Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-06-27

paper makers and many Of his relatives
are now engaged in its manufacture
five or six nephews being thus em-
ployed at the present time In different
parts Of the United states. while Others
are still working at the business i'm the
old world. The rest of Mr.. Howard's
story, dealing with a subject that
eaHj-Gay t-taA, IL M follows.
my ancestors, both mater Al and
paternal. as far back as | have any
knowledge OF them, were all in some
way connected with the manufacture OF
paper. So IL seems only natural as |
was born in the Old country and reared
under old country influences, that |
should follow In their footsteps. How
ever, when | left the home OF my an
cestors and cast my lot with the Pio-
neers Of the far western part of the
new world, not only expected to leave
behind me the graves of my forefath-
ers but also to give up the cult which
had been practlsed by the family for
generations. Events however, will
show that although | was placing 1000
miles between my chosen home in the
wilderness Of western America and the
paternal Preside in Great Britain, yet |
was not entirely able TO cast Off the
mantle OF my fathers,
ARRIVAL IN SALT LAKE.
II embarked on sailing vessel at
Liverpool, March 4, 1851, and after a
voyage Of seven weeks and three days
landed at New orleans There | took
boat for Council Bluffs, which place
was reached In three weeks Then be-
gan the tedious journey across the
Ia
valley of the Great salt Lake, oct !,
1851,
PAPER MAKING IN UTAH.
During the next month, November
the first attempt to build paper mill
was made. This project was made on
Mill Creek six miles south Of Salt Lake
city. Brigham Young hearing that
there was a paper-maker In the conn
try. requested me to confer with sid
ney Roberts in locating mill. Mr.
Roberts had had experience In building
saw mills. and had told Mr. Young that
he could build a. paper mill. The
scheme however advanced no further
than the mill race and pit for the water
wheel as Mr. Roberts had neither the
material nor the mechanical skill for
the purpose. So this first abortiVe at
tempt was abandoned In February, 1852.
1t may be observed that Brigham
Young, as early as 1850 advised the
people 10 save their rags, as they would
he soon needed in the making OF paper
but the people at that time had scarce
Nv rags enough to cover their bodies, so
that this attempt TO collect material
met with little success, as viii be seen
later.
"In the year following 1863, had an
interview with Brigham Young In re-
gard TO using the machinery which had
been brought to salt Lake for the pur-
nose of establishing beet sugar fac
tory. but had not yet been put to use.
no me the most valuable parts OF this
machinery were the hydraulic presses
and the beet grinder. Consent was
finally granted to myself and Thomas
Hollis to use what we could OF this ma
chinery. and also the water power then
used by the shops on Temple block Tor
the manufacture of paper MT Hollis
and | went to work and converted the
beet grinder into rag engine OF so
pounds capacity
PAPER by HAND.
After making other changes IN
and additions TO the machinery,
we commenced to make paper by
hand June %, 1854 ON that
dnv we made, so far as l have been
able to learn the first paper manufac-
featured west Of the Missouri river. II
wns made by hand, and was dried and
bleached In the sun. We made news
paper ON which the Deseret News was
printed wrapping paper for the stores
boards for paper boxes, and what were
most in demand. boards FOR women's
sun bonnets.
HARD TO GET MATERIAL.
There was at that time great din
Guilty I'm obtaining raw material AL
though people had been publicly adj
vlsed four years before 20 save their
rags for paper, ! found on hand when
we were ready to begin opera tons only
about 100 pounds Of material This
consisted mainly OF short clippings
from the ends Of carpet rags, We con-
tinued, however, as best we could for
six months. when the sugar factory