Bishop of Mendon Baptized by John Kafry.

I, Henry Hughes, the son of Robert Hughes and Martha Reed, born in Flintshire, near Mold, North Wales, December 25th, 1825. I lived at Mold until I was fifteen years old. I worked in the coal mine when I was nine years old and did not see daylight, only on Saturday and Sunday, in the winter season.

I feel thankful to the Lord for my mountain home where I can bring up my family without sending them to the coal pits, for I had many a narrow escape for my life. The one, which I refer to here, took place in 1837 on the 9th day of May at the Argoed [1] colliery [2] about one mile distant from Mold. On the 9th day of May in that year, thirty-two souls, men and boys including myself, descended the shaft, which was seventy yards deep to work. There was an old, deserted pit close to the one where we worked which sixty-five years before had suddenly filled with water. Some of the men had been warned not to work too near to the old pit, for fear the water would break through and flood the one where we were working.

At about eight o'clock on the morning of the above date, the men and boys called out, as the water had begun to break through from the old pit and was coming in on us. When, however, we got to the shaft to be hoisted up, a man named John Owens told us to go back, as there was no danger. So we returned and resumed work.

In two hours afterwards, the water rushed in, in such quantity and force that seven of our number were drowned and the rest of us with the exception of two rushed to a position in the highest part of what is called the air course. Twenty-two of us huddled together without any way of escape, with no air to breath and nothing to eat. Death seemed to stare us in the face. In a short time our lights went out for want of air, and to add to the horrors of the situation, we were left in total darkness.

Never shall I forget the fearful picture of human despair, which was presented by a young man named William Haliute [?]. When he realized his awful situation he uttered shrieks of agony. He called over the names of his young wife and his little children, and plunged his hands into his hair and tore it from his head in handfuls.

Some sat silent and gloomy speaking not a word, apparently awaiting the visit of the grim monster death. Others wept, and I noticed two men were large and corpulent men named, respectively, Thomas Jones and William Williams. They went off a few feet aside from the others and prayed. These two last died in a few hours. Afterwards to add to the horror of our position, the mud was six inches deep where we were.

Among our number was a young man named John Jones. He had always manifested great interest and affection for me. This affection remained with him until death, as will be seen by the following incident. In order to keep me out of the mud, he took me in his arms and laid me across his lap. In this position I went to sleep. When I awoke my dear friend was dead.

The breathing of the gas which had gathered in the place where we were imprisoned caused a kind of stupor to come over us, and it was well that it was so else we might have been tempted to drink some of the sulfuric water with which the pit was flooded, which would have proved certain death. As it was, our minds were so deranged that, although suffering with burning thirst, we did not know enough to go and drink it.

We remained in this terrible condition for three days and two nights, during which time twelve of our number died. A portion of the time I lay on four dead bodies. The people outside meanwhile had not been idle. They had been doing all in their power to rescue us by emptying the pit of water as fast as possible.

On the third day relief arrived. The first person who came to us was my brother John Hughes, who was then a young man. The first man he reached was John Candrick, and the first words he said to him were, "Is Henry alive?" Candrick answered, "He was a short time since."

My brother John continued to crawl over bodies of my fellow workmen, shaking them as he went to see whether they were alive, until he got to myself. He shook me and called me by name and I answered by making a mournful, wailing noise. He took me in his arms and, as the water was only about a foot from the roof, he got on his back and paddled himself along holding me above the water 'til we got to the shaft.

Those of us who were alive were taken up a short distance at a time. If we had been taken up too suddenly into fresh air it might have caused instant death. After we were taken up, we were carefully nursed and fed sparingly until our strength returned. I was among the first to recover.

The incident caused great excitement all over that part of the country. There was a great fair being held at Mold on the 12th of May when we were being taken out of the pit, and all the people left the fair so that it was completely deserted, and came to see us. And when we reached the top of the shaft the assembled crowds rent the air with deafening cheers, and many of the people wept for joy.

Two men who were in another part of the pit were found dead eleven days after we were taken out. During all the time I was imprisoned in the pit I had no fear of death and, in fact, an idea of it never entered my mind.

I often feel thankful to God that my life was spared so that I have lived to hear and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. I feel thankful for my mountain home and that I can bring my family up in the gospel of Christ.

We went to Staffordshire, England, when I was fifteen years old and lived there until I was twenty years old, and then to North of England, Wingate at Grange Colliery, where my wife Ann Howells came for the good of her health. We were married on the 4th of November 1850, and in July 2nd, 1851, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was sent to a place called Five Houses [England] and I raised a branch of twenty-three members.

We had a son born to us in Wingate and we called him Henry. He was born June 14th, 1852. I moved to Five Houses and was ordained an Elder and was appointed to preside over the branch.

