University of California Berkeley Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Western Mining in the Twentieth Century Series J . Ward Downey MINING AND CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER, INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, 1936 TO THE 1990s With an Introduction by Philip Read Bradley, Jr. Interviews Conducted by Eleanor Swent in 1991 Copyright 1992 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the Nation. Oral history is a modern research technique involving an interviewee and an informed interviewer in spontaneous conversation. The taped record is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The resulting manuscript is typed in final form, indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ************************************ All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and J. Ward Downey dated June 22, 1992. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, 486 Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of tHe user. The legal agreement with J. Ward Downey requires that he be notified of the request and allowed thirty days in which to respond. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: J. Ward Downey, "Mining and Construction Engineer, Industrial Management Consultant, 1936 to the 1990s," an oral history conducted in 1991 by Eleanor Swent, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1992. Copy no . The Press Democrat December 1, 1992 Ward Downey Job: Engineer (retired) for Del busy when you're retired. Five or Monte Corporation. six days of golf gets tiresome. I Age: 81. am also on the 1992 Sonoma Coun Home: Santa Rosa. ty Grand Jury and that keeps me Personal: Married 1 7 years to busy, too." Alberta. "It's the second marriage Hobbies: Gardening, walking, for both of us." Both are Universi traveling ('we've been practically ty of California graduates, he in every place in the world, so we're mining engineering, she in history just concentrating on seeing the of art. Ward has 2 sons (James good old U.S.A.") and Stephen) and 2 daughters Fantasy: "Find something else (Catherine and Loretta) by previ to do. I fantasize about being on a ous marriage, she has daughters commission or board, just to keep Mary and Anne. busy. I don't think being 81 is any Community involvement: In handicap as you as you can think 1985, Downey joined the Execu or get around." tive Service Corps, a group of 1 30 If you have learned one thing retired executives and profession in life, what is it? "I've got a real als who volunteer their time and good one for that. No matter how to smart or how a man experience non-profit groups good you are, about the way things are done. that need in the most is to expertise finances, important thing be a When I was in construction I was team If want to marketing, fund-raising, public player. they you a fanatic for cleanliness, not pick relations and other to Then management go Timbuktu, you go. ing up boards with nails, not wear skills. was own own and it's to Downey recently pres you're your up ing hardhats. I'm not outgoing; ented an outstanding achieve you to do the job right with as lit I'm more of an introvert." ment award from the Executive tle supervision as possible. Too Service Corps of the San Francis many people resist moving or GEORGE HOWER, co Bay Area. "There are over changing and miss an opportuni Staff Writer 3,000 non-profit groups in the Bay ty." Area and a lot are looking for Three words that best de know who help. We assist in any way we scribe me: "I have a lot of initia If you somebody spends time helping others in our community, can," Downey said. tive.. .very conservative although please write to Doer's Profile, Features I involved with ESC: first How got my vote was for Norman Department, The Press Democrat, "I am a great believer in keeping Thomas, the Socialist. Finicky P.O. Box 569, Santa Rosa 95402. The Press Democrat November 25, 1997 21 DOWNEY, J. Ward Died November ; 1997 in Santa Rosa. He is succeeded by his wife, Alberta, four children and two grand children. He was a graduate Mining Engineer from the University of California and worked at the Empire Mine in Grass Valley, a copper mine in Ray, Arizona and a Trona mine in Green River, Wyoming. He was then hired by Del Monte Foods Company and, after retiring, took a position with the International Executive Service Corps in Egypt ".... No services will be held. Private interment, Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, CA. Arrangements under the direc tion of DANIELS CHAPEL OF THE ROSES* J. Ward Downey, 1992 Cataloging information DOWNEY, J. Ward (b. 1911) Mining engineer Mining and Construction Engineer. Industrial Management Consultant. 