Wichita eagle., 1889-10-11
STAGING GONE TO SMASH.
John Altman Says Ben Holiday Could
Not Tell Horse from a Mule.


Staging has all gone TO nothing in Cali
fonia," said John Altman, the veteran stage
line owner, who has been in the business since
! 1857, 10 reporter recently. 1T doesn't
amount to anything. We've al! 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 Its n
act. Our name is Dennis.
Here we began IL tine stage business away
back in the early days with more money than
any of the men who are now IN the big South
sru Pacific system, and what have donel
Way nothing, except 70 stick 10 il, while
Others projected railroads aud ran US of into
the hills, There was n time when stage men
cook a pride IN their business They were
bigger than anybody. | reckon that a
proper thing, too for man doesn't amount
to much who doesn't have a good deal Of con
fdence in himself But now we're routed,
uorse, foot and dragoon, and the railrxads
haul the passengers.
What has become Of the old STAGE msei
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 " Z Hamilton, 81 Calaveras. and
Frank Chugge They and myself are all that
are left Of the obi guard Jim Burch was
lost on the steamer Central America. Charley
Green, Wash Montgomery and Warren Hall
died good while ago. Crandsll likewise,
and so did Morris Dooiey and John Dillon. OF
Stockton Charley Mclaughlin and Fisher
are more Of the BOYS who have gone over
There are few of them left
Il WAS beardiess BOY IN 81, when began
running into Petaiuna from Cloverciale. Nv
longest road Is now TO miles. Three Or four
years ago was working between go and 100
head of lorse5 n all my lines N0w ! am
working less than 20J I'm letting the stag
iug run itself. while j Fun a couple Of ranches
IT. much the same vita n fcw other stage
men For all this, thou-h should say there
were some 300 miles at staging 100 California
You see, the state Is very biS, and there =,
many line puts off from tle railroad into
the mounta~s that So don't rhink about
No, there are ve-y few Concord coaches
any more. They can't run very wei IA tLs
mountains for fear OF tipping over, aud hs-
cause OF being bard . pail Light spring
wagons are used almost altogether now
Was II. TIE business when Bon Holm
day was at She head Of the Overland Stage
company Certainly. but be didn't know
anything about sta<ius lie was not a staea
man. He simply had MS hand 10 tho treas
ury. ami be grouped about him Re- few siri-
vers and others and started in He couldn't
tell horse from rnul.cxcegt that the mus
had longer ears than the horse
Yes; staging Is taxing "a back scat ia
California progress. bat I don't regret II.
Many Of the old stage men do They hate
TO see the old coaches relegatsd and ito
railroads 70 ahead. don't >ay bring On
the ieetest engines md the finest cars you've
got. and run them ia every valley and high
on every mountain. The feet 81. Ia ike -
see n perfect air ship and sake "a ride 10 the.
before die No. the old staging days were
good ones. but The era ~ railroads better, srai
II we get something better Te car stand 4.
for nothing i too good FOR California san
Francisco Examiner