F 'C P" '
e 'Cbe Conservative.
In fnct our ranks are recruited from
< ' * Belgium nnd two-thirds of the blowers
here are either Belgians or the sons of
Belgians. The skilled workers make
good wages when the factories are run
ning. But they are' idle nearly six
months a year and it is said that most of
them do not make good use of their
opportunities. Every year just after
May 80th there is an exodus to Belgium.
This is a fair sample of a' tariff trust.
It differs from most other trusts in that
thq workers got a small share of the
trust spoils. It is one of the many tariff
trusts which are responsible for the boss
system in politics. Its leading men are
supporters of Senator Quay , who always
serves them faithfully in working for
higher duties. Can any one doubt that
this is a tariff trust ?
BYKOX W. HOLT.
Now York , October 24 , 1899.
ANTE-KAILROAI > TRANSPORTATION.
[ By Wni. Fulton of Kansas City. ]
I left St. Louis in February , 1859 , and
came to Nebraska City by stage coach
from St. Joseph , Mo. The ice being too
soft to bear the weight of the coach , the
passengers walked across the river from
the Iowa side. The first person I met
after crossing the river was a Mr. John
Irwin , better known as Uncle Johnny.
Going Tip to the town ( Nebraska City ) I
found my friend , S. F. Nuokolls , the
founder of the city , and at the same
time met J. Sterling Morton and Gov.
S. W. Black. At tllat date , this gover
nor , judge , and nearly all the other
territorial officers lived in Nebraska
City. The office of the surveyor-general
as well as that of U. S. quartermaster ,
Captain Dickerson , were also located
there , and all the government freight ,
for tho.posts on the plains , started from
that point , under contract witli Alex
ander Majors , successor to the freight
ing firm of Russell , Majors & Waddell.
Nebraska City to Salt Lake.
In 1837 the original firm had the con
tract to transport the supplies for
General Johnston to Utah. The contract
price for transportation of supplies from
the Missoiiri river to Camp Fillmore ,
Utah , was 19 % cents per pound. In
1858-9 the government contract for
transportation to the western posts ,
Fort Laramie being the distributing
point , was $ l.p8 per hundred miles , or
about § 6.86 ( six dollars and thirty-six
cents , ) per one hundred pounds from the
river to the fort. The rate to mountain
points was still higher , but the supplies
wore usually carried to these posts by
government trains from Fort Larainie
or Fort Union , New Mexico.
IMko'H Peak or Hunt.
The rush to Pike's Peak in 1859-60
lined the south side of the Platte river
valley with long trains of emigrants
and ranches were eooii established along
* '
ihe trail by parties who kept supplies
'or the pilgrims. If I remember cor
rectly , the first persons who returned
from the Pike's Peak or Cherry Creek
nines were Dr. Matthew and Martin
Bouton , who brought back some very
small samples of gold dust. That
country was then known as Jefferson
county , Kansas , of which , I think ,
Golden City was the coiiuty seat.
"What is now known as Denver was
originally called Auraria , and was situ
ated on the west bank of Cherry Creek ,
in 1862 wo transported private freight ,
principally flour and bacon , to Denver
at prices reaching as low as five cents
ler pound. The greater part of the sup
plies for the miners , however , went to
Black Hawk and Central City , Colo. , as
nearly all the mines were situated in
Gilpin county.
licforc the Crime of 187.1.
Times were very hard. in the winter
of 1861-2 in Nebraska. St. Louis , the
only market for farm produce , could
not be reached by boat , the river having
fro/en , and in consequence corn went
aegging on the streets at eight and ten
cents , and wheat at twenty-five cents
per bushel. Cattle and hogs sold as
ow as 1 } cents per pound. But all
kinds of goods , sugar , coffee , dry goods ,
boots and shoes and general supplies
steadily increased in price until in 18G3
coffee , green Rio of a quality quoted now
at 7) < < cents , was sold at 40c per pound ,
and Domestic , now sold for 5 or 6 cents ,
brought 50 cents per pound.
River Rates.
"We paid freight on supplies from St.
Louis to St. Joseph , either by boat or
railroad , and from there to Nebraska
City at a rate averaging $1.00 per one
hundred poiinds. But during low water
and late in the fall , I have known
freight to reach as high as $4.00 per
hundred pounds , delivered either at
Nebraska City or Omaha.
War Prosperity.
The Indian war of 1863 and 1864 ,
known as the Red Cloud war , started
business to booming again , for the
government was sending troops and sup
plies to all parts of the plains and
freighters had plenty of contracts at
high figures , the rate being ten cents
per pound to Denver , Camp Collins and
Fort Laramie and from twelve to four
teen cents per pound to Fort Halleck
and Fort Sanders.
U. P. R. R.--1800. *
These prices continued until the
building of the U. P. R. R. which
reached Koaruey in the fall of 1866
The next year the government freight
and all other freight was shipped by
rail to the town of North Platte , Neb.
and from there carried by wagons
which tended to reduce the rate. As
the railroad lengthened the wagon routes
were correspondingly shortened. In the
'all the road had reached Julesbnrg and
a little later Cheyenne was the terminus.
So that by the winter of 18G7-68 the
Weighting business had practically
ended. The Union Pacific , however ,
still kept up a pretty stiff rate. In the
summer of 1866 I transported 800,000
) ounds of freight from Nebraska City
to Salt Lake City at 18 cents per pound.
Wo had a contract at Fort Laramie in
1865 , for corn at § 7.50 per bushel. Corn ,
which was brought in part from St.
Louis , cost at Nebraska City § 1.50 per
nishel , that leaving us about 11 cents
! or transportation. Corn sold in Denver
at 15 cents per pound and flour at $20
: or a bag weighing 98 pounds.
fair fares.
The rates for the transportation of
passengers were at as high a figure as
: hose for freight. The Overland Stage
Company , in 1863 , charged $75 fare to
Denver and $150 to Salt Lake City ,
while in 1866 they got the price up to
150 to Denver and $350 to Salt Lake
City. The baggage of each passenger
was limited to 25 pounds and there was
a charge of $3 for every extra pound.
Rich Meals.
At $1 each , meals consisting of bacon ,
bread and coffee , with sometimes game ,
such as venison , antelope or occasionally
a sage hen , could be obtained. Butter
and eggs were unknown luxuries , at
stage stations , the formerselling at $1.50
per pound and the latter at the same
price per dozen. Wo rode night and
day in the stuffy uncomfortable coach ,
journeying six days to reach Denver and
eleven or twelve to 'reach Salt Lake
City.
Discomfort nnd Comfort.
It was a marked contrast to the com
fort , time and cost of travel at present.
At a cost of $14 the traveler is now car
ried to Denver in a Pullman car , in )
twenty hours , and twice the time and j }
$86 will take him to Salt Lake City.
Should he prefer , he may make the
round trip for one fare and a fifth. In '
the old days a seat in the stage coach
cost the same both going and returning ,
and its passenger reached his destina
tion weary and travel worn. At that
time a trip by stage coach was con
sidered very grand , yet I have no desire
to repeat the experience.
The article of Mr. Fulton is a model
which we wish other experienced plains
men and freighters
Historical. . , ,
would emulate.
THE CONSERVATIVE is permitted , by
officers of the state historical society , to
publish the communication of Mr.
Fulton and to solicit others to give in
their testimony as to the transportation
of persons and property in those regions
prior to the railroad era.
James R. Porter , Levi Carter , James
E. Boyd , Wui. Bischof and many others
could render a good service in this way.
* ;
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