1936 to the 1990s. 1992, xiii, 151 pp. Education at UC College of Mines, 1929-36; work in Grass Valley, California, area mines during Great Depression, and in mines in Arizona, Idaho, northern California until World War II; engineer, Canol Project; Wyoming trona mine, 1946-1950; construction engineer, Western Knapp, Swinerton and Walberg, Pacific Mechanical engineering companies, various projects, 1952-1965; construction, energy management and conservation, Del Monte Corporation, 1965-1975; International Executive Service Corps, construction advisor, Egyptian sugar refinery, 1981. Includes an autobiographical memoir written by J. Ward Downey. Introduction by Philip Read Bradley, Jr. Interviewed in 1991 by Eleanor Swent for Western Mining in the Twentieth Century Oral History Series. The Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Table of Contents- -J. Ward Downey PREFACE i INTRODUCTION --by Philip R. Bradley ix INTERVIEW HISTORY x BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION xii I SOME MEMORABLE MINING MEN IN THE 1930 'S 1 Fred Sear Is , Executive Vice President of Newmont Mining Company 1 Allan James, Mining Engineer 2 Bert Austin, Consulting Mining Engineer 3 Henry Gould, Consulting Mining Engineer, Expert on Mercury 5 II A JUNIOR ENGINEER, RAY, ARIZONA, 1937 7 III HUNTING FOR A GOOD ENGINEERING JOB DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION 9 Stoper for Idaho -Maryland, Grass Valley, California 9 Assayer for Bunker Hill and Sullivan, Idaho 11 Disappointment at Buffalo Hump, Idaho 12 Engineer at the Virgilia Mine, Feather River, California 13 Tunnel Engineer for Pacific Gas and Electric Company 14 IV WORLD WAR II: ENGINEER FOR CANOL PROJECT, CANADA 16 V HEAD ENGINEER AT A TRONA MINE, GREEN RIVER, WYOMING, 1946-1950 19 VI LEAVING MINING FOR GENERAL CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING 22 A Brief Attempt at Farming 22 Kaiser Chemical Company, Moss Landing, California 22 Western Knapp Engineering Company, 1952-1955 23 Swinerton and Walberg, Inc., 1955-1960 25 Pacific Mechanical Corporation, 1960-1965 27 VII DEL MONTE; THE BEST OF TIMES, 1965-1976 28 VIII EXECUTIVE SERVICE CORPS 33 TAPE GUIDE 39 IX MUCKER, MINER AND MULE SKINNER 41 Introduction 42 An Escape from Tyranny [emigrating from Ireland, 1869] 45 Rustling a Job at the Empire Mine [Grass Valley, California] 52 The Empire Mine 55 A Strange Underground World 58 The Men, Mules, and Machinery of the Empire Mine The Social Amenities of a Mining Camp Settling in for a Long Stay A Year of Decisions More Incredible Good Fortune One Indian and Three Bears [Mining Engineers from Stanford and University of California] The Fine Art of High Grading A Goal is Realized A Teacher for all Reasons [Walter Weeks, Professor of Mining Engineering, University of California] The Night they Stole the Senior Bench Racial Prejudice Comes with the Territory [Ray, Arizona] Up the Learning Curve [Kellogg, Idaho] Moving Further up the Learning Curve I Learn that Life is Real and Life is Earnest [Feather River, California] Skirting the Arctic Circle [Canol Project, 1943] An Involuntary Interlude [U.S. Navy] From Ships to Shafts [Trona Mine, Green River, Wyoming] A Change in Career [Del Monte Corporation, 1966-1976] BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX PREFACE The oral history series on Western Mining in the Twentieth Century documents the lives of leaders in mining, metallurgy, geology, education in the earth and materials sciences, mining law, and the pertinent government bodies. The field includes metal, non-metal, and industrial minerals, but not petroleum. Mining has changed greatly in this century: in the technology and technical education; in the organization of corporations; in the perception of the national strategic importance of minerals; in the labor movement; and in consideration of health and environmental effects of mining. The idea of an oral history series to document these developments in twentieth century mining had been on the drawing board of the Regional Oral History Office for more than twenty years.