Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-02-26
OLD STAGECOACHES.
THE LINE THAT RAN BETWEEN KAN
SAS AND CALiFOG::!A.

The stage line between Atchison and
Placervilc. Cal, which ran daily
coaches for about five years in 1860 60,
was the finest ever known in the stage
coach business In equipment no sim
liar line could equal it. 1t was the
greatest stage line on the globe, carry
ing passengers, mail and express.
In 1864 Go it cost more for meals be-
tween AtchisOn 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
stagecoach days. At one time the fare
from AtchiSon to Denver was $17o; the
railroad fare at present is $13. The
quickest time ever made by stage be-
tween AtchisOn and Denver was four
and q half days Ben Holiday, OWN
er of the line. Travelled by special
coaches from Placcrville, Cal, to Atch
ison, 1000 miles. in twelve days and
two hours. beating the regular daily
schedule five days. This feat cost Iol-
laday $4,000. but it was a great ad
vertisement for his line. The stages,
when crowded, carried fifteen persons
besides great quantities of mail and
express.
One of the coaches used on the Atch-
ison-Placeryille line is now in the
Smithsonian institution at Washing
ton. After leaving .Atchison it was
operated on the DeadWood line and
was several times captured by Indians
and outlaws. Once when captured by
outlaws it carried 100000 in gold. In
this attack three guards were killed.
Buffalo Bill heard that the old coach
had been abandoned aud went after it,
using it for years in his Wild west
show. In London it carried the Prince
of Wales. and all the notables of Eu-
rope examined it with interest. On the
Fourth of July. 1888, this famous old
coach was exhibited with the wild
west show at Concord, y. H, where it
was nade The owners and employees
of the stagccoach factory gave the his
toric old stage a great deal Of atten-
ton. and ia the parade it bore this
sign: "1SG35 Home Aeain-1S95.
Including .ttchson and Placerville,
there We're LIB stations OH the line, the
longest in existence q .913 milest. The
fare was So. Gr about II cents Il mile.
The stations We're from ten to fourteen
miles apart Some days $1,000 was
taken in at the stage Office in Atchison
for fares alone Each passenger was
allowed twenty-five pouuds of baggag ge:
each pound Of excess cost 81, which
was the price for carrying express.
The fare to Denver during the war was
$40, or >. cents a mile per passenger.
The stages were nearly always crowd
ed ana passengers We're often com
pclied to wait several days at Atchison
before they could bn accommodated.
a minister once refused to travel on
Sunday and abandoned bis place. Tie
did not get chance to go until the
following Sunday, and this time he con-
cluded that. under certain circumstan.
ces, travelling on Sunday was eXcusa-
BILE. Sometimes passengers booked for
a certain day sold out for Il bonus of
from 500 to 500 and waited for a later
stage.
The quickest route between New
York and San Francisco at that time
was by way of A:chson. The western
terminus of the line was changed from
st. Joseph to AtchiSon on completion
Of the Hannibal and ST. Joseph road to
this point. as AtchiSon was eight miles
nearer Placerviie than st. Joseph. The
stage line ran Il little north Of west
from Atchison. crossing tho Big Blue
at Marysvillc 100 miles west: thence
continuing in a nOrthweSterly course
up the north side OF HE Little Blue
and over the divide into the Platte val
ley; thence by way Of Fort Kearney,
Plum Greek and JuleSberg to Denver.
The road between AtchiSon aud Den
yer was in the form of a crescent.
O'Fallons Bluff was 100 miles north of
Atchison and Denver. The easiest part
of the line was between Atchison and
Fort Kearney. The schedule time of
the stages was four and Il half miles
an hour. night and day. including stops.
Occasionally the drivers would make
fifteen miles an hour. and the passen-
gers thought it very fast. The express
messengers received $t;2.: a month,
with free meals and were compelled
to ride beside the driver six days and
nights without rest except rs they
could steep while the stage was in mo-
ton. They received 4 lay over of nine
days every three weeks On going to
bed after 4 trip they frequently slept
twenty foUr hours without moving.
Drivers received from $40 to So Il
month and board. On tie main line
there were 100 horses and mules and
100 coaches. The annual cost of oper
ating the line was s., 42o, 900.
The passengers were nearly all men,
and they had hard time amusing