Back to record of: Joseph-Marie Racette

Joseph-Marie Rassette (1805-1864) was a Québec patriot in the 1837 rebellion against the British. After the rebellion was crushed he fled to NY and later lived in Galena, Illinois where he owned the American House Hotel until 1849. He built and was the proprietor of the Rassette House Hotel on the southwest corner of Bush and Sansome Streets in San Francisco, CA from 1850-1857. He was a part owner of the Chollar Mine on the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, NV 1860-1864. He died when he fell down the mine shaft on the night of Feb. 29, 1864.

Here is how newspapers have described the accident that occurred on the evening of February 29, 1864, around 9 PM. A terrible accident occurred at the Chollar mine which resulted in the instant death of Mr. Joseph Rassette, one of the trustees of the company, and well known in California as the proprietor of the Rassette House in San Francisco. He descended alone into the mine shaft on the platform that is used for hoisting ore. After reaching the second station located at 75 meters from the surface, he signaled to the foreman that operated the platform he wanted to descend to the next station, 20 meters below. The foreman unwounded enough cable so that the platform would have reached its destination. It is supposed that Joseph neglected to release the brake that holds the cage fast and prevents it from descending before giving the signal to the foreman. When he released the brake, the cage made a sharp drop of 20 meters, about 6-stories high into darkness. A worker descended immediately into the shaft to see what happened. He discovered the lifeless body of Joseph horribly mutilated. Mr. Rassette was about sixty years of age and has a family in San Francisco.