History of Salt Lake City, Part 130

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194

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In the fall of 1869, I made a trip to San Francisco, California, for business and pleasure com- bined. I spent a few weeks very pleasantly and profitably, and returned in December. On the morning of January 27th, 1870, I received notice that I was wanted to start for New York on the the 29th in the interest of Z. C. M. I.

Having accomplished my business in New York,'I left on the evening of February 24th for the

HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

West, and stopping over one day in Chicago, I arrived home on March 3d, having had a very pleasant and prosperous trip.

Our fortieth annual conference met on the 6th of April and adjourned until the 6th of May to meet in the new Tabernacle, which was being completed. At this conference I was called and set apart to take a mission to England to preside over the European mission. Accordingly I made preparations and started on the 13th of May, accompanied by my wife Chloe. There were about twenty-five missionaries accompanying us.

We arrived in New York on the 21st and stopped at the St. Nicholas hotel. We engaged pas- sige on the steamer Idaho, which was to start on the 25th ; this gave us little time to spend in New York. Mr. Costes, agent of the Williams & Guion line, presented me with a complimentary ticket for my- self and wife, and according to appointment we left pier 36, North River, at 3 p. m. on the 25th. The first few days we experienced some sea-sickness, but it soon wore off and we had a pleasant and prosperous trip. We arrived in Liverpool on the 6th of June, 1870. We repaired to the Mor- mon office at 42 Islington. Brother Albert Carrington was absent at Bristol, but returned the next day. On our arrival, however, we found Elders John Jaques and A. W. Carlson, who received us very kindly. After looking around and resting a little, I was prepared to enter upon the duties as- signed me, and in a few days Elder Carrington sailed for America, and left the responsibility of the office and mission upon me. But with the faithful labors of Elders Jaques and Carlson I got along very well. The former was assistant editor of the Millenial Star, and the latter was book-keeper and assistant in the emigration, both of which required a large amount of labor and attention. At intervals between the sailing of the vessels, I spent much time in visiting the principal cities in Eng- land, Scotland and Wales. I enjoyed myself very well during the summer season, but when the fall storms commenced, with the heavy fogs, I took a severe cold and it settled on my lungs. I suf- fered constantly with a cough that seemed to rack my whole system. I could get no relief, but it seemed to increase with every little exposure I was subjected to. After enduring it until about the middle of February, 1871, I resolved to try the Continent and the mild climate of Italy, and get relief if possible. Accordingly I left Liverpool February 21, 1871, accompanied by my wife. We stopped over night in London, and were joined for the trip by Elder Lorin l'arr. On the 22d we crossed from Dover to Ostend, and from thence to Brussels in Belgium. We stopped at the Hotel de Europe. This being about the close of the Franco-Prussian war, we deemed it more prudent to postpone our visit to Paris until our return, when we anticipated that matters would be settled, peace restored, and that we could enjoy our visit better then than at this time, hence we concluded to go by the way of Brussels, Cologne and up the Valley of the Rhine.

Ilaving escaped the fogs and smoke of old England, we concluded to remain a few days and look around, as we found Brussels to be a very interesting place, and General A. L. Chetland and his kind lady took great pains in showing us around and visiting with us the places of interest. On the 25th we proceeded to Cologne and were much interested with the immense Cathedral, said to be the largest in the world and has been two hundred years in the course of erection and not com- pleted yet.

From thence we traveled by rail up the valley of the Rhine, as the river at this season of the year was not open to navigation. The scenery was beautiful and the old towers and castles and fortifications were very interesting, as we could catch a hasty glimpse of them as the train was hastily moving along. I have no doubt that views and scenery were much pleasanter as viewed from a steamer. We arrived at Basle and stopped for the night.

From thence to Berne, on the 27th. We were met at the depot by Brothers G. H. Snell and Edward Schoenfeld, at 2 P. M.

We remained one night in Berne, and left an appointment to meet with them in their confer- ence on April 20. G. H. Snell joined our company for a trip into Italy, and at 1:45 P. M., February 28th, we took the cars for Lucerne and stopped at hotel Du Lac. On the morning of the first of March we were aroused by the porter at 4 o'clock, to take the steamer up the Lake Lucerne to Fluellen, where we were to commence to ascend the Alps via the St. Gothard Pass. We had a very pleasant ride up the lake, but our ascent and descent over the Alps might be considered ro- mantic, but not so pleasant to me as some other rides I have taken. However, by making several changes from diligences to sleighs, and from sleighs to one horse pungs and back again to diligences we dined at Andernort, a small hamlet in a little valley ; here we commenced a more rapid ascent with one horse sleds and an Italian driver ; at 3:30 we passed the summit of the Gothard Pass the snow-capped mountains still towering high on either side, and a fierce, cutting wind blowing through the gap. Here we changed horses and drivers, the latter being equally as anxious for gra-

HORACE S. ELDREDGE.

tuities as those we left, but we found we had only commenced to realize the annoyance of Italian beggars. Our descent was rapid and sometimes perilous, as a misstep of a horse under full head- way would have sent us down thousands of feet. There were fourteen sleds in the company, and the sled that carried our baggage was drawn by a refractory horse and upset several times, at one time rolling over horse, sled and all four or five times, but fortunately the road curved around and when the horse stopped rolling he was within a short distance of the track below him, hence we were only detained a short time. At 5:30 we arrived at Irolo, a small, filthy, Italian village, and dismissed our sleds and took diligence and arrived at Bellizona at II P. M. tired and hungry, and with but a poor prospect of satisfying our hunger except with Italian hard bread and wine, but hav- ing been traveling nearly twenty hours, rest and sleep were equally as desirable as the rough fare set before us, and we soon retired. On March 2d, we proceeded to Milan, a beautiful city in northern Italy. We visited the great cathedral and ascended to the top, which gave us a fine view of the city and surrounding country. This cathedral has over six thousand beautifully carved mar- ble statnaries, besides a large amount of other beautifully carved marble ornaments, but time and space here will not allow me to follow the particulars of my diary, so we will pass on to Berona and from thence to Venice, where we spent several days very pleasantly. The Piazza, St. Mark's Ca- thedral, the Tower, the Palace of Days, the Prison, the Bridge of Sighs, etc., would all offer inter- esting items to write upon, as well as the romantic rides in the gondolas on the grand canal and by, but we must hasten on, leaving the description of the gallery of fine arts and many other items of interest for others to contemplate. We will pass on through a beautiful level country to Bologna, from thence through a more romantic and mountainous country to Florence, visiting the galleries of fine art, the King's palace, the park, Zoological Gardens, etc. We then pass on to Rome through a mountainous and romantic country, many old towers, castles and ruins of former days, and arrive in Rome on the 9th of March at 8:10 P. M. and take rooms at Hotel De LMineve. We spent eight days and nights in Rome, and went from thence to Naples, and also to the ruins of Pompeii ; there had been a very severe storm which prevented us from ascending Mt. Vesuvius. After spending a day amid the ruins of Pompeii, we returned to Naples. While going through the museum at Na- ples, we met General Tom Thumb and wife and Minnie Warren, they having passed through Salt Lake City a few months previous to our leaving, traveling west on a tour around the world.

We concluded to ascend Mt. Canaldoli, where we had a beautiful view of the Bay of Naples and the surrounding country from an old monastery. An old monk was very courteous to us.

The only way to reach it was by narrow paths and defiles only wide enough for a footman and a donkey. Our little donkey took us safe to the summit and back, a distance of six miles.

Among inany other things that I noticed in Naples, was the peculiarity of the milk dealers. A man with ten or fifteen goats and a dog to assist him to drive, would pass from house to house and the inan would clap his fingers to his mouth and give a shrill whistle; the dog would round the goats to, the servant girl would come to the door and hand the man a cup or measure, and he would step up to a goat and milk it full, receive his change and pass on to the next, and so on. It occurred to me that if a similar custom was adopted in our country with milk venders, people would know better what they were getting and could water it to suit themselves. At I P. M. March 21st, we left Naples and arrived in Rome that evening and remained until the next day, from thence to Leghorn and from Leghorn to Pisa, where we made another halt. Pisa is said to be one of the oldest cities in Italy, has about 50,000 inhabitants, has beautiful surroundings and many places of interest. We visited the cathedral, the baptismo, the Leaning Tower and Carpo Sauto or burial ground. There were fifty-three shiploads of earth brought from Mt. Calvary, in order that the dead might repose in holy ground. From Pisa we proceeded to Genoa via La Spezia, crossing the mountains by dili- gence. On our arrival in Genoa, we learned more particulars about the breaking out of the Com- munists in France ; and calling on the U. S. Consul, Mr. Spencer, he advised us to return through Germany instead of France, as we had anticipated, as there seemed so be no safety in France. Consequently after spending a few days very pleasantly in Genoa, we turned our course and pro- ceeded to Verona and spent a short time there very pleasantly ; from Verona we went through Austria and Bavaria to Munich in Germany, then from Munich to Zuriet, and Berne in Switzer- land, where we arrived at 5 P. M. March 29th.

On the 3Ist we went to Geneva and spent one day and night and returned to Berne to fill the appointment that I had made to meet with them in conference on April 2d. Accordingly we at- tended conference on Sunday the 2d of April, at 10 A. M., and at 2 and 6 P. M., and on Monday, the 3d, we took our leave of G. H. Snell, E. Schoenfeld and C. W, West, and started for Copenha- gen in Denmark, stopping one day and night at Frankfort-on-the-Main ; from there, to Hamburg, 10

HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

an ! on the moring of the 7th we left Ked by steamer for Corsor, and were met on landing by W. W. L'luff, who accompanied us to Copenhagen

On the 9th, according to appointment, we attended conference, commencing at 10 A. M. and 2 an18 r. M. Monday 10th, attende I meeting at 10:30, and at 2. P. M. attended the Sunday school examination, which was very interesting and gratifying to see the improvement made by the chil. dren under the superintendence and instruction of Elder W. W. Cluff.

On the 11th we visited the Rosenberg Palace, the deposit of the relies of the Kings of Den- mark. The wealth of the wardrobes and various articles and ornaments and armory was astonishing, as well as the paintings and tapestry. We were shown a saddle which belonged to Christian 1V. of the 16th Century, which, with the ornaments, cost £30,000.

April 15th went to Malma in Sweden, and on the 16th attended meeting : on the 17th returned to Copenhagen. The weather was cold and I suffered much with a cough ; having enjoyed a very pleasant time in Copenhagen, we left on the 20th, and stopped a day or two at Hamburg, and a gen- tleman by the name of Bolin, paid us much attention and added much to the pleasure of our visit. On the 23d we left Hamburg for Liverpool, via Cologne, Ostend, Dover, and London; arrived in Liverpool on the 25th, having been absent two months and five days. I remained in Liverpool until the 5th of May, making arrangements for the emigration for the season. Succeeded in making sat- isfactory arrangements with Mr. Ramsden, to take our continental passengers from Copenhagen and other ports to New York via Hull and Liverpool.

May 5th went to Port Maddock in North Wales, to inspect the narrow gauge railroad and roll- ing stock of the same. May 6th took a ride from Port Maddock up into the mountains about 13 miles on the narrow gauge road, it being 231/2 inches wide. Was pleased with the working of the road; it was said to be one of the best paying roads in the British Isles. On my return to Liverpool called at Carmarthen and took a walk around the Castle of Carmarthen where the first Prince of Wales was born.

May 13th left Liverpool for Glasgow to attend Conference. Held three meetings on the 14th, a number of American Elders being present.

May 15th went to Loch Lomond for a pleasure trip, called at the Castle of Dunfermline and ascended to the top, had a pleasant ride on the lake and returned to Glasgow.

May 16th left Glasgow for Edinburgh, visited many places of interest, among which was the Old Castle, Holyrood Palace, Scott's Monument, etc., and returned to Liverpool.

May 25th I went to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to attend a conference, was met at the station by sev- eral American Elders and they accompanied me to Shields, where the conference was to be held.

Sunday, 21st, held three meetings; 22d, called a counsel to settle some business or difficulties that seemed to exist, which was amicably arranged and I returned to Liverpool. Elder Albert Car- rington and several other Elders having arrived during my absence, we proceeded to assign them to their fields of labor.

May 27th, I went to Bradford to attend a conference. Sunday 28th, attended three meetings. Monday 29th, returned to Liverpool. June 3d, went to London to attend conference, and on the 4th held three meetings. June 5th, visited Hampton Court. Tuesday 7th, returned to Liverpool.

.As Elder Carrington had been sent to release me, I commenced preparing to return to my mountain home. On Sunday, June 11th, I attended meeting in Liverpool lor the last time, Elder George Reynolds occupying part of the time and myself the balance. On Wednesday 14th, we took passage on the steamship Nevada for New York. Mr. G. Ramsden, the agent of the Williams & Guion line, welcomed my wife and I on board, giving us the first choice of staterooms. We had a very pleasant and prosperous trip, our genial Captain Green taking great pains to make things plus int and agreeable; myself and wife were not seasick after we left Queenstown, but some of the passengers were not so fortunate for the sea was quite rough much of the way; had no severe storm, but headwinds. We arrived in New York the 27th, and remained for several days, then proceeded on our way home to Utah, where we arrived on the 6th of July, 1871, having been absent about fourteen months. We were much pleased to again enjoy our mountain home and the society of friends.

In June, 1872. I mide another trip to San Francisco. In January, 1873, I was called upon to go to New York in the interest of %. C. M. I. I left home in company with Hon. W. H. Hooper and Mexander Majors, Esq., the former gentleman returning to Washington as Delegate, and the latter on business of his own.

1 returned in the early part of March, having been detained some time on account of the block- ate of snow on the Union Pacific Railroad.

HORACE S. ELDREDGE.

In April, 1872, I was elected President of Z. C. M. I., and resigned the following October, at which time W. H. Hooper was elected superintendent and took charge of the Institution November Ist. During the Summer and Fall of 1873, a general panic seemed to sweep over the land and af- fect more or less the commercial interests of the whole nation. Our Territory was not exempt from the effect of the same, and in November I was called upon to go again to the Eastern Cities in the interest of Z. C. M. I., visiting St. Louis, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, and re- turned December 25th.

My health being very poor, and suffering from a severe cold that seized upon me while travel- ing, I was under the necessity of remaining very quiet at home for some time.

In the early part of February, W. H. Hooper, Supt., requested me to go East and assist in purchasing goods for the Spring trade. Consequently, I left on the Ioth for New York accompanied by O. S. Clawson. We were quite successful in making our purchases, and on the arrival of Joseph F. Smith and Wm. Sadler in New York, I concluded to visit Hon. Geo. Q. Cannon at Washington, and left with them on the 6th of March for the Capitol. After having a very pleasant visit with Mr. Cannon, we returned to New York, and after laboring with O. S. Clawson very attentively for sev- eral days, purchasing and filling orders received from Supt. Hooper, we went to Philadelphia and purchased several bills of shoes and obtained samples, etc., and returned to New York. On April Ioth, I received a telegram from W. H. Hooper intimating for me to return home, and I immedi- ately closed my business and at 8 p. m., left for the West and arrived on the 17th, glad to once more enjoy a rest at my own home.

I now anticipated a little rest from the cares and responsibilities of public business, and had re- solved not to take upon myself any further cares than those of one of the Directors of the Institu- tion and Vice-President of the Deseret National Bank. I remained in this quiet way until October, 1876, when I was solicited to take charge of the Institution and was elected Superintendent; and on the Ist of Nov. entered upon the duties thereof. Although at the time, I had no idea that I should continue over twelve months, I remained in charge of the Institution four years and three months, or until February Ist, 1881, when I retired, my resignation being accepted and Hon. Wm. Jennings succeeded me as Supt. During this time I made some improvements. In the Spring of 1879, the Directors authorized me to build an addition to the store in Salt Lake City, which was completed I believe to the satisfaction of all concerned-the addition being fifty by one hundred and fifty feet. In the Spring of 1880, the Directors authorized me to build a suitable building at Ogden for our busi- ness which was also satisfactorily completed. It is one hundred by one hundred and fifteen feet, three stories high exclusive of the basement, and contains a respectable banking house and office.

I felt that the cares and responsibilities of the position were wearing upon me, and the duty that I owed to myself and family prompting me to tender my resignation, January 20, 1881, I retired with kind feelings towards all, leaving the Institution in a prosperous and healthy condition. I hope it may continue in the same, and be a source of increased prosperity and profit to the Stock- holders and a blessing to all the sons and daughters of Zion.

Since the above was written, Gen. H. S. Eldredge was again appointed superintendent of the Institution, namely on June 2d, 1883, which responsible office he holds to the present time, and in January, 1886, after the demise of Hon. W. Jennings, he was elected vice-president, which honor- able position he continues to fill with satisfaction to the stockholders, the institution's patrons, and public at large. The General is a'so one of, if not the oldest director of Z. C. M. I. now living.

HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

WILLIAM JENNINGS.

In the personal illustration of the commercial history of Utah, we will now biographically sketch the Hon. William Jennings, in whose Eagle Emporium Z. C. M. I. opened its carcer.

