1075. Hibernia Bank (San Francisco, CA)

Bank Information

Episode Type
Run Only
Bank Type
state
Start Date
August 26, 1875
Location
San Francisco, California (37.780, -122.419)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
0e68cc0c

Response Measures

Accommodated withdrawals, Public signal of financial health

Description

Newspapers describe crowds pressing the Hibernia Bank demanding payment during the panic caused by the suspension of the Bank of California (Aug 26, 1875). Hibernia experienced heavy withdrawals but there is no statement that Hibernia suspended or closed, so this is classified as a run only, triggered by trouble at another local bank.

Events (1)

1. August 26, 1875 Run
Cause
Local Banks
Cause Details
Run on Hibernia was triggered by the suspension of the Bank of California and the resulting financial panic and crowd pressure in San Francisco.
Measures
No specific suspension or formal measures reported for Hibernia; clerks paid out funds as crowds demanded (no closure mentioned).
Newspaper Excerpt
At the National Gold Bank and Trust Co., and at the Hibernia Bank, crowds pressed upon the clerks, hastily demanding payment.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (3)

Article from Chicago Daily Tribune, September 13, 1875

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Article Text

Dull Closing of Business in Financial Circles. Discounts Light--New York Exchango Firmer--The Fall Trade. The Produce Markets Strong Yester. day, but Loss Active. A Large Premium on Cash Pork, Wheat, and Corn-Light Shipments. FINANCIAL. The week just closed can hardly be considered an Improvement on the one preceding 11. Something of a full bas come in the movement of the crops to market, and the weather has been at one time too hot. and at another too stormy, to encourage an active fall trade. The business of the banks has been correspendingly affected. The applications for discounts save not been numerous, and rates of Interest, which reemed to be on the point of hardening, have relaxed somewhat. The banks still And their surplus difficult to dispose of. Merchants are not borvowing freely. Their collections have improved, and their wants are largely supplied by sales, The back. wardness of the fall trade limits the amount of commarcial paper offered the banks, and the falling off of the shipment of produce has reduced the rediscounts songht by country banks, There is but little grain or lumber paper made. The prices of grain do not make It any object to carry it, and the lumber market is in a depressed condition. Rates of discount 8(210 per cent to regular CURtomers of the banks. Loans on call and short time are readily made to good outside borrowors at c@9 per cent, The supply of New York exchange is not Large. but it is in light demand, and sales are made at ave discount between banks for $1,000. There were a fair number of orders from the country for currency. The clearings Baturday were $1,192,903.52; for the week they were $20,80,931.34, and for the correspondmg week of last year were $20,626,974.03. THE CALIFORNIA BAVINOS BANKS AND THE RECENT TROUBLE Up to the middle of August money was In reason. able supply at the savings banks, but after that date it grow more and more scaree, until new loans were finally held in absyance. We do not wonder that this searcity at the SAVIDGH banks, coinbined with the pressure at the commercial banks, suggested the bellet that a "corner" in money bad been created. All of the savings Lanks' managers deny that they had last week, or have had sinco, any knowledge of such a scheme: nor, on reviewing the loans granted by them within the past month, ou city real estate, and city, county, and State bonds, can they discover any evidence that the money was either wanted or used for any but the legitimate purposes of business. of course, there was a famine for money, but it WAR not, as in Wall street, New York, artiticially created for the purposes of robbery, other in breaking a bank or in bearing stocks, A scarcity of money hourly intensifiee itself. The other commercial banks heard hourly-increasing rumors about the Bank of California several days before the crash came, and they immediately rushed to call in their loans, and even to borrow, that they might be well freighted with com-ballast to ride out the gale they SAW coming. Every juovement, therefore, made money more scarce, and increased the want of confidence and the fear of disaster. Of course, therefore, there was really as complete a look-up of money as any artificial corner could possibly have created. The savings banks are not loaning now, nor will they do FO until bus. incss resumes its natural course, which It no doubt will within the next two weeks. The run upon them was light, and was inade by only the most ignorant classes. We understand a list of these persons will be given to each bank. all of which will refuse again to allow them the privilege of depositing. The Hibernia Bank adopted this course some four years ago. NUMBER OF DEPOSITONS. The failure of three or four commercial banks in no justification for a run on the savings banks, the secunties held by the latter being vastly more safe, and the amounts they loan on market values much less, than in the case of banks of discount, To show that only a fraction of the depositors at the savings banks inade fools of themselves, We here append the number of those who made applications for their money, with the total number of depositors which each bank has Hibernia Bauk, 17.000 depositors; number who applied for their money, 152, German Bank, 9,373 depositors; applications during the run less than 100. Clay Street Bank, 10,854 depositors, of whom about 200 gave notice of intention to withdraw. The Odd-Fellows' Bank has depositors; 150 applied for their money. San Francisco Savings Union, 6,548 depositors only 61 applied for their money. The French Bank has 0,000 depositors, of whom only between 40 and 50 gave notice. Only about the saino proportion of the total number of do. positors applied for their money at the smaller BAYings banks. The banks named above have a total of 50,577 depositors, of whom only 718 took part in the run. This conclusively shows the confidence deposibanks


