The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-07
FLOUR WAS SCARCE.
iT WAS CONSIDERED ALMOST AS VAL
UABLa AS GOLD DUST.
In Virginia City In 1868 Flour Sold For
@l.5O Per Pound-For Awhile the Fate
of the City Hung In the Balance How
the People Met the Emergency.


the People Met the Emergency.
There Is "a marked difference between
the price of flour today and the point 10
coached ono season in the carly days in
Montana There are not so very many |
residents Of the territory who were here
when flour sold for $40 per 100 pounds |
one day and jumped to 500 per 100 |
pounds the next day, going even higher |
subsequently. Those who were in the |
territory remember that the people took |
the law in their own hands, as they had a
way OF doing in grave emergencies, and
that, after what was termed by the chron-
| iclers of that period a flour riot, tho |
| price came down again. Flour riots are no |
| longer common in the state of Montana.
The time referred to was the spring of
1865, and the place was Virginia City,
which was then tho principal city of the
territory The preceding winter had been
one of remarkably deep snow and cold
weather. The chi,'ook winds were frozen
out, apparently, for they did not cross the
range into Montana that year, and when
spring came freighting between the terri
tory and Salt Lake City was almost sus-
| pended altogether. The snow was SO deep
in the Snake river range that ii was al
| most impossible for the heavily laden
trains TO cross at all. One large flour train
arrived ut the foot of the Snake river di-
vide, but the snow was deep and the cold
intense. Tho oxen could find no feed and
they persisted by the scores where they
were.
In the meantime provisions were getting
scarcer and scarccr in Virginia City.
Flour came to DO boarded like gold dust,
and was almost as precious. Potatoes,
beams and all tho substitutes for flour
were almost exhausted A good proper
ton of tho people were then living on
"beef straight" Potatoes were scarce mt
% cents per pound, and all other provi-
sions were held at proportionately high
prices.
The latter part Of February saw the big
rise in -four. The price jumped from $50
to $40 per 100, and then it climbed TO 500
per 100 pounds in another day. That was
i'm gold too. For few days the price
t stood at 800, and then it began to go up
again.
In short timo it had reached SlbO per
100 pounds There was no fixed price
during that time but it fluctuated as ru-
mors of abundance or the reverse became
rife on the streets. A portion of the time
it could not DO purchased for love or
money The streets were thronged with
people discussing the situation, and grave
I faces were in every knot on street corner,
for the price had then gone beyond tho
reach of most people, and what to do was
s the problem of the hour. There were ru-
o mors that designing men had gotten up
flour corner, and deep mutterings were
heard against the men who did 1t.
A few days after the last rise word was
flashed up and down the gulch that the
:, citizens were going to rise against the
. -four merchants. The crowd did meet In
: Leyiathan hall. r. S. Blake was elecoed
Il chairman. Hugh McQuaid was nomi
q mated for secretary, but he declined, anc
- the meeting proceeded without one. The
- people formed line, and with Hour saci
nailed to pole for banner proceeded vi
and down the street, amid consideraDi'
at confusion
70 The impression got abroad then, ant
~ there was some excuse for 1t, that TIT
"a town would be sacked. The men in TIT
70 line of march did look determined, and a
vet there had been no intimation excep
in the hall of the purpose of the gathering
They marched up and down Wallace street
During the beginning of the demonstri'
tion three men went into a clothing stor
and looked at suit OF clothes.
"If we see what we want, we'll take
ne along 1 guess one of the trio remarKe
,e- carelessly
" They were men who proposed to tax
p advantage of the confusion to ROD some Q
De- the stores, but they found they had mao
~, n mistake One of the clerks was sent ou
M for Neil Howie one of the chiefs of tn
M viyilante committee Mr.. HOWE n
~ snonded promptly. Drawing his revolver
,e- he stepped forward and covered the tire
lrd men, with the remark:
So; "Gentlemen, this in an uprising to e.
n reasonable amount of flour for reason
~ able price. 1t Is not an excuse 10 SACK VI
sS town. The first man caught stealing WI
81 be shot or hanged, and none such VIII
50, cape" 80, s., .,
per hands of the men addressed, ana inc W.,
40c went around quickly that there wou$
O@ no mercy for the first man who was caugl
pei stealing.
Then Colonel Wilbur F. Sanders al
others then In the city addressed u
-, crowd. advising an orderly search
o., f,our and recommending that reaso
for able price be paid for whatever was foun
md after making an equitable division OF
lip with the men in whose possession IL mig
pts be found. The people cheered the sen
geo ment, and parties were ORGANIZED " se''
up in stores and cellars for hidden Hour
w. Taylor, Thompson q Co. had supp
ars, in their store. They caused the doors
445 he barricaded and placed men behind 7
eff sacks. armed with doubled barreled 81
2.75 guns. Other stores were barricaded' a
real nreparations were made to resist inc
fot trolls. But the searcbers made IL pa
a. that they did not want TO have any ,r'
,bs hle. and in some instances compromi
were effected The flour was gather
8 from all parts Of tho city and stored
nm Leyiathan Eall. The hiding places W.
Y, many Thoro was -four under haystao
and i'm cellars, and bcneath the ral'ers
de- buildings, but tho searchers were ~
-ogs with hunger, as they found the most Oh
eau co il is said Every place where more .,
al ono sack was found the surplus was 'af
Re away to tho common warehouse
Arm TIe committee met after the search
boon almost completed and decided 10
low the owners OF the -four s3o per
G. mounds. which it was voted was pr
tor, anouqh. Men formed in line ana recei