Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-03-25
BEhOVING The OLD PORCH.
Il bHaEenS Interesting RscOllsClIons
Of Early Days in U,ah.
MERCHANTS OF FORTY YEARS AGO.
Aemori OF Days Before the Advent
Of Telegraph. aud Railroads iito
Western America.

said George Romney, Of Taylor, Rom.
ney ~ Armstrong CO., aI no glanced
upai the workmen engaged In remov.
Ing the porch In front OF the NEWS
building, which presents quite
changed appearance today.
THAT was In 1882 continued Mr.
i'omncy, In response to an inquiry,
when | first came to Utah. 1. IL u
long time ago, aud there have been n
good many changes sine, then. All
Of the workmen except two or three
engaged on that building are dead
now. | remember / was one Of the
youngest there The circumstance OF
working ut the cornlce was deeply i'm.
pressed on my mind by an Incident at
the time. My father was foreman Of
tho carpenters, aud 1 dreamed that he
fell from the duaiiolding anu was
Killed. This dream startled mo 30 that
shall never forget It. OF course my
father did not meet with any accident;
but a little thing like that will some
times make a deep impresJlon.
"When the building was completed
II was occupied by Church store,
with Edwin ID. woollcy in charge.
was engaged by him 70 haul some Of
the crockefy for the store across the
plains, anu got half OF II for my pay.
That Is where got my dishes for
housekeeping whom | came here.
"rhe porch was not there I'LL about
twelve yeAB later, when put 1t up,
being then foreman Of the carpenters
ON the public works. Wo covered
over the old steIs that were In front.
From 1850 until 'j2 there were a num-
Der Of changes In the occupants OF the
building. One OF the storekeopers was
John Needham, VINO crossed the sea
from Liverpool at the same time did,
IN lsil. His name was painted on the
steps, with others, and may probably
be seen there yet"
a search behind the debris for the
suggested names brought TO view
more that was reminiscent OF early
| days Ia Titan anu OF men many OF
whom have passed into the great be.
You'd. Beneath the wooden steps OF
the porch, which have stood NO many
years. wear and tear, was n broad
flight OF red sandstone steps which
lead to the main door OF the building.
Painted ON the stone balustradcs on
each side Of these steps may now be
seen the names:
joins NJ. HoRNER,
THOs. ). WILLIAMS,
WA. II. HOOPER,
JNO. NEEDIiAM,
JSo. Il. Robbins.
or these Ave gentlemen, three are
dead. Mr.. Needham II now resident
OF Logan, and Mr.. Horner lives ON the
Sandwich islands. The occasion OF
their names being placed In the sltua.
ton described was their Joint occu.
pancy Of the building IN firm OF gem
eral merchandise dealers. They started
business on the premises In 1864.
At that time the NEWS building
held Its place as one Of the lar. est In
the city. In views OF the town taken
In 1853 1t appears, next to the Taber.
nacle, us the most prominent. When
first erected 1t was occupied IA a store,
the first consignment OF goods that
were sold Ia IL having been purchased
by the late Edward Hunter and Edwin
ID. Woolley, who went back to the
states for that purpose In the autumn OF
1919.
Previous TO 1859 the NEWS occupied
small building east OF Its present
quarters, but In that year II took pos
session Of part Of the present premises,
anu remained there for considerable
period. 1t was In 1862 that the build.
ing was plastered, anu the manner OF
work shows the comparative value of
labor aud some classes OF materials In
Utah at that early Gay. The means of
holding the plaster to the walls was
attained by boring holes into the
adobes with an augur. This was no
light task in three-story building.
but nails were not to BIS thought OF,
They had TO be hauled by OK team
over thousand miles, and enough |
for the purpose would have cost small |
fortune. A man with an augur, at |
from 81 to 81 per day,lwas good deal
cheaper than nails.
One OF the sniesmen who will be 70.
memberod In the store OF Horner,
Williams, Hooper a Co., Ii Samuel w.
Richards OF this city. Before the firm
started In business, the portion OF the
building they subsequently, came Into
possession o. was occupied partly by |
The store which had been originally |
instituted In II, and partly by the post
Once. This latter institution ia those
days had "a more protentious approach
Ia comparison with the surrOundings
than II has had at any time since, for
u broad flight Of neatly cut stone steps
makes quite n presentable appearance.
Before Mr.. Williams embarked In
his enterprise with the firm named, he
was one Of the propfictors OF IA general
merchandise stOre located where the
DeseIet hank building now stands, and
where the store backyard took In the
whole OF city lot stretching twenty
rods east from the corner and ten rods
to the north. The advertisements of
Williams & Blair, ut that place, an.
pears In the early Issues OF the
NEWS.
Speaking OF Mr.. Williams, an old
resident OF this city said today: ~
remember him quite we'll, and
how he got broke and after.
wards made n raise and started In with
Mr.. Hooper and others In the NEWS
corner. Back In '5l and '52 he did a
good business. At that time there
was a heavy trade east In the pelts OF
wolves and other wild animals, and
these were plentiful here. They were
hauled TO the frontier by teams, anu
shipped from there to New York.
Mr. Wllllams paid for them out Of his