After a favorable voyage on the Pacific, we arrived safely in San Francisco. San Francisco is proverbial for its fine commodious restaurants. When in that city, I partook of refreshments in one which has the reputation of seating at once one thousand people. A miniature indoor railway was so constructed as to carry, in carriages, dishes of food and empty dishes, forward and back, all around this immense hall. The noise and clatter produced by this operation is not particularly soothing and musical to a delicate and refined ear, and more especially not very much so to a highly sensitive nervous organization.
I had, in a few instances in my life, experienced the sensation produced by slight earthquakes, but not of those of any considerable magnitude. One day in San Francisco, while sitting at the table, enjoying the good things provided in one of these magnificent halls of entertainment, all of a sudden a very singular sensation came over me, for which I could not decipher the cause. At the same moment I imagined a heaving or rocking motion of the floor, as if the foundation was giving way. Immediately the people arose from the tables and rushed to the door. Not comprehending the cause of the sudden excitement and confusion, I arose to follow the excited multitude, still ignorant of what was up, and, of course, anxious to learn. Approaching the gentleman who stood still in his usual place to receive pay from his customers, I thought he appeared to be vexed. Passing him my change, I begged him to explain to me the cause of the abrupt evacuation. "An earthquake!" he ejaculated. And as I was the only customer remaining, I attributed his vexation to the fact that the multitude rushed out minus paying their bills. But the earthquake proved to be of destructive magnitude—sufficiently so to satisfy my curiosity. Much injury was done, not only to the restaurant so suddenly vacated, but to many other buildings.
The president of the Western Telegraph Company procured for Elder Benson and myself, and for our baggage, a free pass through to Salt Lake City; for which unsolicited favor we felt very grateful.
I was very favorably impressed with the wonderful beauty, the lovely scenery and magnificent foliage which I saw, and the sweet, balmy, healthful air I experienced while in Honolulu. But my attention and admiration were more deeply and more interestedly attracted toward the people of that city of the isles, and those of the adjacent islands—I mean those who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their fidelity and faith in the Gospel, their childlike simplicity and warm affection for their teachers, impressed me with a great interest and love for them. In fact, so much that on my return to Salt Lake, in a prolonged conversation with President Young, I plead with him, by the deepest and strongest feelings of my heart, not to slacken his interest, nor withhold from continuing his former generous and benevolent plans in relation to that field of missionary labor. I told him that if I were twenty years younger, and should the Presidency think proper to invest me with the privilege of selecting the field for my missionary work to continue for twenty years, I would prefer to spend those years among the good, simple, warm-hearted natives of those islands.
I was prompted to say this and more, in consequence of fearing, from some remarks of his during the conversation, that he felt inclined through discouragement arising from the difficulties at this time affecting that mission, to doubt the propriety of applying time, means and missionary labor in that direction, as formerly.
Subsequent history proves my brother Lorenzo's fears, relative to the Sandwich Islands, groundless, as will be seen by a letter which will be compiled in this work, written by a son-in-law, who, with his family, is now on a mission to those isles of the sea.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Lorenzo's gigantic movement.—In accordance with President Young's suggestion.—A social monument.—To be perpetuated.—Letter to Bishop Lunt.—Mercantile and Manufacturing Association.—Effort requisite.—First, Merchandise.—Second, Tannery.—Third, Woolen Factory.—Fourth, Dairy.—Fifth, a Horn Stock Herd.—Agricultural Department.—Hat Factory.—Between thirty and forty industrial branches.—Furnish employment for all.—Form of checks.—Labor received for capital stock.—Organization of the Association.—Directors.—Council.
The great work, designed to bring into exercise the gigantic powers, and exhibit Lorenzo in a higher sphere of practical engineering as an organizer, statesman and financier, was yet to come.