In 1895, Andrew extended his range. He expanded his trips across Idaho, to towns like Boise, Weiser, Payette, and Ontario, Bellvue, Hailey, Ketchum, Shoshone, Rexburg and St. Anthony and even to Huntington, Oregon.259 William Jack wanted Andrew to pay half the cost of boarding the team while they traveled together in Idaho by train, but Andrew refused. He understood the agreement was that Andrew would pay only for the time he and Brother Jack were “using” the team. Despite the disagreement they remained good friends.
During the year 1895, both Andrew’s job and his Church assignment flourished through his hard work. He took eight selling trips and was gone from home 153 days, or 42 percent of the year. Twelve new missionaries were called to serve in the Indian Territory Mission.
The new year, 1896, brought excitement: “Saturday Jan. 4th [1896]—at 10:03 we heard the whistle blowing, bells ringing and guns shot off. Men and boys shouting. From the noise we determined that the long expected boon had come to Utah. The Proclamation was signed by the President. I . . . brought home some flags and tin horns, decorated my house and had the boys blow the whistles.” The largest flag in the city floated above the temple, between the east and west towers.260
The Manifesto of 1890 had made possible the admission of Utah to the Union, but it continued to be a matter of dispute within the Church. After speaking at a Church meeting in Lewiston, Utah, Andrew recorded: “There was a repulsive evil spirit manifest very much in opposition to what I was saying. I spoke in a consalitory manner about the Manifesto. For there was much opposition manifest by some of the people. Spoke with a streanuous effort in conciquence of the opposition.”261
Andrew’s travel continued to be strenuous. Where settlements were far apart, the drummers often drove forty-five or fifty miles a day over bad roads. On the way to Tooele he missed the road, and “over Jordan got in the mud, got mad and wore our team some.” He went on to the mining camps in the Oquirrh Mountains for the first time.262
In Shoshone, Idaho, “As I was getting into bed I felt something solid and heavy at the foot of the bed. All kinds of imaginations came into my mind. I carefully felt down with my hand and felt a flat iron.”263
Traveling exposed salesmen to extreme experiences. In June 1896 Andrew wrote of a trip, “hot dry & dusty 40 miles.”264 Then, “as we were nearing the Cove Fort the side of tongue came down hitting off horse’s heels. They started to run away. Ab jumped out and sprained his leg. I held the lady in and helped check the team.”265 A few days later near Holden, “We encountered an aful dust storm about the Sevier river. We were completely enveloped for some time. So bad could not see the horses or the road.”266 Another time he wrote, “At Rock Creek, offully cold. Drove to Oakley 30 miles facing a falling frost wind storm. . . . Thermometer went down to 12 degrees belo 0 last night. I suffered in bed was so cold. . . . Took stage early for Albion. Very cold drive. I learned at Albion that the mercur[y] went down to 32 below 0. Was intensely cold to ride 30 miles in an open wagon.”267 They crossed the Snake River on ice at Minidoka.268
At Scipio,
Dr. Thurgood. . . . Provo. . . . sold me the “Actina” Pocket Battery. Electrical treatment for the catarrh, eye ear nose etc. Composed of a round cylinder of metal, one end larger than the other with a cup to place over the eye. The current passes to the eye through the instrument causing a smarting like that felt by mustard plaster on the skin. The small end is to be inhaled from. The effect is like smelling horseradish when very strong. Good effects are anticipated. My Eyes have what is known as Astigmatism, an [in]equality in the reflective power.269
Andrew worked several days at Bee Hive Soap constructing a float in the shape of a giant beehive for the 1896 Fourth of July parade. It proved to be too tall to pass under wires across the street, so Andrew had to reduce its height. The night before the parade the float was lined up with other floats by the temple block. He took three children on his bicycle downtown so they could see the sights. In the night the float somehow got set on fire and partly burned up. Andrew was glad he was not responsible for the float at the time it burned, since he had the night off to attend the carnival. On the Fourth the company participated in the parade with the badly burned float and drew more interest than any other entry. Andrew threw out soap samples to the parade watchers.270
The next year for Pioneer Day, Andrew fixed up Heber C. Kimball’s old pioneer wagon and made a “KIMBALL” banner for it. Sixteen sons and grandsons of Heber followed the wagon.271
In July 1896 Andrew renegotiated his pay from Bee Hive Soap to be $30 per month when in Salt Lake City and $60 when he was on the road, except for $90 a month on his extended trips to the Idaho–Oregon border, plus expenses.272
In Pocatello, Andrew spoke to a Mutual Improvement Association meeting, followed by “M. W. Cowley,” probably Matthias F. Cowley. Andrew recorded: “Prophecy by Bro. Cowley. When I had finished speaking Bro. Cowley said you will be called to labor among the stakes of Zion. I prophecy it in the name of the Lord. It went through me like electricity.”273 A little over a year later Andrew was called to be a stake president and Cowley (the same age) became an apostle.
In 1896, Andrew, diligent in work and church assignments, made nineteen trips from home, totaling two hundred days, or 55 percent of the year. He did not visit the Indian Territory Mission in person during this year, but he continued to supervise elders by correspondence and to make reports to Church leaders. Missionaries in charge of districts bore responsibility for on-the-scene supervision. During the year thirty-two new missionaries were called to an enlarged mission.
When Andrew had returned from his mission, he was transferred from the 30th Quorum of Seventies to the new 109th Quorum and made the senior president of the quorum, a reflection of his missionary experience and administrative ability.
Andrew spent the first ten weeks of 1897 on one last tour of the Indian Territory Mission and received a release by the First Presidency after twelve years of service. The next day Ollie delivered their seventh child. They named her Alice Ann, after her aunt and grandmother.
After having been gone so long, Andrew renegotiated his selling contracts. American Biscuit and Manufacturing Company became his principal employer, with pay of $90 per month plus expenses.274 He continued to represent other firms, such as Grant Soap and Lambert Paper, but his earnings from the other firms went first to pay his expenses. If there were more than enough earnings to pay the expenses, he kept those. When not involved in selling either on the road or in town, he had work in the office—recordkeeping, billing, and making collections.
He covered most of the same routes he had before. And when he passed through Provo, he talked to the students at the Brigham Young Academy several times.275
