The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-22
SECTION TWO

this seemingly almost Hmitless and
proftless waste the wealth needed. 10
grease the wheels OF progress" and
10 bring out of what was nothing, a
portion of plenty.
The accompanying picture win show
much better than can otherwise be
described, the present condition OF the
Tonopah c0mpany's freight yard AT
TCnopah. hundreds OF tons of merchan-
dice OF all kinds are piled from one end
OF the yard 10 the OtnJer. until there is
10 longer space remaining 10 dccOnmO-
date the daily incoming shipments. The
one great difficulty has been the for
warding of freight from the terminus
at TOnOpah, ana although there are aJ
present more than forty GreighJiuE out
hts in the TOnOpah-GOiddeld service
the accumulation Goes not lessen, but
on the contrary continues TO increase.
SeVenty-hVe per cent of ali the freight
delivered by the railroad al TouUpah is
destined to points beyond and there has
at no time been teams sufficient TO move
more than third OF the daily cOnsign-
menJS.
There are at present en- route over
land from Reno eight fourteen mule
outfits which were secured by the Tono-
pah line to assist ia lifting the block
sde. This additional power which wiz
be OF valuable assistance, VIII lessen, II
not entirely, at least i'm part, the con-
gested condition of affairs al Tonopah.
II was by teams that freight was
brought into TGnOpah over sixty miles
OF desert for more than two years ana
a half In the early days of the camp
merchandise for the new El Dorado
was deposited at SOdaVille, on the Car
son and Colorado, and after beinE
( loaded on the wagons was carried
southeast 10 the new camp. After the
railroad was begun this distance was
by degreeSc leSSened- until the track
Was fairly into Tonopah.
With the completion of the railroad il
was believed that the freishters would
find their occupation gone But no
sooner had the city founded by Jim
Butler been bound 20 The outside world
by bands Of steel. than the wonderful
discoveries at GOldheld began 10 at
tract the attention OF the public. and
every animal. every wagon and every
driver was pushed into commission.
ana instead Of being "a terminal for
freishters as before, TouODah became
a shipping point.
Transfers in Line For GoIdfeId.
II is a unique as well as an interest
ing sight to stand on the main street
Of TOuOpah any morning, Sunday as
well as week days-for the reamsters, if
! they recognize the Sabbath. do not
observe iJ-and watch team after team
( PUN slowly up thz grade that consti-
/ tTteS the greater art of main street,
/ headed for Goldfeld. The drivers con-
-COl their teams by a single line The
! wagons or ''SchOOners'' are built es-
peciaiiy for carrying goods over the
desert regions Each vehicle viii hold
from five 10 eight tons. The beds are
1 broad. the sides high. and the wheels
I six. eight and even ten feet i'm diam
| eIer. and built with extra wide tires
! 10 keep them from sinking into the
! heavy sands -nf-1he desert roads.
! Merchandise OF every kind is packed
! into the wagon bed champagne and
| crockery. silks and shOvels. food and
I firearms are piled IN apparent confu-
sion TO the casual eye But this is ap-
parent only, for every pound that is
/ placed in the wagon is to be- paid for,
! and the freiShters are skilled through
/ long practice in utilizing every avail
/ able square inch of space.
! 1t Is estimated that each mule CfOr
mules are preferred to horses for this
+ kind of work as they can withstand
| hunger. thirst and dust much better
/ than hOrSes), viii haul about ton
, each To the rear of the wagons is at
1 tached a back action containing hay
! grain and water, for IN this land of
/ eternal drouth it Is often impossible TO
! secure SuSLenanCe for tho stock, even
I at the most favored Joints. and the
1 tCamster must he always prepared 70
meet any emergency.
( The uniform cost of transporting
/ goods from TOnOpah TO CSoidfieid is so
! per ton As stated, the majority of the
/ teams carry fourteen tons. Each trip
/ to the new camp means $3.50 to the man
I who owns the outfit On the return trip
! the cargo represents approximately
/ $3.50. as a less charge per ton is made
| for bringing out the ore, which con-
{ etitutes the return load. The cost OF
} feeding and watering the stock is ap-
/ proXimately $50 per day, or $500 for the
round trip of five days. with Transfers
! wages So A profit of $500 is thus left
I for the owner of the outfit As each
team is supposed TO make five trips a.
month, il can be seen that freighting in
southern Nevada Is a profitable bust
/ ness. and strange as it may seem there
has never been a time since this part
of the Sagebrush state has been inhab-
tied when transportation facilities of
f--
j Continued on Page T. Section Two)