Gordon deserves credit for trying his Chute

Agriculture was quite successful along the coast, but transportation problems caused the farmers to specialize in products that were easiest to deliver. Dairies concentrated on butter and cheese rather than fresh milk.

Pillar Point had one of the only sheltered spots, although it was a small one. A cable extended from the shore's high cliff to a rock 200 yards out. Bundles suspended from this cable could be lowered to a ship at anchor.

The south part of the coast was too far away to make use of Pillar Point. At Año Nuevo, a wharf was built at the island and bundles were slid down a ramp to be loaded. At Pigeon Point, cables were strung from slings that could carry cargo down to ships at anchor. Sometimes products were ferried to and from larger ships via small boats. This proved inefficient except, at a later date, during prohibition. One of the more ambitious projects was Gordon's Chute.

Alexander Gordon built his technological marvel in 1879. He owned a farm on Tunitas Creek. A high bluff at this point faces the open water. He designed a wooden framework ramp from the hundred-foot cliff down to the sea. The structure was built on rocks visible only at low tide. The cargo was to slide down a chute at a 45 degree angle to an apron that could be swung to the deck of a ship. Gravity would provide the power to move the goods.

Gordon thought that he could solve his own shipping problem and also provide a service to neighboring lumber mills and farmers. A warehouse at the top of the cliff would be used to store the goods until a ship arrived. The completed structure looked grand.

Problems arose from the start. It was soon discovered that friction from the long slide down the chute often burned holes in the sacks used to ship agricultural products. Sometimes they would break open on impact with the ship. The spot that ships would have to tie up in order to receive cargo was dangerous. The open sea would toss the ships in the swells, so at best it could only be accomplished in fair weather. Ship captains were understandably reluctant to handle this trade.

In addition to the practical problems of the chute, Gordon opted to build it at the time of a national depression. Economic fluctuations as well as weather had an impact on the frequency of the chute's use. The enterprise went out of business. The sea showed its contempt for Gordon's efforts and wiped out the structure. A storm in 1885 finished the demolition. Nothing is left of Gordon's Chute, but fortunately there were a few early photos and drawings made so we can admire the product of Alexander Gordon's entrepreneurial spirit.

Rediscovering the Peninsula appears in the Monday edition of the Daily Journal. For more information on this or related topics, visit the San Mateo County History Museum, 777 Hamilton St., Redwood City.