The record-union., 1894-12-01
TIE old MAN GOT THAR AT LAST.
Costly Trip of an Anti-Railroad Man
From Kansas.
He Concluded to Save Railroad Fare
Across the Plains-How
He Succeeded.

There are not few men iyet to be
found who never cease to harp on 1.-The
good old days" when they crossed the
plains from Pike County, 'Missora,"
and who will tell you that railroads are
no good and the people could get along
without them.
Even newspaper editors in San Fran
cisco were lately making themselves
ridiculous in the eyes of all intelligent
persons by whooping up the freight team
that was hauling couple of tons of dried
peaches from Fresno to San Francisco,
and declaring that it was the beginning
OF a new era-or rather the resumption OF
an. old one-that was to witness the
downfall of railroads. When these
bright newspaper men found that the
owner of the freight mules was simply
taking them to the San Francisco horse
show, and that he took along the dried
peaches to help pay his road expenses.
they subsidized as ungracetully as possi-
BILE.
Here in Sacramento, the railroad CEN
ter of the State, there are q few relics Of
the days of 40 who still talk about the
advantages of freight wagons and stage
lines over railroads. AS for travelling
across the continent. they actually be-
leve 1t cheaper than railroad travelling.
One OF these anti-railroad cranks, a
Kansas Populist, concluded last summer
10 come to the Pacific Coast with his
whole outfit. He, too, would have
nothing to do with railroads, but would
make the trip with his own teams. Well,
he made the trip, and here is how the
Portland Oregonldn figures up his ex-
periences:
"A day or two since a family of immi-
grants from Southern Kansas, who had
Travelled all the way across TO Oregon in
their own wagon, and were five months
on the way, camped at Judge Senaca
Smiths farm, a few miles east of this city.
SO seldom do immigrants cross the
plains with teams nowadays that Mr..
Smith inquired how they had come TO
make the trip.
THE immigrant said that there were
many more families on the way, strung
along, whom he had passed. He had be-
come weary OF the ups and downs of life
IN Kansas and had started TO make a
home on Lewis River, where he had some
friends.
HE was man of some means, and had
wife and several haif-grown children.
When he concluded to emigrate he had
nine horses, one of them a mare for which
he mad paid $500
He concluded to drive to Oregon, save
railroad fare, and have his horses after he
d
cart for his family and, loading his outfit
IN farm wagon. hitched up his horses
and struck out.
The mans account of the trip shows
that, while crossing the plains now is
much the same as in the days Of 40 and
thereabouts, in other respects it is very
different affair. For instance, instead of
finding plenty of grass for his stock and
game Tor his family he found no game.
and had to buy feed for his horses all the
way, sthe plains being now compare
lively settled country.
As far as wear and tear to wagons and
animals goes, the trip was all that could
have been anticipated. He lost all his
horses, his cart and carriage, and came
through the Barlow gate with pair of
Eastern Oregon cayuses hitched to his
farm wagon, the wheels of which were
braced with oak grubs and body bound
up with wlthes. He said his $500 mare
was stolen, and the others had succunbed
to alkali water and other things. He
now says that it would have been
cheaper TO shoot his horses and come by
railroad.
He could have arrived at his destina-
ton IN three days nom the time he
started at cost OF about $500. From the
Kansas mans account there are several
score OF families following on his trail. -