To President F. D. Richards.—Burning of the woolen factory.—In thirty minutes all consumed.—Forebodings that the people would be discouraged.—Fears unfounded.—What was done within six months.—The people superior to the loss.—A raid follows the fire.—An unlawful tax follows the raid.—Statement of losses.—Business curtailed.—Checks canceled.—Eleven industrial departments in operation.—The mercantile flourishing.—Confidence preserved.
The following recital of loss by fire, followed by the most unwarranted hostility against the hitherto successful enterprise of the conjoint organization, illustrates beyond what continued prosperity could do, the strength of union, and the genuine confidence cherished by those constituting the United Order:
Brigham City, November 1ST, 1879.
President F. D. Richards:
The deep interest you have taken in our efforts to unite the people of Brigham City, in their financial interests, induces me now to give you a statement of some of our misfortunes and difficulties against which we have been struggling.
Two years ago to-day, about two o'clock in the morning, we were aroused from our slumbers by the ringing of bells and startling cries of Fire! Fire! Fire! Our woolen factory was all in flames, and in less than thirty minutes the whole establishment, with its entire contents of machinery, wool, warps and cloth lay in ashes.
This involved a cash loss of over $30,000 (thirty thousand). While viewing the building, as it was rapidly consuming, my mind became exercised with painful thoughts and reflections, whether the people would survive the severe pressure which would bear upon them through this unforeseen calamity, or lose heart and courage in supporting our principles of union. These misgivings, however, were unfounded, for the people resolved at once to try again, and went to work with a hearty good will, and, by extraordinary exertion, in less than six months had erected another factory, and had it in operation, superior to the one destroyed.
But this involved us in a large indebtedness. In view of liquidating this liability, we engaged a large contract to supply timber and lumber to the Utah Northern Railroad, incurring a heavy expense in procuring a saw mill in Marsh Valley, Idaho, and moving there also our steam saw mill. We were employing one hundred men—everything moving along prosperously, when, suddenly, through influence of apostates, aided by a mobocratic judge, a raid was made upon our camps, fifty of our workmen were arrested and imprisoned, and our operations stopped. And, although the embargo on our business was withdrawn, and the men liberated by order of the President of the United States, through the influence of Jay Gould, it came too late; thus we were compelled to abandon this enterprise, sell our saw mill for one-half its value, and move back our steam mill, etc., the whole involving an expense and loss of over $6,000 (six thousand), besides the vexation in our disappointments in raising the money to pay our indebtedness.
The following July, a tax of $10,200 (ten thousand two hundred) was levied on our scrip by O. J. Hollister, United States assessor and collector of internal revenue. Though illegal, unjust and highly absurd, the payment could not be avoided; therefore we borrowed the money and paid the assessment.
Through these and other unfortunate occurrences, we became greatly embarrassed in our business. This embarrassment, as may be seen, is not the result of the natural pressure of the times, nor of the financial crisis which has broken up thousands of banking institutions and business firms throughout the world, neither that of mismanagement, nor any defect in our systems of operations; but, as before mentioned, it has been brought about through a succession of calamities unparalleled in the experience of any business firm in this or any other Territory.