On March the 28th, 1853, we bid adieu to old England, and arrived in Great Salt Lake City October the 16th, 1853. We passed the winter in the city, [then] moved to South Mill Creek Canyon. There the Lord blessed us with another son, Charles, born June the 15th, 1855. We moved to Cottonwood Canyon in 1855, and worked there for seven years, [margin note: I was appointed teacher in Cottonwood Ward by Bishop Brinton] in which time we had born to us John, born April the 13th, 1857 and Thomas Howells, born September the 15th, 1859. May 1862 we moved to Mendon, Cache Co. and we had a son Edward Robert, born August the 20th, 1862. [Margin note:] Edward was baptized November 17th, 1877. I was appointed teacher in Mendon in 1862 and in 1868 to preside over the quorum, and in 1870 I was appointed Bishop of Mendon by Brother Benson and Brother Maughan and on the 7th of October, 1872, the President Birgham Young, Sr. and Brigham Young Jun., George Q. Cannon and Orson Pratt ordained me High Priest and a Bishop. Brigham Young Sen. was mouth.

I and my wife Ann Howells Hughes went down to Salt Lake City and [were] baptized for the following named persons: [Margin note: July the 10th 1872] My father Robert Hughes and mother Martha Reed Hughes and brother John Hughes. (Father and Mother were sealed.)

We were baptized for grandfather and grandmother Reed on my side and for my wife's father and mother and for my wife's sister Mary and her husband Francis Wainright [margin note: Mary and her husband were sealed] and for a friend Emanuel Jones, and my wife's relations, William Howells and grandfather Howells and grandfather Hughes and grandmother Hughes and Artsedila Hughes. Martha Howells, my wife's sister, was sealed to me, Henry Hughes.

During this year I labored hard for the Kingdom of God, and raised a good crop of wheat.

1873— Me and the brethren quarried and hauled 600 perch [3] of rock for the granary at the depot. In lifting a big rock I hurt my back and was healed by the ordinance of the Church and the blessing of the Lord. In September, President B. Young Sen. sent me a dispatch for me to get ready for a mission to Wales, and at October conference, 1873, I was called with 19 others to go to Europe, and left home on the 19th of October for Ogden. I left Ogden on the 20th for New York and arrived there on the 25th and we stopped here until the 1st of November. We sailed for Liverpool on board of the Oceanic, a fine steamship 437 feet long. We arrived at Liverpool on the 12th of the same month in good health, and my health was good across the sea. The Lord was good to us. The day before we got to Queenstown there was a heavy gale of wind, and we were kept out of it. Some of the fine steamships had to have help to come in to Liverpool, but we [were] blessed of the Lord and in a smooth sea all the time. When we arrived at Liverpool, we went to 42 Islenton, that being the house where the office was kept. We met with Bishop L. J. Herrick. He was left in charge when Brother Caranton left for his home in Utah.

Henry Hughes

Patriarch Hughes Dead, One of the Old Stalwarts— A Resident of Cache Since 1862, Was Well Known— Ex-Bishop Henry Hughes, one of Mendon's best and most favorably known citizens and one of the country's most sterling and aggressive characters since 1862, passed away at his home in Mendon last Friday evening, aged seventy-nine years. Bishop Hughes was known through out this north country and his death will cause sincere regret in the hearts of many. While we have been unable to learn many of the particulars concerning his death, we are led to believe that the Bishop was hardly expecting the end to come so soon, even though his friends might have expected it. During his last few visits to Logan the old gentleman has come to The Republican office for a social chat and he invariably expressed himself as feeling exceptionally well and had the assurance of living a number of years. And yet today he is beyond recall. Friends have kindly furnished the following sketch of his life: Patriarch Henry Hughes, born December 25th, 1825 at Mold, Wales; joined the Church July 2nd 1851, was baptized by John Coproy. He left England to come to Utah on the 28th day of March, 1853, in the ship Falcon, arriving at New Orleans in the latter part of May. He came up the Mississippi River to Keokuk, from there by ox-team in Appleton Harmon's company, arriving in Salt Lake City on the 19th day of October, 1853. Shortly after this he moved to Big Cottonwood, working in the Cottonwood canyons a good deal of the time until the third day of June, 1862, when he moved to Mendon. In the year 1868 he was ordained Bishop of Mendon, holding that important position with honor for upwards of thirty-two years. He filled a mission to Wales in the years 1874 and 1875; served a term in the Penitentiary for keeping the law of God; was mayor of Mendon City for two or three terms, was a member of the convention convened for the purpose of bringing Utah into the Union as a state and held many other honorable positions, all of which he filled with honor and integrity. Mr. Hughes was ordained a Patriarch in May, 1900. He was a kind husband, a loving father and a faithful Latter-day Saint. He leaves three wives, the children, twenty-seven grand children and eight great grand children to mourn his departure. Two grand children preceded him to the home beyond the veil. Deseret News and Millennial Star please copy. Funeral services were held on May 30th, where much comfort and consolation were given to the family and friends by Elders Andrew Andersen, Alfred Gardner, Ex-Bishop John H. Anderson, Bishop William H. Maughan, Elders Joseph Howell, Amos Clark of Newton, Orson Smith, Isaac Sorensen, Counselor George O. Pitkin. Music by the choir was very touching. ~Logan Republican, June 1st, 1904.