The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-25

for loading The ware house man asks
for his bills and the freighter runs his
load out as it is checked off to him.
He loads it.at his leisure from the plat
form, where he dumped it from the
truck, and the next morning he is
ready to pull out of town. On each side
of his wagon is strapped half barrel
OF water, the contents of which cost
MIN 20 cents at the arteSian we'll here
IN Milford. This water will last nearly
two days, or long enough for the out
fit to reach Prouts Wells, at a point 81
miles from Milford. Here again two
more half barrels of water are Dur-
chased for % cents, camp is made, and
the following morning the freighter
goes through the same routine of camp
affairs Wherever there is water on
the road, there is some way of getting
money out of the freighter. There are
toll roads for taking his small change
to the tune of three or four dollars
for the round trip.
PLUGGING WHISKY.
Good solid men who freight soon
gain the confidence of the forwarding
company and are given the most valu-
able freight. Whisky is shipped by
those freighters who are known to let
1t alone. The Milford outfits at the
present have the reputation of being
the Squarest set of men ever seen on
any freight road. 1t has not always
been so here. About year since a
barrel of whisky was opened at De La
mar, New, after having been hauled
from Milford, and sticking through on
the inside were II small pegs. This
had been plugged using the common
phrase. The neateSt way TO tap a bar
rel of whisky is to raise one of the
hoops just a trifle, insert a case knife
blade and lower the handle SO as to
run the liquor into a vessel. After ex-
tracing the blade. the hoop is driven
down to its original place and it is diff
f1cult for the inspector to detect the
robbery. There are other ways of
tapping whisky, but your correspon-
dent does not claim to be uD to date
in that matter. Whisky is weighed very
carefully before it leaves the forward
ing station; otherwise the temptation
would be greater for tapping it.
Sugar is often tapped There is no
known way to do this better than with
the beer bottle. Insert the mouth of
the bottle into the mouth of the sack
as it is sewn, and the sugar will break
its neck to get into the bottle If a
man were loaded with 20 sacks he
would want to take a beer bottle full
from each one. The evaporation CO
would then be about equal in each, and
the long dry drive over the desert
would get the reputation of absorbing
something like two pounds of sugar on
the hundred.
SILVER COIN AS HARDWARE.
Ore man in De Lamar used to ship a
thousand dollars in silver each month
from California, and it was freighted
from Milford as hardware. The freigh-
ter handled it as an ordinary box of
bolts. and was never any wiser 1t
would not have been wise at one time
on the Milford road but reliability fiuc-
tuates on a freight line
One freighter once got a barrel of
Bourbon billed as vinegar. and dfscov-
ering the mistake, he purchased a bar
rel of vinegar and emDtied out the
Whisky and replaced it with vinegar.
The consignee, upon opening the barrel
he had smuggled through under an
other name. taking a less freight rate.
was dumfounded and raised a kick
which lasts to this dav in De Lamar
At long intervals trouble arises in
reference to freight rates for the team
haul. Railroads are not the only peo-
pie who have troubles, and every now
and then freighters are asked to cut
rates. OF course a few of them start
IN TO do so. Here is where am expert
enced man saves himself He does not
load at the cut rate. Those who do
have no end of trouble Freight loses
off from their wagons. teams get loose |
and water leaks out, burs come off, !
sugar sacks tear. bacon gets oil on it. |
crackers are wet as if by rain. furni-
ture gets scratched unmercifulIy, and |
dozens of other things too numerous to I
mention here. One trip usually does the |
matter. and he goes back home TO the /
settlements wiser and poorer man.
When freighter is short a package !
at his destination. his pay is held until |
the shipping company is notified of the /
shortage. and an answer returned. If /
the matter has been Strengthened, the (
is paid If he is over an art
cle and is honest, he will report it and 1
simply ask for freight on the same. /
There is not a single freighter on the /
Milford line at present who is thought /
to be dishonest enough to steal an !