Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-17
First San Pedro-Utah Freight
Was Organ From Australia

v
"a HE first bona Tide freight con-
signed to Salt Lake city from
the Autipodes via San Pedro
harbor Los Angels, San Ber-
nardino Las Vegas and the route now
covered by the San Pedro. Los Angeles
& Salt Lake road, was landed In
lighter at San Pedro early IN August
1856, from the clipper schooner Jenny
Ford, that sailed from sydney, N, s..
W., ninety days prior 70 arriving on the
Californian coast
This freight consisted Of a pipe or
gan. the first built IN Australia. II was
constructed throughout by the veteran
organ builder Joseph Il Ridges, the
man who built the original Tabernacle
organ, Mr.. Ridges accompanied the
organ from Sydney and paid the sum
Of eighty pounds $500 charges on his
effects before Captain s. r, sergent
Of the sailing ship took them on board,
President Brigham Young heard OF this
organ with the result that It was
brought to salt Lake City, set mp IN the
old adobe tabernacle and for years af-
forwards was played upon by Prof Or
son Pratt and Dr. Karl G.. Maeser,
Later this instrument was dismantled
and some Of the pipes were lncorporat-
ed In the organ which was built FOR the
Assembly Hall
The story Of the overland trip from
San Pedro to salt Lake which took
three months, as told by MIR, Ridges, IS
a most interesting one
Mr.. Ridges was found at his home,
AZ west Third North, by O. Christmas
News representative, and consented
to give his Impressions Of San Pedro
and Los Angeles. as these places ap-
peared 20 him IS years ago,
AT SAN PEDRO.
"slnce the day / left southern Cali
fornia l have never been back 10 see
the great changes that have trans
plred. he said, when / was there
there We're no oil fields, no big cities
and no miles Of orange groves. 1t was
to an iutents and purposes a virgin
land, with here and there greasers and
gold prospectors
AT san Pedro there were no wharves
and an freight had to be transferred IN
lighters to and from vessels lying at
anchor There were but two adobe
buildings at San Pedro, and they were
used as warehouses. The exports
seemed to be mainly grapes and wine.
/ have seen those big prairie schooner5
loaded eight feet high aud drawn BY
20 mules come down to the waters
edge, and in number of coses tn over
and send the boxes Of grapes smash
Ing all over the place. It was a Wild
and rough spot,
PRIMITIVE LOS ANGELES.
Los Angeles was hardly better.
There were simply q few adobe shacks
and an apology for hotel there. The
air was balmy and the greasers used to
lie around In the shade and loaf mos, |
Of the time, Once IN awhile one Of
their clumsy carts with wheels made
from solid sections Of tree trunks would |
50 schreechlng and groaning down the
strect-no win take that back, there
were no streets In Los Angeles sim
ply sand and tracks,
1T was tough town and no one
used to take any notice Of a killing, ]
for they were frequent
AN EARTHQUAKE JAR.
q never shall forget the second night
my wife and l were there You know
all the houses consisted Of square adobe
structures with fat roofs that had
sagged somewhat under the weight Of
the rains, When l was there, there
happened to be plenty OF water on the
roof, as / found out to my sorrow.
Well that night there was an earth
quake, and q was a good one. too.
rushed out Of doors just IN time to get
about a ton Of water IN my face, and
get knocked over, The house rocked
so that the water simply came OF the
roofs as though It were being poured
from huge dishes. a few days later
we got another scare, and this time an
the door frames we're Jared askew SO