The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-22
STAGE COACH DAYS IN WEST.
Cost Of Travelling at Rate of Four and
One-HaIf Miles an Hour.
Atchison Globe.

AtcnlSOn 0lODe.
The stage line between Atchison and Placer
vile, Cal, which daily coaches for ABOUT
five years In 1S60-e5, was the finest ever known
in the stage coach business In equipment no
similar line could equal it. 1t was the greatest
stage line on the globe. carrying passengers.
mail and express
In 1886 1t cost more for meals between At
Gibson and Denver than the railroad fare now
costs, with meals added. The run from Atchison
to Denver is now made in something like fifteen
hours, as against six days in the stage coach
days. At one time fare from Atchison to Den
yer s175, the railroad fare at present is SIS.
The quickest time ever made by stage between
Atchison and Denver was four and half days.
Ben Holiday, owner OF the line, travelled by
special coaches from Placerville, Cal, to Atchi-
son, 1000 miles, in twelve days and two hours,
beating the regular daily schedule Eve days.
This feat cost Holiday $4,000, but 1t was
great advertisement for his line. The stages.
when crowded, carried fifteen persons, besides
great quantities OF mail and express.
Placerville line is in the Smithsonian In
stitution at Washington After leaving Atchson
il was operated on the Deadwood line, and
several times captured by Indians and outlaws
Once when captured by outlaws it carried 500 900
Buffalo BIZ heard that the old coach had been
abandoned and went after it. using it for years
the Prince Of Wales and all the notables of Eu-
rope have examined it with interest. On the
exhibited with the Wild West show at Concord
N H., where 1t was made The owners and en-
toric old stage great deal Of attention and in
the parade IL bore this sign: ''1S63-Home Again
by ]. Sterling Morton, at Nebraska City. and an
other is owned at Topeka, where it is still in use
Including Atchison and Placerville, there were
15S stations on the line. the longest in existence
cents mile. The stations were from ten to
fourteen miles apart Some days 5000 was taken
Each passenger was allowed twenty-five pounds
OF baggage; each pound Of excess cost 81, which
was the price for carrying express. The fare 20
Denver during the war was sl75, or q cents a
mile per passenger. The stages nearly al
ways crowded and passengers were often COM
PEELED 10 wait several days at Atchison before
they could be accommodated. A minister once
refused 70 travel on Sunday and abandoned his
place he did not get chance to go until the
that, under certain circumstances. travelling on
sunday was eXcusaDle. sometimes passengers
booked for certain day sold out for a bonus
of from $40 TO $50, and waited for later stage.
The quickest route between New York and san
Francisco at that time was by way of Atchi-
son. The western terminus OF the line was
changed from st. Joseph Atchison on COM
pletion of the Hannibal and st. Joseph road to
this point, as Atchison was eight miles nearer
Placerville than St. Joseph The stage line ran
little north of west from Atchson crossing the
Big Blue at Marysville one hundred miles west
north sde Of the e Rne ag oe
divide into the Platte valley thence by way of
Fort Keamey, Plum Creek and Julesberg TO
Denver. The road between Atchison and Denver
in the form of crescent; O'Fallon's Blu n
was one hundred miles north OF Atchison and
Denver. The easiest part Of the line was be-
tween Atchison and Fort Kearney. The schedule
time of the stages four and half miles an
hour, night and day, including stops. Occasion
ally the drivers would make fifteen miles an
hour. and the passengers thought ii very fast
The express messengers received S52. so a month
with free meals, and were compelled TO ride be-
side the driver six days and night without rest
except they could sleep while the stage was
in motion. They received a lay-over Of nine DAYS
every three weeks. On going to bed after a trip
they frequently slept twenty-four hours without
moving. Drivers received from $40 TO So month
and board. on the main line there were 2 $50
horses and mules and one hundred coaches The
annual cost OF operating the line was 81 425. 900
The passengers were nearly all men, and they
had hard time amusing themselves A CAV
party of eight once started from Atchison. and
they sang for two days and nights. using ribald
words to old church tunes. Finally one man
proposed a collection With the money thus
raised they bought jug OF whisky at a station.
Then there spree and quareling and poker
playing. one said had been robbed bv
one OF the players, and he insisted so strongly
on a fight that the stage was stopped and ring
formed. The two drunken men rushed at each
other, bumped each other down and could not
get up. The other helped the fighters TO
their feet and the harmless battle was renewed.
Finally the driver would wait longer and the
stage went on. with the passengers quareling on
the inside. At last they engaged in a general
fight and then went off into a drunken sleep.