The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-10-03
ANCIENT DESK
IN SALT LAKE
Duplicate of Washington Heir
loom Owned by Mrs. Morrow.
MADE THREE CENTURIES AGO
ONLY OTHER LIKE 1T rs NOW
AT WORLDS FAIR.

To Salt Lake woman belongs the
distinction Of owning an ancient ma
hogany desk exactly Ike the one owned
by George Washington. and which IS
now on exhibition at the St Louis ca
position.
Morrow. wife Of the contractor Of that
name, and it has been in the posses
sion OF her family since 1888. Until I.
few months ago. when it disappeared,
the bill of sale for the desk written oll
parchment and showing that its price
was $3.50 when completed several cen
turtles ago, was priced possession of
Mrs. Morrow. The desk has not de-
Perforated in value, for the owner h,is
been informed by competent authori-
ties that if she felt disposed to sell It
she could get almost any price for 1t.
So far as is known, the desk owned
by Mrs. Morrow and the one owned
by George Washington and NOW in the
Mt. Vernon collection are the only TWO
OF their type in existence. They were
made by a famous English cabinet
maker. One was sold in England to a
Mr. Evans who was an ancestor Of
Mrs. Morrow: the other was bought by
an agent OF the Washingtons and sent
TO this country. II was in daily use D.
Washington's ancestors before it was
handed down to him.
Secret Drawers in Salt Lake Desk.
The only difference in the desks lies
in the fact that the one owned in Salt
Like has a number of secret compart-
ments SO cunningly hidden as to defy
detection. The Washington desk has
no secret compartments. Both desks
are made of solid mahogany and the
drawers have apparently been carved
out Of solid blocks of wood. No nails
nor screws have been used anywhere
IN the construction. wooden pegs and
dovetailing being used TO bind the diff
ferent sections together. The one
owned by Mrs. Morrow is i'm an excel
lent state Of preservation and looks
almost as new as the day 300 years ago
when it passed from its makers shop.
The handles of polished brass are the
only articles which have been renewed
and they have been changed two or
three times. Each time new ones were
made care was taken TO have them
fashioned in the antique pattern and
exactly like the first ones.
Has Fine China Also.
In addition to the desk Mrs. Morrow
has a choice collection of rare old
china, which has descended from gen
Grafton to generation in her own fam.
lily. Several of the pieces have his
tories, as is the case with plate OF
the famous willow pattern. This plate
with ten others was brought over from
England in 1S41 by Mrs. Morrow's
great-grandmother. The ship in which
her grandparents were travelling was
wrecked on the Newfoundland banks.
The passengers and crew were taken
off in fishing smacks, but the goods in
the hold were given IN for lost. The
box which contained the plates and
other articles was washed ashore when
the ship broke UP. and thirteen months
afterward the plates were delivered at
Washington to = Senator Nathaniel
Evans of Mississippi, who was Mrs.
MOTrOWs great uncle
Mrs. Morrow has the unusual dis
tinction of having been one Of the few
women who have ever been far within
the Arctic circle Her father was
member OF the royal geographical sur
vey and she accompanied him on one
of his voyages to the northland, spend
ing the winter among the icebergs and
the EsquimauX