454 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



The grade of the Great Incline is at first sixty per cent., then sixty- 

 two, then fifty-eight, then forty -eight per cent. It is practically a hotel ele- 

 vator out of doors, and is the longest and highest one in the world. 



During the first year that it was open this mountain railroad reported 

 nearly 60,000 passengers carried between Altadena and Rubio Pavilion. 



THE OBSERVATORY. 



From the annual holiday number of the Pasadena Star, 1894-95, I 

 quote this : 



"The Mount L,owe observatory is in charge of Dr. Lewis Swift, late of 

 the Warner Observatory at Rochester, N. Y., who is ably seconded in his 

 astronomical work by his son Edward. Dr. Swift is the great comet finder 

 of the world, and his son recently achieved fame for himself and the Mount 

 Lowe Observatory by discovering another of these celestial wanderers. The 

 observatory is equipped with a sixteen-inch telescope and several smaller 

 ones, besides a full complement of other astronomical and scientific instru- 

 ments. It is located on the mountain slope, about a quarter of a mile above 

 Echo Mountain House. It is a handsome and convenient structure, having 

 three other rooms besides the dome-crowned observing room. This observa- 

 tory is to be erected ultimately on the highest of the three crests of Mount 

 Lowe — the monarch of the Sierra Madres. ' ' 



Echo Mountain Hotel. — See chapter 24 — article on "Pasadena's 

 Historic Hotels. ' ' 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



Industries. — Canneries and Drieries. — Manufactories. — Poultry and Ostrich Farms. 

 — Electric Light and Gas Works. — Olive Company. — Orange Packeries. — Grand 

 Opera House. — Oil Well. — Mountain View Cemetery. — Hospital. 



The Five Historic Hotels. 



FRUIT INDUSTRIES. 



Wai^lace'S Cannery. — ^Joseph Wallace came to Pasadena from Can- 

 ada in 1875, and bought thirty acres (one-half) of Ney Strickland's original 

 colony lot, built a house, made improvements, put his land all into fruit, and 

 resides there yet. In 1881 Mr. Wallace started his cannery, under the 

 name of the "Pasadena Packing Company," which was the first manufactu- 

 ring enterprise established here, and used the first steam engine that ever 

 puffed vapor in Pasadena. The first year 10,000 cans of fruit were put up, 

 which gave employment to twelve persons during the packing season. The 

 Union of October 25, 1884, reported that Mr. Wallace had put up 50,000 

 cans of fruit that season. On September 2, 1885, the cannery was burned 

 down, [see page 152], yet notwithstanding his great loss above insurance, 

 Mr. Wallace rebuilt his works the next year and kept in the manufacturing 

 field. In 1891, Mr. Wallace took in associates to augment the working capi- 

 tal, and on May 7th of that year the company was incorporated, with Geo. 



