History Watch: “Well….. That’s a Deep Subject”

History Watch:
"Well…..That’s a Deep Subject"
In 1886 a group of businessmen from San Rafael and San Francisco put plans together to build the best hotel in the nation.  They chose a 21 acre site in San Rafael boarded by Irwin Street, Grand Avenue, Belle Avenue and Watt Avenue.  In 1888 the five story, 200 room Hotel Rafael was completed and opened to the public.
 
The hotel boasted tennis courts, croquet, bowling greens, a stable, a maze for kids to play in and a 135 foot observation tower.  Room rates ranged from $1.50 to $15 a night.  Dinner could be bought for $1.50 and there were dances every Saturday night.  In the early days the hotel flourished and it was indeed a wonderful place to stay.  As the automobile became popular, the hotel lost business and it closed in 1909.  It was re-opened several years later by new investors and it was used as a hospital during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic that killed more people than World War I.
 
On the afternoon of July 29, 1928 the hotel caught fire and burned to the ground in three hours.  A disgruntled employee was arrested a short time later after he admitted to setting the fire.  After the hotel burned, developers bought the land and they started to build houses on the site. 
On a midwinter afternoon in 1933, San Rafael Special Police Officer Sebastian Julius Serff was on foot patrol of the area where only a few homes had been built.  During his patrol, Officer Serff stepped on a rotten plank that had been used to cover up one of the abandoned wells that was on the property.
 
Officer Serff fell through the planks and he plunged into the water at the bottom of the well.  Officer Serff, who was shaken but alive, knew that he was in trouble as no one had seen him fall and there was no way he could get himself out.  He was, however, able to get most of his body out of the frigid water by wedging his back and legs against both sides of the well and by hanging onto a pipe.
 
Officer Serff yelled for help, but no one could hear him as it was an area that only had a few houses that were occupied.  Getting weak and cold, Officer Serff came up with an idea that saved his life.  He pulled out his service revolver, which had been submerged in the water and he prayed that it would still work.
 
Officer Serff started firing rounds up out of the well while yelling for help.  The gunfire attracted the attention of several residents who went out to investigate.  They located Officer Serff and they immediately called the San Rafael Fire Department and the San Rafael Police Department for help.
 
Fire Crews arrived and they lowered ropes into the well, but it was no easy task rescuing Officer Serff as they had to pull him straight up at a 90 degree angle and matters were complicated by the fact that Officer Serff weighed in excess of 300 pounds.  Wet and tired, Officer Serff was finally rescued from a watery grave.  Officer Serff died in 1939 of a heart attack in his home after attending church.  He was 73 years old and he served with the San Rafael Police Department for 25 years.  His ordeal in the well was thought to be a contributing factor to his death as he had been in ill health for several years.  He was given a full police funeral at St. Raphael's Church.
 
Attached is a photo of the Hotel Rafael taken in the 1880’s during it finest days.  If you drive to the intersection of Irwin and Belle Avenue you can still see the iron gates that were at the entrance to one of the finest hotels built during its time.
Copyright 2014 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved