Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-20
An Interesting Interview
With G. MulhOlland.
He Describes the Rich Unde-
velOped Region.
The Need of Railroad Between Los
Angeles and Salt Lake.
The Beauties Of Salt Lake-Great Minin z
Observation-Disclosures of the Min
eral DepOsits-A Valuable
Paper.

The increasing interest at Los Angeles
in Utah, in consequence of the certainty
of railroad connection with that terri
tory at no distant day, has led the
HERALD to give the synopsis of an inter
view with M. G.. Mulholland, editor of
the Independent of Inyo, who recently
spent three months in that part of Utah
that will be more directly connected
with this city.
Salt Lake City has population OF
about $4,000. A stranger is at once
strongly impressed with the evidences
of great prosperity. Buildings of great
size and fine style of architecture are
now being built on the central streets.
Granite, red sandstone and other fine
building material is abundant close to
the city, and the use of these stones
gives an i'm preston of richness and
solidity not attainable with brick or
wood.
"The streets are 1873 feet wide; side
walks l6 feet wide. Electric cars run in
all directions. The poles supporting
the electric wires are in the middle of
the streets, and the tracks are laid on
each side. This avoids the danger and
Disagreement produced in our California
cities by the network of wires close to
the buildings on all our principal
streets.
But, the great width of the streets is
not an unmixed good. The cost of paw
ing such wide thoroughfares would be
very great, and the result ia that in the
whole city the only paved roadway is q
short alley, about the length of one
block in Los Angeles. With this ex-
ception every roadway in Salt Lake is
of earth and gravel, and in rainy wealth
er the streets are very muddy and un-
slightly. Any one used to the fine,
smooth, clean and solid streets of Los
Angeles will be much disgusted with
the muddy streets of Salt Lake in rainy
weather. In dry, windy weather the
mud is converted into dust, but the
conversion, instead OF being an improve.
ment, is an elevation into a worse emil
nence of greater evil. Salt Lake has an
abundant supply of excellent water,
taken from a stream flowing down from
the Wasatch mountains.
The great Mormon temple is a con-
spicuous object, seen from all parts of
the city. 1t lie Of very light. colored
granite, looking white at short dis.
tance. The style of architecture is
grand, but somewhat gloomy. The
building was begun more than
thirty years ago, and though
not yet finished, about 81 900, 900
has already been spent upon it.
The temple is not intended for place
of public worship, but to be used only
for the secret services of Mormonism.
sue as marriages, baptism for the dead,
en- .owments and other sacred or secret
rites, never to be witnessed by unbe-
lieving eyes. None but pious Mormons,
properly accredited by come bishop of
the church, will ever be permitted to
enter the sacred building. No foot of
unbelieving Gentle will ever be suffered
to press upon and profane the floor OF
that holy of holies. What the inner
court of the temple was to the Jew,
such is the temple to the pious Mormon.
Within the same outer walls that en-
close the temple is the. celebrated tab
ernacle. As work of architecture, it
would be difficult to imagine anything
uglier than this building. AS place OF
public worship, and for the accommo-
dation OF large audience, it has not its
equal in the world. Walls about twenty
five feet high enclose space $50 feet
long and about 150 feet wide. The
Whole is in the form of an ellipse.
So many openings for entering
and leaving the building pierce
the walls that they look like separate
pillars OF stone-a rooted stone house.
Imagine figure having the outline of a
watermelon split lengthwise through the
middle, the half followed out and laid
upon stone pillars, and that will give an
idea of the roof of the tabernacle. Only
person familiar with the watermelons
of Los Angeles will fully appreciate
this comparison. Nowhere else are
melons grown large enough for such a
purpose.
The interior of the building is one
vast expanse, unbroken by pillars or
supports of any kind reaching the roof.
A gallery runs all the way round the
auditorium. Ten thousand people can
be seated comfortably. A common pin
let fall six inches upon table can be
distinctly heard at a distance of 200
feet, and every word uttered in low
whisper is clearly audible over the same
distance. There is not the least orna-
mentation of carving or painting within
the building. Everything is severely
plain; the seats are all plain wooden
benches; and yet the size of the build
ing is 80 great and the proportions 90
fine that the effect is far grander and
more imposing than any effort at mere
ornament could produce.
The organ was made at Salt Lake. 1t
cost $10O, 900, and is a noble instrument.
When from the organ the pealing an
them swells the notes of praise, uniting
with thousands of voices in the congre-
cation every listener is not only delight
ed but must be deeply impressed.
The scenery about Salt Lake has been
so often and so fully described that it
would be out of place to dwell upon it
here. 1t may be said in brief that the
Wasatch range rising to an elevation of
10000 feet close to the city on the east,
the great inland sea glittering in the
sunshine few miles to the west, the
Oquirrh mountains bounding the valley
in the same direction; the fertile valley
extending north and south over many
miles, all unite to make scene of rare
beauty and grandeur.
The evidence Of great business activity