The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-02-06
COMMERCE OF THE PLAINS.
Colossal Figures of Freight Shipments
In IS6b-DestTuctIOn of the Freight
Capital invested An FFsignCing-Over-
land stage ROntes.
from Me dtchiSon CHAMPION.

From the AtchiSon Champion
THE COMMERCE OF THE PLAINS, s. c.
The number of freiehters engaged in trans
porting goods curing the past year was greater
than in any previous season, Although of course,
the old firms did the Larger part of the business
First on the list OF heavy shippers is the NAM
moth Butterheld Overland Despatch Company,
whose business connections, extending to nearly
every large city on the continent are wen de-
fined and influential.
The total amount of goods shipped by these
freghters during the season was 81, ,53l, $50
pounds of assorted merchandise, requiring TOR
its Shipment 49l7 wagons, 5256 men, 7l64 ules,
p, 695 oxen, and 100 horses.
OF this amount OF goods 7,l02, 900 pounds was
shipped to Denver, Colorado; 1850, 667 pounds to
Central City and Black Hawk Colorado; 2, Tie, 1882
to Salt Lake City, Utah; 1,4S2, 1913 to Santa Fe,
New Mexico $4,000 TO Julesburg, Colorado;
100000 to Fort Laramie, n. t.; 7l2,00O to Fort
Riley, Kansas; 10000 20 Camp Collins; 3O3, 500
to Fort Union, New Mexico; 4l2,009 to Virgin
City, N. Z; 197,648 to Montana; 1872 80 to differ
ent points in Nevada; 10000 to Fort Kearney,
N. H.; and 100000 TO different points In West
ern Kansas, Colorado Utah, and Idaho.
The capital invested in this grsat commerce is
enormous. Oxen, mules, and wagons have COM
manded unusually high prices during the past
year. The cost of the wagons employed would
average $306 apiece; mules 1920; oxen Sl60 per
yoke; harness 800 for each six pieces. The time
occupied by each train IN loading and making
the trip through and back, Will average three
months, and the wages OF the men employed $50
| this season would be about as folows:-
The total value of 4917 wagons averaging
S2C0 each, would be.......... .S1475 100
span, would be 1,482 800
wou d be- 2,2l4 800
| Harness for 71e4 mu es, worth 800 for each
six, would be. Observation-Disclosures. 1O745
! Wages OF 6256 men, at $50 per month, ave.
raging months each trip ........... 7SS 300
Estimated cost OF provisions for employees. 200 600
Estimated cost of oX-yokes chains, etc.. 40 OO
Showing total capital invested of. SO, ,268, 500
THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE
] the longest stage route in the world forms an
| other great feature in the business of Atchson.
| It's coaches leave here daily for Denver and Cen
trail City, Colorado, 653 miles; Great Salt Lake
| City, Utah, 1855; and Placerville, California,
| 1913 miles From Salt Lake branch line rams
northward traversug Northern Utah, Idaho and
Montana Territories reaching Bannock and Vir-
| ginia cities. Another branch, $50 miles long,
| runs northwest via Boise City, Idaho, to the
Dales Falls of the Columbia, the head OF
navigation on the river from the ocean. Be.
tween this city and Salt Lake the company
| has $50 men, 1900 horses, and $50 coaches in
! its employ, while on all of its connections
| there are S35 men, 356 coaches and express
wagons, and $3.50 horses and mules. The are
through from AtchisOn to PlacelVle is $500.
Railroad fare from New York TO Atchison is Sal,
and from Placerville to San Francisco $40; thus
making the fare through from New York
city to San Francisco S25l The stations on the
average sixty cents. Passengers are allowed
twenty-five pounds OF baggage free. The coaches
make the trip through from Atchison to Denver
in four TO six days; to Salt Lake in about eleven
or twelve days, and to Placerville California, in
from seventeen to twenty days. Telegraph
stations are established all along the line. The
coaches carry the great overland mails, and are
all new and commodious.
From Hugo Richards, Esq, the gentlemanly
agent of the line in this city, we have obtained
the above items Mr.. Richards also informs us
that during the past year the coaches carried
2097 passengers West, and brought 228l from the
West, making a total of 42S9. The aggregate
pIice ofpassage was $3.50, and the total amount
received from this source S8l4. 720. The coaches
during the year also brought in ST. 100000 in
freight. Tue coaches OF this line run over the
North Platte route.
THE B. o. D. COACHES
The Butterfeld Overland Despatch Company
has recently established daily line of coaches
from this city TO Denver and Central City, and
since the new line has gone into operation il
has been dong fine business 1t is not, how
ever, fully organized, but the propretors are
bending every energy to the work, and nope by
spring TO have 1t perfect. Their coaches are al
new, light, and commodous. They have selected
the SmoAy Hill as their route.
COMPARISON WITH FORMER YEARS.
The statement of the business done this yeal
shows very gratifying increase over that o
any previous season, The trade has grown anC
in our files statements of the business during
the wears 1858, 1859, 1860, 1868, and 1864, a,
W1oons Men Mules Orsn Lbs N5se