Part VI – General Chemical and Turning a Blind Eye at Nichols

Heading east from Bay Point circa 1929, the land was flat and wide open with the next industrial center in the town of Nichols, black arrow, northeast view. Ref: API 563_7_BOX 59

L162-05-George Russell Photo, Courtesy California State Lands Commission, Detail, (Image 1 of 24)

As indicated on this map from 1939, the sole industry of Nichols was General Chemical Company. Ref: G4363.C6J1 1939 .C6

L162-10-Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University California, Berkeley, (Image 2 of 24)

Unlike the shipbuilding and lumber enterprises of early Bay Point, the General Chemical facilities as seen in this 2016 northeast view survives to the present day. How was that possible given all the circumstances that impacted Port Chicago to the west?

L162-15-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 3 of 24)

General Chemical was created by a giant in the chemical industry business, William Henry Nichols. The facility at Nichols was only part of an empire that Nichols and his family grew by merging 12 companies in 1899 to create General Chemical, and along with four other companies to form Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation in 1921. At the Nichols site, the main products were acids, particularly sulfuric acid.

L162-20-Courtesy the Hathi Trust Digital Library, (Image 4 of 24)

Starting in 1909, General Chemical built its first West Coast plant, and it quickly grew into a town with 50 homes, 10 bunk houses and 600 or so residents. They even had their own school, and three railroad stations. This circa 1920 north view shows the SN shelter in the foreground to the left of Nichols Rd., with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe or SF shelter in the background. The Southern Pacific or SP shelter could not be seen from this view.

L162-25-Louis L. Stein Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 97702sn, (Image 5 of 24)

This ca. 1930s west view from a Santa Fe train shows the shelter belonging to that railroad, as well as railroad and the Nichols Rd. overpasses.

L162-30-John W. Barriger III Photo. John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library at UMSL, ATSF 40, (Image 6 of 24)

An east view east of the railroad overpass taken in 2016 shows the SP right-of-way, now Union Pacific, passing under the Santa Fe. This strategic cross-over was inherited from the precursor San Francisco and San Joaquin Railroad Co.’s decision in 1889 to gain better access to the coast line and the eventual industrial centers of Pittsburg and Antioch, whereas the SP precursor, the San Pablo and Tulare Railroad Co., focused on the coal producing areas that dominated in 1871, but would fade in the next century.

L162-35-Steven Lane Photo, Courtesy Steven Lane , (Image 7 of 24)

The SP station shelter is shown here. The structures in the upper right from General Chemical would position this structure to the west of the SF crossing, on the north side of the track. According to Henry Bender, SP's Valuation ledger for S.P.Co. Val. Section 65 says the 10'x20' frame shelter shed at Nichols, milepost 43.0 on the Port Costa-Tracy line, was built in 1914, which date is ICC guesswork, and retired on Oct. 31, 1940. SP also had a freight house, 12'x26' frame, at Nichols from Nov. 20, 1918 until some unknown unrecorded date well after 1940.

L162-40-Ted Wurm-Vernon Sappers Collections, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 30646s, (Image 8 of 24)

This 2016 west view from the SF overpass down the SP right-of-way shows the lone surviver of two previously existing spurs to General Chemical.

L162-45-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 9 of 24)

This west view on the SF right-of-way circa 1930s shows the other spur that allowed that railroad access to the chemical plant, but that spur is no longer in existence.

L162-50-John W. Barriger III Photo. John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library at UMSL, 485, (Image 10 of 24)

In this north-oriented 2017 aerial, General Chemical still sits to the north of the railroads, now owned by Chemtrade Logistics since 2013. To the south of the tracks the Jass Boys Truck Lines on Nichols Rd., and many scars in the earth of past activities.

