In 1911, twenty-three year old Antoine Zaepffel left Dambach Laville for England to be with friends, but after a short visit, he stowed away on a ship bound for America. When hunger drove him from his hiding place, he shoveled coal for the remainder of the voyage in return for food. In New York City, Tony, the name Antoine came to be known by in America, took what work he could find, including the position of waiter at the Four Hundred Club. On a good night he earned $l.50 in tips, and kept forever the one dime thrifty John D. Rockefeller gave him.
Although the west beckoned, once again Tony had no funds for travel. He made his way to Canada hoping to find work on the railroad. No jobs were available, but he was allowed to ride the train in exchange for selling candy and snacks as a “peanut butcher.” After a year in Alaska checking out the end of the gold rush, he finally arrived in San Francisco.
The Alsacian community welcomed Tony, and eventually friends introduced him to their sister Elise. Not long in the United States Elise had worked briefly as the French governess to the children of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. She found the position difficult and soon left to join her brothers in San Francisco. Tony and Elise were married, went to Virginia City, where the first of their five children was born, and opened a bakery. Back in the Bay Area, Tony worked in a pawnshop and again as a waiter.
Tony’s first entrepreneurial attempt came as he opened an ice business in Redwood City. When a large ice supplier refused to sell to him, he wisely approached a farmers’ co-op in the Santa Clara Valley who made their own ice. To secure their assistance he borrowed money to install better equipment and soon had 15 delivery trucks from Menlo Park to Burlingame. After a few years, he sold out his entire business to his large competitor with the exception of the route in Woodside, a town whose beauty reminded him of Alsace Lorraine.
The Zaepffels rented a home in Woodside on Tripp Road and bought property in the vicinity of Whiskey Hill. An old barn was torn down and a small store moved to a better location. Tony developed the property and added a gas station and an ice house.
He hired an assistant, and the older children worked after school and on weekends. Tony drove the ice truck and called on homes all over Woodside, including ours. No matter how busy his day, he always made time to sit down for a visit. When Grandmother took out her purse to pay for the ice, Tony made change from a graying sack of coins fastened with a rubber band. Before he left, he gave us children a sliver of ice to suck and then showed us how he could whistle through his fingers.
When Tony called on neighbor George Whittel, Mr. Whittel would sometimes pour out schnapps for the two of them. On one occasion the Whittel’s pet lion took a swipe at Tony, but thanks to his protective leather vest, he was unharmed. The Zaepffels rememberd seeing Mr. Whittel’s Deusenberg parked in front of the Pioneer Saloon, its owner inside the building as the lion waited in the car, tearing out the upholstery.
My mother often bought the wonderful thistle honey Tony obtained in Los Molinos, near Red Bluff. In order to travel so far and back in one day, Tony had to leave very early, and he took son Alexis with him. Alexis remembers being frightened to death on one occasion when Peninsula police pulled them over to examine the contents of the truck. Alexis was quite relieved when his father showed the jars to contain honey and not the Prohibition contraband the police suspected.
Tony took the whole family to Europe in 1929. He did not find it necessary to inform his wife until a day or two before departure. Elise had to scramble to get clothes ready for a family of seven. On the other end, relatives in Alsace Lorraine were equally surprised to find the large family on their doorstep. Around home, Tony would occasionally take his brood for drives in a big old touring car complete with jump seats and crystal flower containers. In the mid thirties, Tony once more surprised the family by moving them from their Woodside cottage to a large home in San Carlos. I remember visiting there as a child and being amazed at the impressive mansion, its beautiful ceilings hand-painted by a European artist. It also had two full kitchens.
Tony was a clever, hard working businessman who enjoyed his life and his customers. He could do all manner of mental arithmetic and at a glance could correctly estimate the board feet in a pile of lumber. His gas station was the first in Woodside, and later he was to install the first computing gas pumps. He recounted proudly selling gas to President Herbert Hoover.
The time came to slow down, however, and in 1943 he sold the business to the Holts and bought a ranch in Lake County. Elise refused to give up the San Carlos home, so they traveled back and forth often.
Through intelligence and endless effort, Antoine Zaepffel came to a new homeland, reared a fine family, and founded a successful business. He also enjoyed his life as Tony the Iceman.
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