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CHARLES FRANCIS WALSH FAI No. 118------------April 25, 1912 AERO CLUB OF CALIFORNIA. LICENSE No. 1.....August 11, 1911 by Alice Walsh Collection of Ernie Sansome Two years later another son, Robert J. was born and Pappa began to feel he was well on the way to having managers for a chain of Walsh food stores. When the boys were of school age, the family moved a few miles to the city of San Diego where business was better and schools more accessible. The boys worked at the store after school and on weekends, but once Charlie reached the magic teenage years he turned his interest elsewhere. He was interested in things mechanical and started a bicycle business, but, competition and lack of genuine interest resulted in little more than weekend pin money. Brother Bob stayed with his father at the grocery store, but Charlie couldn't find himself. As his mother predicted he would make a life for himself. Mother didn't worry, but Father was furious when Charlie left the nest and hitchhiked to Los Angeles looking for work. He was 24 and still uncertain of what to do in life. The big city provided odd jobs while he worked his way through a course in Stationary Engineering. Dad was amazed to hear that Charles had taken this much upon himself. His studies were complete in 1902, and he found a permanent position as a steam engineer at the California General Hospital in Los Angeles. One warm summer day he spotted a pretty and sassy young student nurse, Alice Connolly. Sure now an' that was a beautiful Irish name and the emeralds of love started to glisten. Both had the wonderful whit and temper of the Shamrock green and on Sept. 23, 1903, they were married. Several days later Alice and Charlie, Alice's sister and her husband were on a train for the Nevada pot of gold. It wa a long, hot, and dirty ride north to Fresno, and then east to Tonopah, Nevada. The group, upon arriving at Tonopah had to transfer to a narrow gauge railroad south to the gold strike. Unfortunately, these tracks had been washed out by heavy rains during the previous two days. Ordinarily there were two trains a day running between Tonopah and the town known as Goldfield. Normally these trains would disgorge as many as 200 men every day, everyone with only one thought, his fortune in gold. Hearing that the railroad was washed away, dozens of enterprising residents corralled any animal drawn conveyance they could, and went to meet the train at Tonopah. With the taxi market cornered they charged fantastic fares and always had tall tales to relate of striking it rich for their passengers. The Walsh's hailed a stagecoach and arrived in Goldfield shaken but in excited spirits. They were met by Tim who told them only tents were available for living quarters, and all claims to the gold mines were staked but there was need for laborers and miners. The work was hard, the pay was good...the gold was pure! Goldfield was really not a town, it was just a row of tents and tin lean-tos with a few wooden structures slapped together to serve as a bank, general store, telegraph office, and a saloon. The mud and slime of rain and man had turned the area into a hillside of filth. There were no sanitation or cooking facilities within miles. Beans, rice, and a stray pig or rabbit served as a solid meal. Trains brought in lumber, bacon, and whiskey. Charlie was able to use his engineering knowledge and went to work operating and keeping in repair hoists and mine carts used to bring men and gold from the deep caverns of the earth. He did all right, making as much as $10.00 a day, while Alice made $8.00 a day working at the telegraph and post offices. This was exceptionally good money for 1903. They pooled their earnings together and bought stocks and bonds in newly established gold mining companies. Toward the spring of 1905, Charlie and Alice were expecting their first child, and they returned to Los Angeles for the blessed event. Charlie went back with the oil company. Kenneth Charles was born in June at General Hospital, a chunky little freckle-faced red head. As soon as the baby was able to travel however, the lure of gold enticed them to return to Nevada. On the second venture they had their furniture shipped ahead and rented a car for personal travel. This time living was going to be easier in the remote desert area. They were loaded down with staples such as flour, sugar, salt, coffee, fried beef and warm clothing. This time they enthusiastically looked forward to striking it rich in comfort. Two weeks later Charlie was building an adobe house for the family on the outskirts of Goldfield, their jobs were still available and things were going well. The following year Alice gave birth to a bright curly-haired baby girl. They stayed in Goldfield for this event, and named her Juanita after the Spanish girl who helped the family by baby sitting with Kenneth and through Alice's hours of labor. "Heaven forbid your future if Charlie should take up with flying machines," Walter told Alice. "If he wants to take up flying, that's his business, Grandpa." Alice replied. Charlie was pretty quiet about the matter but the following year, in his typical---the devil take the hind most, attitude---he approached several business men in San Diego to sponsor the building of an aeroplane. His father heard of this latest scheme--"The boy's daft," he said. "I'll have no part of it!" Most of the people Charlie had approached felt the same way, man can't fly. One man did come forth in defense and that was all Charlie needed. Only Senator Wright had ever seen a plane and none of those involved knew how to build one. Charlie wasn't worried though, the Los Angeles and San Francisco papers were carrying more and more accurate descriptions of flying machines. Senator Wright was able to obtain a couple of pictures of the Wright Bros. propulsion system. This was all Charles Walsh needed to build an airplane--he thought. |
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