L162-55-Courtesy Google Maps, (Image 11 of 24)

This set of four north-oriented aerials show how Nichols evolved once the US Navy established the Naval Weapons Station in Port Chicago during WWII. Sources of USDA aerials: 1939, Google Earth; 1958, BUU-6V-41, 8/13/58, Contra Costa County Historical Society; 1965, the National Archives of San Francisco, RG 77 NRHS Acc Number 077-99-01 Box 9, Folder 6; 1968, 3-214 GS-VBZJ, 4/22/68, Contra Costa County Historical Society

L162-60-US Dept. of Agricuture, AAA Western Division Aerials, (Image 12 of 24)

The late Ken Rand noted in his book, “Port Chicago Isn't There Anymore - But We Still Call It Home”, of the two-mile buffer zone set up to include Nichols when the Navy claimed Port Chicago by eminent domain in 1967. But the additional 18 million dollar money to buy General Chemical was not offered by Congress, so the Navy turned a blind eye and allowed General Chemical to continue as is.

L162-65-US Dept. of Agricuture, AAA Western Division Aerials, (Image 13 of 24)

Definitive documentation of the decision to exclude General Chemical from the proposed safety zone sought by the US Navy is presented in this drawing dated Nov. 17, 1967, with a detail to follow. Ref: US Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Western Division, G4363.C6G46 1967 .U5

L162-66-Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University California, Berkeley , (Image 14 of 24)

The detail of the boundary line at Nichols clearly shows how it was altered within the safety zone to exclude General Chemical. Ref: US Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Western Division, G4363.C6G46 1967 .U5

L162-68-Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University California, Berkeley, Detail, (Image 15 of 24)

Evacuation began in the 1950s, encircled area, the last ones to go along the south side of the Port Chicago Highway, 1965 panel. The area within the dashed black rectangle has not been verified to be housing. General Chemical aided in the evacuation, but continued full operation over this time span. Counter to this, additional industry, 1958 panel colored rectangles, moved in.

L162-70-US Dept. of Agricuture, AAA Western Division Aerials, (Image 16 of 24)

Western States Chemical Co. was a customer of the SN, and these documents support its existence in 1960, consistent with telephone directories. It was no longer listed in 1965.

L162-75-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 38629, (Image 17 of 24)

This diagram of the Western States Chemical Co. facility was produced by the SP probably because drainage needed to go under its right-of-way. Note the shape of the the SN spur and how it splits going into Western Chemical.

L162-80-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 38633, (Image 18 of 24)

The SN spur, black arrow, and its division into two at Western States Chemical Co. is shown on this 1965 north-oriented aerial. The orange arrow points to the SN spur at Chemical and Pigment Co. Ref: 1965, the National Archives of San Francisco, RG 77 NRHS Acc Number 077-99-01 Box 9, Folder 6

L162-85-US Dept. of Agricuture, AAA Western Division Courtesy, (Image 19 of 24)

The letter and the accompanying diagram provide support for the shape of the spur and the location of the Chemical and Pigment Co. facility.

L162-90-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 38633, (Image 20 of 24)

The Chemical and Pigment Co. and its eventual demise are documented in this government report concerning the toxic mess the company left when they filed for bankruptcy. See Chemical-Pigment_FS https-//www.dtsc.ca.gov/SiteCleanup/Projects/upload/Chemical-Pigment_FS

L162-95-Department of Toxic Substance Control Document, (Image 21 of 24)

Ted Benson described this image as “Tidewater Southern no. 746 on the Pittsburg Road Switcher working Chemical Pigments, “Chem-Pig”, at Nichols, Feb. 1973. This is the only image that could be found of freight switching at Nichols on the SN-serviced side of the tracks from any era. The curve in the mainline appears to be more consistent with an east view, east of the Nichols Rd. intersection when compared to L162-85.

L162-100-Ted Benson Photo, Coutesy Ted Benson, (Image 22 of 24)

These documents from 1969 suggest that Collier Carbon and Chemical Corp. took over the site occupied by Western States Chemical Co. in the 1965 timeframe, and continued to use the SN for freight rail service. Collier Carbon and Chemical is not listed in the 1961 or 1965 telephone directories, but is in the 1971 book as being located on the Port Chicago Highway.

L162-105-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 38634, (Image 23 of 24)

The survival of General Chemical Co. during the Navy takeover of the Port Chicago area and the buildup of industry as occupants evacuated Nichols only scratches the surface of this unfortunate set of events. Read Ken Rand’s book or Dean L. McLeod’s “Port Chicago” for more details. Time to hop on this AMTRAK San Joaquin train for the next stop of this North Coast industrial review.

L162-110-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 24 of 24)