| Show I In n t the h e Beg B Beginning e g inn I n n i n n g By J. J Cecil Alter Holding Holding- the Sugar Sack Sack- There is so much more of the story of the first sugar plant we weare weare weare are urged to continue it hoping with the promoters for a happy ending though we know the en enterprise enterprise enterprise en- en ended badly with only a batch of molasses and a tithing of taffy tatty It was not enough that ox teams should have toiled the 1200 miles from Fort L Leavenworth Leavenworth Leaven Leaven- worth to the Salt Lake valley vaHey with the clumsy wagon-crushing wagon tonnage tonnage tonnage ton ton- nage of ot machinery but for some reason they continued continued continued contin contin- on to Provo It was there the toe fatal discovery was made that the theaH theall theall all aH important bone cooking sugar clarifying retorts had not even evenI been made nor ordered of ot the I manufacturer In France It was while the plant was vas still at Pr Provo vo that the promoters got out from under with a loss of say manufacturing costs United States Import duties and name your own owr sum for boat shipping charges and ox team fare Hunting for Experts When in 1851 S S. S M. M Blair of Texas and Beach Beah of St. St Louis opened In Salt Lake City their great molasses factory the Moru Mormon Mor- Mor Mormon m mon leaders hailed the tho Innovation with u enthusiasm but expressed in the spring general epistle that it will not be possible for one factory factory fac fac- tory to supply all the sweet that will be needed and if a practical chemist and manufacturer of sugar from the beet one who understands understands un un- un- un the business In all Its bearings or a company of Individuals Individuals Indi Indi- who are severally versed in the various branches could come to this place and open their sugar factories our farmers and I I families would gladly surrender their domestic operations and pro procure procure procure pro pro- cure their supplies in a more perfect per per- feet form from front the factories and it would now require several extensIve ex ex- establishments to supply the people It is our wish that the presIdency presidency dency in England France and other places should search sarch out such practical operators In the manufacture of sugar as fully Understand understand un un- their business and forward forward forward for for- ward them to this place with all aU such apparatus as may be needed and cannot be procured here Signed Brigham Young Heber C C. Kimball Willard Richards Thus Thu the thc church had aged the formation of the company headed by John Taylor and did the noble thing by running running run run- ning fling this Notice to the Public April 16 1853 1553 The machinery of the Deseret Manufacturing company company com corn pany having passed into the hands of the trustee in trust this is to notify all aU persons interested that Orson Hyde will hereafter take the superintendence and control control control con con- the departments allotted for making sugar from beets and all those holding equitable claims against the company are arc hereby informed that arrangements willbe will willbe willbe be made to cancel them as soon as circumstances will wiH permit Si Signed ned Brigham Young Trustee In Trust for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter Saints I Sugar SUlar Content High I A thousand pounds of the best French sugar beet seed arrived with the machinery and through the bishops and otherwise a campaign cam cam- was started early carly that wInter winter winter win wIn- ter for getting the seed into the ground the next spring John Taylor who never lost faith or hope participated heartily in the campaign I take this opportunity opportunity opportunity of informing the public he advertised October 16 1852 that our machinery Is expected to arrive arrive ar ar- ar- ar rive nyc in eight or ten days from this date that our buildings are arc progressing as speedily as possible ble bie and that we anticipate being able to commence con the manufacturIng manufacturing manufacturing turing of sugar In five lve or six weeks from this time We Ve Ve expect to be bo able to give from six to eight hundredweight of sugar for the amount of beets that would grow on an average acre of ground It was on March tarch 5 5 1853 the news was printed that the sugar works but lately re removed removed re- re moved to Salt Lake City was making good molasses and that experiments had been conducted I to prove provo that It was possible for refining and making sugar from brown to loaf and that the saccharine content of the tho Utah beet was wao superior to that of ot the French beet President Young said in the spring epistle of that year the tho sugar apparatus had arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived too late for use the previous autumn and a portion of it i Is Isnow I Inow now flow attached to the tho waterworks of the public machine machino shop and Is 13 engaged In making molasses He Ho explained it was intended to place the plant permanently on Big Kanyon creek in the autumn P W V V A Built Sugar Plant PlantA A new item published October 20 29 1853 before the plant was moved to what is now Sugarhouse district on Big Cottonwood stream stated that the superintendent superintendent superintendent of public works In charge would be ready in a week to re receive receive receive re- re beets to be made into mo mo- lasses We Ve Ve know that tha some were disappointed last fall In not getting getting getting get get- ting sugar and some In poor mo mo- lasses But brethren dont don't get discouraged we have different workmen this year and If we cannot cannot cannot can can- I not give you ou sugar as you desire no effort shall be wanting to give you good molasses Bring your beets and tr try Now Is the time at the old place machine shop before cold weather President Young had that spring spoken at the con conference rence entreating the tho Saints to plant generously generously gen gen- of sugar beets beet feeling al almost almost almost al- al most certain success was at hand handin in sugar makin making The tithing store or church warehouse handled handled han han- died the beet seed Beed for the farm farm- ers era The sugar factory buildings were constructed under a public works works' program just such as is being conducted today throughout through through- out the nation The sugar factory commenced work February 1 1 1855 Presidents Young Kimball and Grant with Elders Wells VeIls and George A. A Smith as interested spectators In five lve hours bushels of beets were rasped so fine tine as to torun torun torun run through a a. fine sieve said George A. A Smith The length of ot the building is feet 40 0 feet wide and three stories high with two additions for tor machine houses 3 35 by 20 Not a man who as assisted assisted assisted as- as putting up the works ever saw a similar one put up before The barrels of ot molasses with the beet taste extracted are rolling Into the tithing office and being distributed among Zions Zion's work work- men The first cask of molasses of about gallons came come ot off February February February Feb Feb- 7 1855 But that summer ummer the beet crop was almost a total failure In consequence of drouth and insects and the manufacture of molasses from beets In the French plant ended far more quickly than It began |
