The Brigham Young Center

Salt Lake City.
April 5. 1871.

Prest. Erastus Snow
St. George City.

Dear Bro:

Your letter of the 29th ult. has been received. We are grieved to hear of your continued sickness as we hoped to have the pleasure of meeting you here at Conference. Still we are pleased to learn you are improving & we trust that your health will be permanently restored, so as to travel with us during the summer.

We are also well pleased to hear of your progress in the Tabernacle. Strenuous efforts may be required to do so, but you ought to complete it this summer so as to give your undivided attention to the Temple. For this purpose you refuse tithing at least, in part. It is with grateful hearts to the Almighty that we have the privilege of addressing you a few words in relation to the building of a temple at St George which we propose to commence soon after October conference. We wish the Saints in the South to unite their efforts with one heart & one mind for the prosecution of this work. Preparations should be made this summer to gather together teams, corn, oats, corn fodder, hay & in short all the available teams & feed that can be collected & used to advantage on this work. In order to preserve hay & corn fodder & to facilitate the shipment from the surrounding settlements we recommend that in St. George, Pine Valley Kanarra, Pinto, Cedar City, Parowan, Red Creek, Minersville, Beaver &c. each get up a hay press for the baleing of hay & fodder. We think it probable that you are sufficiently well provided now with quarrymen, & Stone masons, Loggers & Lumbermen, and the work of quarrying rock & getting out timber may commence when they are organized. Should you lack the requisite men, or tools, such as scrapers &c to commence the excavation let us know, & we will bring them with us. Prest. Geo. A. Smith & myself expect to be with you from the 20th to the 23rd Oct. to commence the work.

The building -- outside measurement, is 142 ft long by 96 ft. wide, including the buttresses & 80 ft high to the top of the parapet. It will be built of stone, plastered outside & inside. There will be a tower in the centre of one end, & on the extreme corners of the same end right & left of the tower are cylinder staircases. One side of the stairs rests in the cylinder, the other side, in a newel in the centre of the cylinder. The roof will be flat & covered with roofing similar to that on the New Tabernacle in this city. The building will consist of twomStories & a basement. The two main rooms or halls, one over the other, will be 100 ft. by 80. The ceilings of these will be arched, resting upon columns, & so constructed as to admit of 16 rooms for council & other purposes on either stories. The height of the main ceilings in the centre is 27 feet. the height of the other ceilings about 9 ft. The basement will contain the font and will be used for ceremonial purposes.

The weather of late has been fair, though the wind to-day is rather boisterous (and) threatens a storm. The people are flocking into conference & we are looking forward to a time of instruction & enjoyment. Several brethren will be called on missions to Europe. appoint (hers) some one to succeed Prest. Horace S. Eldredge whose health is very poor. Bishop Canute Petersen will succeed Bro Cluff in the Presidency of the Scandinavian Mission, he will be accompanied by several foreign elders.

We have commenced surveying the Utah Southern Railroad & propose to lay a narrow guage railroad, that is, a track 3 ft. wide.
John Sharp starts east in a few days to negotiate iron & rolling stock. How far south we will go now is not yet determined, but we will do what we can to build the road as far as it will pay.

May peace be with you & yours & all the Saints & may you be abundantly blessed in your labors for the welfare of Israel. Remember me to my folks.

Your Brother in the Gospel
Brigham Young