The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-19

up-tO-date for the time. Later on we
had gas, and for the fOotlights we had
a long tube or cover with which we
extinguished them on occasion. And,
as I recall it. after the building of the
theatre the results were fully as ar
tistic, if not so startling as they are
today.
But the Salt Lake theatre, when it
was completed was great step in the
production of the drama, coming as it
did after years in first the Bowery and
then the old Social hall, which is still
, standing. The BOwery was an i'm
mense structure, built on the south
east corner of Temple square, and you
can imagine it was rather a crude per-
Torrance of necessity which was put
upon its first stage The Social hall
was vast improvement, but the thea
tire was palatial. Indeed, it is today
one of the best constructed of the
west, and was at that time the only
one west of Chicago.
For Love of Drama.
4 shall always feel that the building
of that structure was due TO the eff
forts of the Mechanics Dramatic as
ISOLATION, which was formed very early
after the coming of the pioneers We
had what we termed a Trades Walk
~ tilO9S heiS - anu pdfdu6Q III our fner
chanics' clothes, making quite a cred
liable showing. I was blacksmith
at the time, but was much interested
in dramatic work from childhood. 1
organized from these mechanics the
Mechanics Dramatic association, and
we gave an entertainment, PLAYING
The Honeymoon in the Twelfth ward
hall. We invited Brigham Young. He
Der c. Kimball and Daniel H. Wells
to be present, and it was Immediately
after that that the plan for building a
real playhouse was put forward
of course all of US in those DAYS
played for love of the drama and not
for money, but later when the theatre
was built many of us went into the
dramatic life seriously and devoted
years of our life to furthering the sue
cess Of 1t. Strange to say, the first
play in which I took part was The
Honeymoon and the last-given two
years ago or such q matter-was The
Chimney Corner But l could go on
playing the old parts today, although,
as 1 say, 7 should need to brush I'D
bit on them.
List of Pioneer Players.
Many of the members of the old
Deseret Dramatic association which
was f1Ourishing at the time The Her
aid was established, although organ
lied many years earlier. recall as
dear friends. Only fifteen of them
could answer TO rollcall today 1 found
the full and, think, the only authen-
tic list among my papers recently, and
here it is:
A. H. Raleigh. president; Ash Cal
kins, secretary; James Cummings
treasurer; Robert Campbell. stage
manager; R. T. Burton, assistant man
ager; Howard Coray, prompter; H. K.
Whitney, prompter; John Kay. H. Z.
Clawson, James Ferguson, James Bar
low, ]. D. T. McAlister, H. P. Rich
ards, Philip Margetts, James Bond.
Jonathan Grumshaw, Edmond ELS
worth, l. NJ. Simmons. Henry Mar
gets, ]. T. Caine, Lyman S. Woods.
o. K. Whitney, George w. Crocheron,
William c. Dunbar Charles H. Bas-
sett, David Candland, D. H. Suther-
land, Thomas Hail. George D. Watt.
W. r. Judd, Francis Fletcher, John
Cook, w. M. Thompson, w. f. Ca
hoon, William Clayton, A NJ. Musser.
William Glover, G. D. Grant, William
H. Kimball. William Robinson, Rod
ney Badger, n. V. Jones. John Whit
ney, D. H. Wells. Z. D. Woolley. w.
c. Staines. f. o. Angel, Joseph H.
Felt, William Ward, L. S. Sprague.
George Hales, Seth Rigby, A. n. Hill.
William Hennifer. J. F. Hutchinson,
John M. Jones, leader orchestra: Will
liam Pitt, James Smithers. Steuhen
Hales, E. P. Duzzett, Edward Martin. |
George Wardle, Dominica Ballo, Will |
liam Westwood, James Weight, Fred
Weight. Walter Baker, William G. |
Dunn, Mrs. Margaret Ciawson, Mrs. |
Marlet Smith. Mrs. E. NJ. Grimshaw. |
Mrs. Martha Jane Coray, Mrs. Eliza |
Dyer, Mrs. z. B. Lockley, Mrs. S. A. |
Cook, Mrs. Mary Ann Wheelock, Miss
Eiecta Woods, Miss Sarah Laurence. |
Miss Martha Babbitt, Miss Ann M |
Broomhead and Miss Jane Broomhead. /
Since the interview was written, |
COray. who is named as the |
prompter in the original association |
above, has Joined the silent majority |
Of the old players. Ir. Coray and his |
wife. Martha Jane Knowlton Coray. /
who died in 1881, were members of the /
association for all the early years OF /
It's life.