The record-union., 1891-08-22
IN EARLY DAYS.
An Incident That Occurred During
the Washoe Boom.
The Haunted Fast Freight Over the
Carson Route-Dead People
Who Would Talk.

The following recital Of an amusing
episode that occurred during the early
Washoe mining excitement is told by w.
2. Bennett in the Placerville Democrat,
One of the institutions of the Comstock,
in the early days, was Wells, Fargo d
Co.'s fast freight line. On this line large
wagons were used, to which were at
| tached six fine, powerful horses, animals
| capable OF getting over the ground at a
rapid pace with a heavy load behind
them. The wagons carried articles that
were too heavy for the stage and ex-
press lines, and yet were so urgently
| needed that the ordinary freight wagons
would have been means Of transpOrta-
ton much too slow, such as pieces of
machinery needed to replace those
| broken in the mills and hoisting works,
fruit, vegetables, poultry, fish and many
| articles coming under the head of per
ishable commodities" Passengers were
| frequently carried by the fast freight
wagons, the fare being less than was
charged by the regular stage lines.
The fast freight wagons were rushed
| through about as rapidly as were the
| stage coaches, but the accommodations
We're about the same as for q box or bale
of goods. Those who took passage on
the fast freight wagons We're obliged TO
| make themselves as comfortable as pOssi-
genuity. They were thrown upon their
! own resources about as fully as are the
| Steerage passengers on an ocean steamer.
| However, to save the few dollars, many
| persons who were abundantly able to
| travel in better style submitted to the
! discOnforts Of a trip over the mountains
| III q fast freight wagon. The peOpl8 who
elected to thus rough it had all manner
of bitter experiences in|bad weather, and
| at times, some curious and laughable
| adventures. One of these will serve to
! illustrate the queer things that OCCASION
ally happened on the old fast freight line
/ in the early dayS-the days before there
was a railroad across the SierFas.
| In December, 1865, several persons left
! Virginia City for California on one of the
/ fast freight wagons. There was on board
| a son cf the Emerald Isle, several on
| their way down from Idaho, en- route to
| California, and an old Colored woman of
the Comstock, who weighed 2J0 pounds
| d considerable weight to be paid for as
! freighJ-with one or two others, either
! poor or penurious. On board the fast
! freight wagon on which these people took
! passage were two dead bodies One of
! these was a corpse that had come to Vir-
! ginia City from Austin by stage, ard the
other was the body Of some woman who
| had died on the Comstock, and both
! bodies were being shipped to California
| for burial
When the passengers had paid their
fares they were not aware that they
were to cross the mountains in COM
| pany of two dead persons. They
| had no suspicion Of what the two
| long boxes in the forward end of the
wagon contained until they arrived at
! Carson City. There they chanced to over
! hear the driver tell the Carson agent that
/ he had aboard two dead bodies-those of
a man and woman.
AS the passengers had been obliged to
utilize the ends Of the 'long boxes' for
seats, and as they could not well make
any different arrangements as to seats,
| the news they heard was far from agreea-
| BILE. Passengers in a fast freight wagon
were Situated about the same as though
! they had been shut upin box car on a
| railroad. The ends aud sides were very
| high and over the top was thrown can
! vas covering to shut out the cold, but
which at the same time excluded all
| light. They were carried along as so
much live freight, shut up in the wagon
! from which they could not see out. With
| each fast freight wagon, at time when
the roads were bad and muddy, went an
assistant known as d ''SwamDer" The
swamPer occupied a seat with the driver,
under whose orders he was. He carried
tin horn about five feet long, upon
which he was able to sound blasts that
| could be heard far and wide in the
mountains. On this horn he blew a
warning blast when he saw ahead on the
mountains an approaching stage or line
| of freight teams coming. This was done
| in order that the coming stage or team
/ might take to the nearest turning out
| place, as it was not everywhere on the
road that wagons could pass
! Our particular load of passengers had
very little gayety left in them after the
| discovery they had made at Carson The
Irishman and the Jew were the only
! ones i'll the party with sufficient courage
| left to occupy the boxes containing the
! collins. The others huddIed as best they
| could in the back end of the wagon.
| All went well with the fast freight in
! the hold" Of the craft until after they
| had passed Fridays Station and night
settled down on the mountains. The
particular Swamper who accompanied
| this wagon was a fellow of infinite
jest" and suspecting that the passengers
! below in the dark We're somewhat nerv-
Gus in company with the dead bodies,
concluded to amuse himself at their ex-
! pense. Carefully opening the canvas he
! thrust the end of his horn down into the
wagon, just at the head of the cofins,
and whispered through it in husky tones:
Isn't it awful to be dead ?'
Then in different tone he muttered in
reply.
"Indeed it is, one is so knocked about
and tumbled around.''
! whist! !" said the Irishman to his com
! panion, ''be jabers they are spakin' to-
gether."