Transcript

. . . My father was a mason by trade and a contractor in his native country. I learned the trade with my father. Emigrated to Utah in the year 1852. I identified myself with the Latter-day Saints in the year 1849. In the year 1851, President John Taylor paid a visit to my home in North Wales. He had organized a company of capitalists to purchase machinery for the manufacture of sugar from beets, which he intended to establish in Salt Lake City. He engaged me to go to Utah in the interest if this sugar company. I left Liverpool in charge of the machinery in March, 1852, via New Orleans and up the rivers to Fort Leavenworth, which was the starting point to cross the Plains: arrived in Salt Lake City in November, 1852.

. . . After seven weeks' of sailing we landed at New Orleans. Took the river boat back to Fort Leavenworth. From there I was sent to Council Bluffs to get the company wagons with which to be loaded down with machinery.

We made ready for our long and tedious journey over the Rocky Mountains and started from this point on the Fourth of July. The day we crossed the Rocky Ridge, we camped at Willow Creek near the last crossing of Sweetwater. We made camp about 9 o'clock at night. It was very dark and snowing. As we had hardly any provisions we turned in without supper. In the morning we found a foot of snow and but very little provisions in camp. O[r]ders were given by Captain De La Mare, now living in Tooele, to go and get the cattle in. We found that quite a percentage of the poorest had laid down in the brush to rest for the last time. Of those that were found dead we cut out their tongues and hearts, which we cooked and thus satisfied our own hunger. When we gathered in all the other cattle we could find we had just about enough left to take the family wagons to Green River. At the same time the captain had sent a messenger to Green River post and brought sixteen head of cattle. On the first night from Green River they took a stampede and were either lost or stolen by the Indians.

"When we left camp with the families we left six single men and supplies such as shotguns, rifles and ammunition, to hunt the lost cattle, as well as game for their own support as we had no provisions to leave with them. The second day they found the cattle. They followed us the next day. As they were all strangers to the road and our tracks were covered with snow, they took the wrong road by mistake and when they struck the Green River they found their mistake. They sent a messenger down the river to our camp for provisions as they were near the point of starving. As we had secured provisions at the trading post we were able to supply them.

"In two days more our broken camp was again united for our journey. While here President A. O. Smoot came to our rescue with teams and provisions sent out by President Young. While Mr. Smoot stood at our camp fire sympathizing with our wretched condition he noticed three large white letters painted on the boilers, D. M. C. He asked us the meaning of the letters but received no answer. He said: 'If you don't know I think I can tell you. D. M. C. in this case means Dam Miserable Company,' and we agreed that he was correct.

"We arrived in Salt Lake City About November, 10.