The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-19
FLOUR WAS SCARCE.
n WAS CONSIDERED ALMOST AS VAL
UABLE AS GOLD DUST.

In Virginia City In 1865 Flour Sold For
S1.5o Por ,pound-Eor Awhile tho Fate
of tho City Hung In tho Balance-How
tho People Met the Emergency.
There is u marked difference botwcon
tho price of flour today and the point 1t
reached ono season in tho ourly days in
Montana. Thcro arc not so very many
residents of tho territory who woro hero
whom flour sold for $40 per 100 pounds
ono day and jumped to 500 per 100
pounds tho next day, going oven higher
subsequently. Those who woro In tho
territory remember that the people touk
the law In their own hands, rs they had a
| way of doing in grave emergencies, and
that, after what was termed by tho chron-
iclers of that period "flour riot" tho
price came down again. Flour riots arc no
longer common in tho state of Montana.
Tho timo referred TO was tho spring of
1866, and tho place was Virginia City,
which was thon tho principal city of tho
territory. Tho preceding winter had boon
ono of remarkably doop SNOW and cold
weather. The chinook winds wore frozen
out, apparently, for they did not cross tho
range into Montana that year, and whom
spring camo, frcighting botwoon tho terri
tory ind Salt Lake City was almost sus-
pended altogether. The snow was so tleop
in tho Snake river range that it was al
most impossible for tho heavily laden
trains to cross Mt ALL One large flour train
arrived Mt tho foot of tho Snake river di-
vide, but tho snow was deep and the cold
intonse. Tho oxen could find no feed and
they perishod by tho scores whore thoy
wcro.
In tho meantime provisions wore getting
soarccr and scarccr in Virginia City.
Flour oamo to DO boarded like gold dust,
and was almost rs precious. Potatoes,
beans, and all tho substitutes for flour
were almost exhausted. "A good proper
tion of tho people were then living on
"bccf straight" Potatoes were scarce Mt
20 cents per pound, and all other provi-
sions were held ut proportionately high
prices.
Tho latter part of February saw tho big
riso in flour. Tho prioo jumped from s25
to $40 por 100, and then it climbed to 500
per 100 pounds i'll another day. That was
in gold too. For n few days tho price
stood ut 500, and then it began to go up
again.
In u short timo it had reached $50 per
100 pounds. There WAS no fixed price
during that time, but it fluotuatcd rs ru-
mors of abundance or tho reverse became
rife on tho stroots. A portion of the timo
it could not be purchased for love or
money. Tho streets were thronged with
people discussing tho situation, and grave
faces were in every knot on O street corner
for tho price had then como beyond tho
reach of most people, and what to do was
the problem of the hour. There were ru-
mors that designing mon had gotten up n
Hour corner, and deep mutterings wero
heard against the men who did it,
a few days after tho last rise word was
flashed up and down tho gulch that the
citizens wore going to rise against the
flour merchants. Tho crowd did meet in
Leviathan hall. r. S. Blake was clected
chairman. Hugh MoQuaid was nomi-
mated for secretary but he declined, and
tho meeting proceeded without one. Tho
people formed IL line, and with n flour sack
nailed to n pole for banner proceeded up
and down tho street, amid considerable
confusion.
Tho impression got abroad then, and
there was some excuse for it. that the
town would DO sacked. Tho men in tho
limo of march did look determined and as
yet thCro had been no intmation cxccpt
in tho hall of tho purpose OF the gathering.
They marched up and down Wallace street.
During tho beginning of the dcmonstra-
ton three men went into clothing store
ilN lOOkcu nU u Sult or clothes.
II we SEQ what wo want, we'll tako it
along, guess" one of tho trio remarked
carclcssly.
They wero men who proposed to take
advantage of tho confusion to rob some of
the stores, but they found thcy had made
mistake. Ono of tho clerks was scnt out
for Neil Howic, ono of tho chiefs of tho
Tigilnntc committee. Mr.. tIowio To-
spondod promptly. Drawing his revolver,
he stepped forward and covered tho three
mon, with tho remark:
Gentlemen, this in an uprising to ret
O reasonable amount of -four for reason
abio price. 1t is not an excuse to sack tho
town. Tho first man caught stealing will
BIO shot or hanged, and mono such will es-
cape"
Tho ready mado clothing fell from tho
hands of tho mon addressed, and tho word
won't around quickly that there would be
no mercy for the first man who was caught
stealing.
Then Colonel Wilbur T. Sanders and
others then in tho city addressed the
crowd, advising an orderly search for
flour, and recommending that n reason
able prlco DO paid for whatever was found
after making IN equitable division of it
with the mon in whose possession it might
DO found. Tho people chcored the senti-
| mont, and parties were organized to search
i'll stores and cellars for hidden -four.
Taylor, Thompson & Co. had n supply
in their store. They caused tho doors to
be bnrricadcd and placed mon behind the
sacks, armed with doubled barreled shot
guns. Other stores wcro barricaded, and
preparations were mado to resist tho pa
trolls. But tho searchcrs matlo it plain
| that they did not want to have any trou-
bic. and in some instances compromises
were effected. Tho flour was gathered
| from all parts of tho city and stored in