Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-06-25
THE RECORD BROKEN.
Twenty-Five Miles in Twelve Hours Made
by the Montana Stage Company.

EDIIoR AKGUs-Plea-e allow me a little
space to narrate the incidents Of a stage
from Billings to Lewistown last week.
The stage, with two passengers, left Billings
Monday morning, and of course wac due
in Lewistown Tuesday afternoon, but as a
matter OF fact we did not get to your town
until seven O'Clock Wednesday evening
more than twenty-four hours behind time.
The first day out from Billings, with that
veteran driver, JEFF Miller in the box and
with passable teams, We made Lavina in
lair season, considering the condition OF
the roads. We left Lavina at S O'Clock
Monday evening, and made the FIRST
eighteen miles, to Rock Springs, in five
hours. Here We changed teams, getting the
team that caused all our trouble We left
Rock Springs at one o'cloc a. IN. and
reached Living Springs "a ot one'clock p. m,
twenty-five miles in twelve hours. At
Jones, ten miles from Rock Springs our
teal refused to go farther, and no amount
Of urging woul induce them to go. Here
then we campsd four hours, until some
freighters were induced to pull us through
the lane. From here matters went fairly
well, considering the disposition OF our
horses. until we were about half way be-
tween Halbert's and Moule's, where we again
camped, this time about three hours, be-
fore our team could be persuaded to take
us along. After changing teams at Living
Springs we had no further trouble, and
reached ubet at five O'Clock p. m, only to
Rnd that the stage for Lewistown left Tibet
at ana O'Clock rapa r1la-l of mail or nasa
engers or anything but the drivers comfort.
The result was that Lewistown received no
mail on Tuesday. AT TIBET we again
changed horses, and as i'll luck would have
it, we got another halky horse, which
caused another hours delay, during which
the passengers, four in Number, waited on
the prairie until the driver could go back to
TIBET and hire a horse from Mrs. Barrows.
One needs but to be caught in this manner
to hear from every one along the road of
the frequency of such occurrences. Thus it
is that our mails are continually delayed,
not because of bad roads, not through any
fault of the drivers, but simply on account
of the ~niggardly policy OF the stage com
pany in sticking to the old, WORKOUT plugs
Of horses which make up the principalpar
of their stock. And then, when any at
tempt is made to secure better services, by
petitioning the postoffice department, we
are met with the information that our
postmasters, who are also agents of the
stage company in most instances, report
the delays as caused by bad reads in every
instance. Something should be done, and
it would seem as though something might
be done to remedy the matter, but just
what can be done under the circumstances
it is difficult to tell. We are told by those
h are in IA position to know, hat if I'VE
did not kick so much" we would get better
service, but we stood il without kicking AS
long as we could and matters got no better
fast. There was no longer any virtue in
patience and there appears to be nothing
that we can accomplish by kicking What
are we to do them Are we so hopelessly
in the power OF a stage company that We
cannot get more than the soulless corpora
ton will give u.s.
In regard to the delays in our mails last
winter. We were told by the department
that these delays had all been reported az
caused by the bad roads, but ! was told
that there were more than forty sacks oil
mail at Layina at one time. Ifthey could
be brought as lar as Lavlna, they could
have been brought through, but the ou'y
anxiety On the part of the stage company
was to get them out oil Billings, where the
doee not eontrol the postmaster
who would report any failure to take ths
mails. More anon.
FooT-PAssESeER