and bills, 1924-1937.
Box 5, Folder 36
Lighting and color, 1934-1935.
Box 5, Folder 37
Rapid transit, 1934-1936.
Box 5, Folder 38
Rapid transit, 1934-1935.
Box 5, Folder 39
Golden Gate Bridge and Highway Districtorganization, 1930-1937.
Box 5, Folder 40
Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Suggestions for lighting the proposed Golden Gate Bridge and adjacent highways at San Francisco,
California, 1930 December 29.
Box 5, Folder 42
U.S. War Department,1924-1935.
Box 5, Folder 43
Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District. The Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco, California. San Francisco, 1930 August 27.
Physical Description:
2 v
Box 6, Folder 44
Strauss, Joseph B. The Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco, California : synopsis of the report of the Chief Engineer, with
summary sheets and addenda, 1930?.
Box 6, Folder 45
Taylor, Sydney W. The Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco : report of the Traffic Engineer. San Francisco : Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District, 1935 September
Box 6, Folder 46
Golden Gate Bridge and Highway Districtannual reports, 1937-1952.
Physical Description:
12 v
Box 6, Folder 47
Golden Gate Bridge tragedy, 1937.
Sub-Series 1.4. Photographs and Prints
1929-1939
Box 6, Folder 48-1
Construction of the piers, towers, anchorages, etc., 1935-1936.
Physical Description:
6 photographs
Box 6, Folder 48-2
Construction of pylons, cable anchorages, towers, the saddle, catwalks, etc., 1929-1939.
Physical Description:
48 photographs
Box 6, Folder 48-3
Cable, pneumatic caisson, Marin anchorage, piers, etc., 1929-1936.
Physical Description:
39 photographs
Box 6, Folder 48-4
Photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge, 1934-1937.
Physical Description:
69 photographs
Box 6, Folder 48-5
Diamond drill boring, steel sections and partial assemblies built by McClintic-Marshall Corporation,etc.
1930-1937
Physical Description:
24 photographs
Scope and Contents
Folder includes negatives.
Box 6, Folder 48-6
Prints and postcards
1931-1937
Physical Description:
23 photographs
Scope and Contents
Prints by Associated Oil Company, Strauss Engineering Corporation,etc. Folder includes 13 postcards.
Sub-Series 1.5. Ephemera
1918-1941
Sub-Series Scope and Contents
Speeches, published articles, brochures, promotional literature, news clippings, etc.
Box 7, Folder 49-1
Miscellaneous, 1930-1936.
Box 7, Folder 49-3
Magazine articles, 1930-1937.
Box 7, Folder 49-4
Newspaper articles, 1929-1937.
Box 7, Folder 49-5
Journal articles, 1930-1939.
Box 7, Folder 49-6
Brochures and broadsides by commercial interests relating to the Golden Gate Bridge, 1929-1937.
Box 7, Folder 49-7
Miscellaneous publications, 1921-1935.
Box 8, Folder 50
Golden Gate Bridge clippings files, 1918-1941
Box 8, Folder 50-1
Golden Gate Bridge, 1918 - 1930 June.
Box 8, Folder 50-2
Golden Gate Bridge, 1930 July - 3 November
Box 8, Folder 50-3
Golden Gate Bridge, 1930 November 4 - 1931.
Box 8, Folder 50-4
Golden Gate Bridge, 1932-1933.
Box 8, Folder 50-5
Golden Gate Bridge, 1934-1935.
Box 8, Folder 50-7
Golden Gate Bridge, 1938-1941.
Box 9, Folder 51
Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta and Golden Gate International Exposition, 1936-1937.
Physical Description:
4 folders
Series 2. Carquinez Bridge
1920-1937
Note
See also Oversize Photographs (101).
Box 9, Folder 52
War Department permits, 1920-1927.
Physical Description:
5 folders
Box 10, Folder 53
Carquinez Bridge right of way, 1924.
Box 10, Folder 54
San Francisco Transit Company,1922-1923.
Box 10, Folder 56
Miscellaneous, 1922-1937.
Box 10, Folder 57
Derleth, Charles. Carquinez Bridge, American Toll Bridge Company : history of construction period, September 1922 to February
1931, 1937 December 11.
Box 10, Folder 58
Cory, C. L. Report upon the proposed construction of the Carquinez Strait Bridge and the Antioch-Sherman Island Bridge by
the American Toll Bridge Company, 1924 May.
Box 10, Folder 59
Carquinez Bridge records - War Department,early survey, 1922-1923.
Box 10, Folder 60
Derleth, Charles. Statement by C. Derleth, Jr., Chief Engineer, Carquinez Highway Bridge on site, highway connections and
costs for bridging Carquinez Strait, 1924 December 27.
Box 10, Folder 61
Lighthouse service, 1926-1929.
Box 10, Folder 62
Photographs and miscellaneous materials, 1923-1929.
Series 3. San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
1916-1937
Note
See also Oversize Photographs (102).
Box 11, Folder 64
Port of Oakland- Transbay bridge, 1930-1931.
Box 11, Folder 65
Port of Oakland- San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1930-1933.
Box 11, Folder 66
Garrison, Walter E. Report on proposed San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1932 August 22.
Box 12, Folder 67
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge clippings files, 1916-1937.
Box 12, Folder 67-1
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1916-1931.
Box 12, Folder 67-2
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1932-1933.
Box 12, Folder 67-3
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1933-1934.
Box 12, Folder 67-4
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1934-1935.
Box 12, Folder 67-5
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1935-1936.
Box 12, Folder 67-6
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1936-1937.
Box 13, Folder 68
Bay Bridge Consulting Board,1931-1936.
Box 13, Folder 68-1
First session, 1931 October 5-9.
