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Imperfections found in early-day furniture, door and window casings, stairway banisters and so on, denoted that the grooving, shaping and ornamental work was done by hand. It was almost impossible to make an exact duplicate of any article. The first machinery for duplicating woodwork was imported with ox-team by Thomas Latimer, George H. Taylor, Charles Decker, and Zenos Evans. Latimer and Taylor were sash and door makers, while Decker and Evans owned a sawmill which furnished lumber for the establishment. Their financial condition provided little hope for their desire to own machinery to better thair products. After much deliberation it was concluded that they should borrow the money for the project. In the fall of 1867 the necessary five thousand dollars was available and an order for the machinery was sent to the East through the agent, Fred Perris.
Upon arrival of the machinery in Utah, they lacked the power to run it. Finally an engine was located, but the eight mules required to furnish power for the engine lacked experience in this type of work. They tipped the machine over! It was a happy day when they were finally in production.
Theodore Nystrom, son-in-law of George H. Taylor, tells us that the first steam whistle heard in the Valley was not that of the railroad, but rather that of this steam planing mill, which was erected opposite to the southeast corner of the present City and County Building. (Nystrom, Story of the Planing Mill)
About this time, Henry Dinwoody ordered equipment for the enlargement of his furniture business. Among the supplies was a four horsepower steam engine. Taylor and Latimer lost no time in calling on Mr. Dinwoody and came away with a contract for the use of the steam engine. Many people predicted failure for their effort, but undaunted they proved their ability and received orders for their product. On June 23, 1868, a disastrous fire destroyed the mill. Friends came to their assistance financially, but instead of setting up the mill again, they found employment in order to reimburse the donors.
Folsom and Romney, who had continued in partnership since 1864, now invited Taylor and Latimer to join their firm. The planing equipment, which Latimer had repaired, was moved to the Folsom property on South Temple Street between First and Second Westm where a large two-story frame building was erected. The two front rooms, with access to South Temple Street, were used for office work and drafting plans. In the drafting room were to be found slide rules, compasses, huge sheets of drafting paper, pencils and pens of several types, transits for surveying, plumb lines, tape measures, and many other articles necessary to architectural work and the erection of buildings. Two high stools stood before a slanting desk, or drafting board, which extended the full length, of the east side of the room. The planing equipment, sanders, lathes, machinery, and tools of various kinds were house in the rear and upper floor of the building. Drawknives, hammers, saws, axes, vises, paints, varnishes, glue, nails, screws, etc., were stored in drawers or hung on hooks above the work benches.
Sepcial finishing lumber was stacked in the long, open-faced shed on the east side of the lumber plot, and a large assortment of plank, in various sizes, stood in orderly piles in the lot. A U-shaped roadway accommodated the wagons as they loaded the timber.