Certainly one of the most marked of the commercial men of Utah was William Jennings. He was the son of Isiac Jennings and June Thornton, and was born at Yardley, near Birmingham, Wor- cestershire, England, September 13th, 1823. His father was a wealthy butcher of Yardley, and he is also of good family stock. Some years ago, the elder Jennings was one of the claimants in the famous Jennings chancery suit for the immense sum of several million pounds sterling ; he proved himself a lawful claimant to the estate-hence connected with numerous aristocratic families who were also claimants; but the great Jennings property was never allowed to pass out of chancery ; so William Jennings comes not from an impecunious family but one in which money inheres. As the son of the thrifty opulent butcher of Yardley, it can be also readily comprehended that the Utah merchant prince was familiar with the uses and advantages of money in his carly youth. At the same time, he was strictly trained to the necessary economy and industry of successful business ; and this early training stood him in good service in his after life when he became possessed with the resources of a millionaire.

At the age of seven, a disaster befell young Jennings, which was the cause of scholastic defici- ency, and he believes it indirectly led to his leaving home in his early manhood for America. At the age named, he broke his thigh bone and for fifteen months thereafter he was on crutches. He was also naturally of a fine temperament and a delicate constitution, so that it was difficult for his parents to rear him. He was treated as a tender branch of the family tree, and allowed to have his own way, and it was his pleasure to leave school when he was eleven years of age, up to which time his accident and delicate health unfitted him for scholastic studies. The rest of his father's children -five brothers and five sisters-went to boarding-school and received a solid English education. "This scholastic deficiency Mr. Jennings has keenly felt, and he has sought to compensate for it in his patronage to artists and art, in his cultivation of the beautiful around his grounds and home, and in giving substantial education to his sons and accomplishments to his daughters.

But his disinclination of youth for the hard dry studies of the school-room found an earlier com- pensation in his love for business. In the healthy exercises of a country life, and in the purchase of stock for his father in the cattle markets and of the farmers around, he both improved his constitu- tion and acquired the sagacious habits of trade for which Nature had so abundantly fitted him. The following characteristic story of William Jennings' boyhood will illustrate this natural capacity as well as his father's confidence in his excellent business judgment.

On this occasion, when he was fourteen years old, his father sent him to Coalsell market to buy cattle. Having carefully looked around, the boy selected a prime lot of about half a dozen head, and in the true off-hand style of trade, asked the owner what he would take for his cattle. The farmer, amused with the boy, in a spitit of banter set a very low market price upon them. " I will take them," said the boy; and the farmer, to keep up the joke, he confessed when too late, con- cluded the sale, whereupon young Jennings slipped out his scissors, quickly cut the Jennings' mark on each of the beasts and paid down the purchase money. By this time, the joking farmer discov- ered that he had also sold himself ; and with considerable bluster he sought to retreat from his bar- gin, but young Jennings appealed to the circle of farmers around who had witnessed the sale and they maintained him in the fairness of the purchase. Reluctantly the farmer gave up the discussion and the youth drove the cattle into " Jennings' herd." Every one who knows our successful Utah merchant, will at once recognize the man in that plucky, sagacious boy trader of Yardley.

In the year 1847. William Jennings emigrated to America. As he was not a Mormon at the time, we may reasonably seek the inspiring cause. The accident of his youth as already noticed, had indirectly led to this event, which gave thereafter the whole shaping of his life. Having been permitted by his parents and elder brother to have so much of his own way in his youth, his self- relance and great natural ambition inclined him, in carly manhood, to seek a broader field than bis native place afforded for his energies and enterprises. In fact, at the age of twenty-four, he

WILLIAM JENNINGS.

felt capable of making his mark in the world in his own line-which was that of commerce-and his subsequent career has shown that he did possess the genuine impulse which inspires all self- made men at about that age. It will be remembered by those familiar with the emigrational history between England and America, that from about 1837 to 1850, throughout all the towns and cities of Great Britain, there was an agitation and a talk among such youths as William Jennings-bold self-reliant spirits-relative to the subject of emigration to America. The migratory impulse was, and still is, the very impulse of the age. It has peopled the New World and has given to it fresh vitality in our own times. This impulse of the age possessed William Jennings in his young man- hood without his having any connection with the Mormon people or there being any ordinary necessity for him to leave home to seek his fortunes. His desire was to come to America. His parents and brothers gave to his purpose no cordial approbation ; but with the true spirit which we all recognize as belonging to your self-made men, he set out for the New World without his "family portion " and landed in New York early in October of 1847.

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History of Salt Lake City, Part 130

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194