Box 13, Folder 68-2
Second session, 1932 January 25-30.
Box 13, Folder 68-3
Third session, 1932 April 18-23.
Box 13, Folder 68-5
Fifth session, 1933 January 23-27
Box 13, Folder 68-6
Sixth session, 1933 May 23-26.
Box 13, Folder 68-7
Seventh session, 1933 August 7-9.
Box 13, Folder 68-8
Eighth session, 1933 November 6-8.
Box 13, Folder 68-9
Ninth session, 1934 February 19-20; tenth session, 1934 May 9-10.
Box 13, Folder 68-10
Eleventh, twelfth, fifteenth and sixteenth sessions, 1934 August - 1936 November
Box 13, Folder 69
California Toll Bridge Authority,1932.
Box 13, Folder 70
Pacific American Steamship Association; Shipowners' Association of the Pacific Coast; Waterfront Employers' Union,1928.
Series 4. Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
1925-1937
Box 14, Folder 71
U.S. War Departmentpermit applications, 1925-1930.
Box 14, Folder 72
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge clippings files, 1926-1937.
Box 14, Folder 72-1
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, 1926-1927.
Box 14, Folder 72-2
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, 1928.
Box 14, Folder 72-3
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, 1929-1930.
Box 14, Folder 72-4
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, 1931-1937.
Box 14, Folder 73
Nordlund, T. G. Proposed highway from Point Richmond to Point Orient to connect traffic between the East Bay and the proposed
San Rafael Bridge, 1930 July 23.
Box 14, Folder 74
Taylor, Sydney W. Effect of the competition of proposed Bay bridges on the San Francisco Bay auto ferry services, 1931 December
30.
Series 5. Masonry Structures
1914-1938
Box 15, Folder 75
Civil Engineering 112 - notes, 1914.
Box 15, Folder 76
Bonneville Dam, 1934-1938.
Box 15, Folder 78
Rock fill dams, 1915-1932.
Box 15, Folder 79
Exchequer Dam, Merced River, 1925-1926.
Box 15, Folder 80
Lake Hodges Dam, San Diego County, 1920-1922.
Box 15, Folder 81
Lake Hodges Dam, San Diego County, 1922-1923.
Box 15, Folder 82
Lake Hodges Dam, San Diego County, 1923-1937.
Box 15, Folder 83
Lake Eleanor Dam, 1917-1933.
Series 6. Arch Dam Investigation
1914-1933
Box 16, Folder 84
Engineering Foundation (U.S.) Committee on Arch Dam Investigation,1925-1933.
Box 17, Folder 85
Davis, Raymond E. Report to members of Committee on Arch Dam Investigation, Engineering Foundation, on progress on preliminary
laboratory experiments on concrete, which has a bearing on the arch dam investigations, 1926 July 1.
Box 17, Folder 86
Davis, Raymond E. Report of tests on concrete being made in connection with tests on Stevenson Creek Test Dam, 1927 January
5.
Box 17, Folder 87
Slater, Willis A. Report of test of Stevenson Creek Dam, 1927 July.
Box 17, Folder 88
Committee on Arch Dam Investigationprints, 1914-1925
Box 17, Folder 88a
Noetzli, Fred A.,and S. M. Cotton. Report on investigation of Emigrant Creek Dam of Talent Irrigation District, Talent, Oregon,
1929 February
Series 7. Spring Valley Water Company
1865-1930
Box 17, Folder 89
Calaveras Dam, 1865-1909.
Box 17, Folder 90
Calaveras Dam, 1913-1918.
Box 18, Folder 91
Calaveras Dam, 1918-1930.
Series 8. Antioch-Sherman Island Bridge
1922-1930
Box 18, Folder 93-1
Antioch-Sherman Island Bridge : specifications for constructing a steel and reinforced concrete bridge across the San Joaquin
River about three miles east of Antioch, California for the American Toll Bridge Company and Delta Bridge Corporation. Sacramento : Frank H. Reynolds, 1924?.
Box 18, Folder 93-2
Antioch-Sherman Island Bridge across San Joaquin River : Delta Bridge Corporation, owner, Frank H. Reynolds and J.G. Little
Co. Sacramento : Frank H. Reynolds, 1924.
Box 18, Folder 93-3
Records of soundings and riprap about Antioch Bridge piers on February 28, 1928. 1928 October 10.
Box 18, Folder 93-4
Antioch-Sherman Island Toll Bridge : simple method of protecting pier foundations from scour, 1926.
Box 18, Folder 93-5
Antioch Bridge photographs, 1925.
Box 18, Folder 93-6
Contra Costa County Title Company. Industrial, agricultural and road map of Contra Costa County, California. Martinez : Contra Costa County Title Co., 193-.
Series 9. Miscellaneous
1903-1934
Box 18, Folder 94
Hetch Hetchy Project,1909-1934.
Box 18, Folder 95
Foundations - cribs, 1910-1932.
Box 18, Folder 96
Water works - dry docks, 1903-1910.
Box 18, Folder 97
Foundations - explorations, 1907-1928.
Box 19, Folder 98
Ford, Bacon and Davis, Inc. Report - American Toll Bridge Company, American Toll Bridge Company of California, Delta Bridge
Corporation, the Rodeo Vallejo Ferry Company, 1924.
Box 19, Folder 100
Lake Spaulding Dam construction photographs, 1912-1913.
Series 10. Oversize Materials
1924-1936
Box 20, Folder 101, Box 21, Box 22
Carquinez Strait Highway Bridge - progress views, 1924-1927.
Box 23, Folder 102, Box 24
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 1934-1936.
Physical Description:
254 photographs, mounted on linen and bound into 2 albums (33 x 44 cm.)
Box 24
Oversize newspaper clippings and other ephemera.
