Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-10-04
STAGING GONE TO SMASH.
John Altman Says Ben Holiday Could
Not Tell Horse from a Mule

John Altman Says Ben Holiday Could
Not Tell Horse from a Mule.
'Staging has all gone to nothing in Cali
fornia," said John Altman, the veteran stage
line owner, who has been in the business since
1857, to a reporter recently. "It doesn't
amount to anything. We've all been thumped
and hammered back into the hills by the rail-
roads until now there isn't twenty mile
stretch of level staging in the state. It's
fact Our name is Dennis.
Here we began in the stage business away
back in the early days with more money than
any of the men who are now in the big South
ern Pacific system, and what have we done9
Why nothing, except to stick to it, while
others projected railroads and ran us off into
the hills. There was time when stage men
took pride il their business They were
bigger than anybody. reckon that was a
proper thing, too, for man doesn't amount
to much who doesn't have good deal of con-
fidence in himself. But now we're routed,
horse, foot and dragon, and the railroads
haul the passengers
"What has become of the old stage men?
Very few of them are alive now. Old Jim
Hayward is one of them. He was president
Of the old California Stage company. Then
there is W. T. Hamilton, of Calaveras, and
Frank Chugge They and myself are all that
are left of the old guard. Jim Burch was
lost on the steamer Central America Charley
Green, Wash Montgomery and Warren Hall
died q good while ago. Crandall likewise,
and so did Morris Dooley and John Dillon, Of
Stockton. Charley Mclaughlin and Fisher
are more of the boys who have gone over
There are few of them left.
II was beardless boy in 81, when began
running into Petaluma from Cloverdale. NV
longest road is now l2O miles, Three or four
years ago was working between GOO and zoo
head OF horses on all my lines. Now am
working less than 200. I'm letting the stag
ing run itself, while run couple of ranches.
It's much the same with few other stage
men. For all this, though, I should say there
were some 5000 miles of staging in California.
You see, the state is very big, and there is
many line puts off from the railroad into
the mountains that we don't think about.
''No; there are very few Concord coaches
any more. They can't run very well in the
mountains for fear of tipping over, and be-
cause of being hard to pull Light spring
wagons are used almost altogether now.
WAS in the business when Ben Holla-
day was at the head of the Overland Stage
company2 Certainly; but he didn't know
anything about staging. He was not stage
man. He simply had his hand in the treas
ury, and he grouped about him few dri-
vers and others and started in. He couldn't
tell horse from mule except that the mule
had longer ears than the horse.
"Yes; staging is taking back seat in
California progress, but don't regret it.
Many of the old stage men do They hate
to see the old coaches relegated and the
railroads go ahead. Idon't say bring on
the deetest engines and the finest cars you've
got, and run them in every valley and high
on every mountain The fact is, I'd like to
see perfect air ship and take ride in that
before die. No; the old staging days were
good ones, but the era OF railroads better, and
it we get something better we can stand it,
for nothing is too good for California. SAN
Francisco Examiner.