Article from Washington Standard, September 18, 1875

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Article Text

CALIFORNIA. More Liquor Frauds. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 14,-9:20 P. M.Revenue officials were around to-day among wholesale liquor houses examining books, which resulted in finding many instances where packages of spirits gauged and reported at ten and twenty gallons each had been thrown upon the market as containing from 200 to 300 gallons. Most of these were from the Pacific Distillery, whose officers were reported yesterday a having made affidavit of the destruction of trhir accounts up to the first of last July. The discoveries thus far made by officials indicate very extensive frauds, in which not only dealers and distillers but also revenue officials are believed to be implicated. Situation of Banks. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 15.-There is a very active demand for money, which banks are unable adequately to supply. The National Gold Bank and Trust Company had $150,000 coin transferred to day through the office of the sub-treasurer, and considerable amounts are reported to have arrived or are close at hand from New York to the Bank of California and Hibernia Bank. The First National Bank is now doing a very satisfactory business, and officers apprehend no diminution of patronage on account of the recent temporary suspension. Arrangements will soon be in progress for increasing its capital stock, and on the first of January it is intended to have a capital of two millions. Lively Business in the Stocks. Business in the California Stock Board was very lively to-day, showing marked improvement both in the volume of transactions and prices realized. The increased business of this board will probably have the effect to hasten the opening of the other boards, which are expected to resume business in about two weeks. Salds on the streets were spirited to. day, and the vicinity of the board rooms begins to wear an appearance similar to that before the panic. Lick Again. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 14.-In the 19th district court to-day a decree was rendered discharging the old trustees of the Lick trust and appointing in their places the following: Richard S. Floyd, Faxon D. Atheston, Bernard D. Murphy, John H. Lick, and John Nightingale,


Article from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser, September 25, 1875

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Article Text

DEATH OF W. C, RALSTON. THE STATE GONE DEMOCRATIC. Fears of. War in Europe Subsided. The British bark Jalawar, from San Francisco en route for the Guano Islands, arrived yesterday morning, bringing San Francisco dates to Sept. 2. The most important item of news by this ar. rival is the announcement that the Bank of California, the principal monied institution of the State, suspended payment on August 26. At the commencement of banking hours on that morning, symptoms of a run on the Bank were evident, which continued throughout the day, until 2.20 P. M. when the doors were closed. At the National Gold Bank and Trust Co., and at the Hibernia Bank, crowds pressed upon the clerks, hastily demanding payment. It was a financial panie, the of hich was never thereseen before. The streets were crowded in the neighborhood of the bank of California. " The crowd in the corridors became 80 large that depositors stood five or six deep all along the line of the paying counters, each struggling to get his check to the teller in advance of his neighbor, and the crowd soon resolved itself into a pushing, squeezing, struggling mob." The excitement was increased when the doors were closed and the announcement made by Mr. Ralston that payment was stopped. After bank hours, says one paper, the principal indignation expressed for the supposed instigators of the trouble was against the publishers of the Bulletin and Call, who had, by constant attacks upon Mr. Ralston, President of the Bank, representing him as the Boss Tweed of San Francisco and a political schemer, finally succeeded in undermining the credit of the Bank." So intense was the indignation against these journals, that at one time it was feared that the excited crowd would resolve itself into a mob and attack the offices; but better counsels prevailed, and the city was spared the disgrace of a riot," At 5 o'clock, Mr. Ralston met the representatives of the press and others, and stated that there was no question but that the Bank would be able to meet all its obligations; that over $1,400,000 in coin, besides other securities, bad been paid out. On the 31st it was announced by the Directors that the assets of the Bank were nominally $20,000,000, and that there was a surplus of six or seven millions over and above all its liabilities. It was stated that the stockholders of the Bank were among the richest men in California, representing property moderately estimated at $50,000,000, and the public were assured that they would resuscitate the Bank. Later, it was announced that the resumption would take place in a few days, and this was received by the public with the highest satisfaction. Meantime, on the 27th, the day following the suspension of the bank of which he was President, the city was startled by the announcement of the death by drowning in the bay of Wm. C. Ralston. Under the circumstances, rumor at once attributed his death to suicide, but a searching inquiry by a coroner's inquest, a post mortem examination, and an analysis of the contents of the stomach of the deceased, all went to show that the death was accidental. His life was insured for some $300,000. The funeral, very largely attended, took place on the 30th, and the city was dressed in mourning garb in respect to the memory of one who had been her most conspicuous citizen, and who had done much to beautify the city and develop the resources of the coast. On the receipt of the news in this city of the suspension of the Bank of California, some inquiry was made as to the relations of our Bank with the Coast, and the following notice was posted on the Post Office bulletin board The undersigned beg to assure their customers that their interests have not suffered at all by the suspension of the bank of California. Messrs. Hickox & Spear, bankers, as well as Messrs. J. C.-Merrill & Co., immediately upon receiving the intelligence of the suspension of the bank, offered to protect all drafts of ours, and proceeded to do SO. All our unmatured remittances were turned over directly to Messrs. Hickox & Spear. All of our drafts in transit are fully covered by remittances, and there will be no delay in their payment by Messrs. " BISHOP & Co. Hickox & Spear. " Honolulu, Sept 19, 1875.' There having been disparaging misrepresentations made by parties in San Francisco in regard to the action taken by the firm of Messrs. J. C. Merrill & Co., in refusing payment of their acceptances maturing at the bank of California after its suspension, done solely for the protection of Messrs. Bishop & Co., of this city, we are requested by the last named firm to state, that the generous and disinterested course pursued by Mr. J. C. Merrill in the matter, has their hearty approval, and is fully appreciated. The steamship Vasco de Gama, Capt. Rice, is advertised by the P. M. Co. to leave San Francisco for the Colonies Oct 9, via Honolulu. The state elections throughout California took