White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-25
(By Ii. 4. MILLER.)
PART THlRTY-TWO

under government contracts by east
ern professional bidders, sub-con-
tracts then being awarded by these
contractors TO local men, the orig
inal bidders retaining most OF the
profit In the transaction. Until lS'v
the following services were being
operated in the county:
Ely to Eureka, SO miles, six round
rips week. equivalent 10 l,eso
miles OF service.
Cole Creek to Eureka. 80 miles
one trip week. 100 miles.
Cherry Creek TO Wells, 100 miles,
three round trips weekly. 500 miles
Cherry Creek to Aurum, 80 miles,
one round trip weekly. 60 miles.
Cherry Creek to Ely. 80 miles.
two round trips weekly. 200 miles
Osceola to Geyser. 80 miles. one
round trip weekly, 60 miles.
Ely 10 Frisco. Utah. 143 miles. two
round trips weekly. 572 miles.
Ely TO Sunnyside. 60 miles. one
round trip weekly. 20 miles--or II
total OF 2,792 miles weekly for the
eight lines.
At this time there was keen bid
ding by the easterners, who cut the
contract figure at each successive let
ling OF bids. and rs consequence
the local sub-contractors, who car
ried the burden, were compelled 10
take less for their services. The re-
suit was that the service suffered
and the sub-coniractors in many
cases were unable 10 meet their OBJ
legations. so that at times the guar
antors were compelled to step in anu
take over the service
Old carts, buckboards and dilapi-
dated wagons. in fact almost any
thing that could be pressed into SER
vice, were used for carrying the
nails, so that travellers who wished
10 visit the different towns on the
routes could not secure adequate ac-
commodations and were forced TO
hire livery rigs This naturally also
cut into profits that should have been
made by the mail carriers
So unsatisfactory was the mail
service that just prior to 1890 the
matter was taken up with w. n
McGill and A. C. Cleveland. who
agreed TO go on the writer's bond
for s5c.c0o each and help finance
. and equip the various routes II the
, writer would secure the mail con-
tracts and act as general manager
for the service Following the Dor =.
sey mail frauds. exposed several
years previously. the government re-
auired mail contractors To furnish q
bond. which hed to be secured by
unencumbered real estate. descrip-
ton of which had TO be filed with
fhe bond
As a result OF this agreement and
due solely to the loyalty OF these
bondsmen, the writer was enabled
10 secure contracts in the county and
the sers ice was built up and extend
ed, so that when tho writer left the
state in 1904 there was In operation
within the limits Of the county 5,63s
miles OF mail stage lines. compared
10 2.792 miles In operation previous
10 1899, when the first contracts
were secured The service in 1904
vas as follows
Cherry Creek 10 Wells. six times
week. | 200 miles.
Cherry Greek to Aurum. three
times a week. $50 miles.
Eureka 10 Ely. ak times a week,
$50 miles.
To Hamilton. twice a week. oper-
ating by way of Six-Mile House, Cur
rant Creek and Duckwater, 2S0
miles
Cole Creek to Eureka. twice a
week. 200 miles.
Ely TO Frisco. three times a week,
S5S miles
osceola TO Phoebe. twice a week,
800 miles.
Ely and Sunnyside to Phoebe, three
times week, 720 miles.
Aurum and Cleveland TO Osceola.
twice a week, $50 miles.
Ely to Duck Creek. twice n weak,
SO miles
Hamilton to stockville. twice n
week, 120 miles
Cherry Greek to Ely. three times
week, 800 miles--a grand total OF
5,63S miles.
No two men In the state could
qualify on government bond for
more than Mr.. McGil and MIR.
Cleveland and they were willing TO
take the chance In order that the
county might have n mail service
mat was second to none in the west.
| believe that at this period there
was not another town in the coun-
try with the population OF Ely which
had such excellent mail service.
While there were other large land
holders In the state. notably j. B.
Gallagher. James Nichols and >. C.
simpson. all OF Mason valley. George
Carol and f. b. Pierce Of Humboldt
county and John CARING OF Lyon
county, the lands held by these men
were mostly adapted only for graz
ing purposes and were not so valua-
Die as the holdings OF Mr.. McCil
and Mr.. Cleveland.
AT no time between 1890 and 1904
were there less than seventeen mails
reaching Ely each week, the service
including mail six times q week from
eureka by way OF Hamilton, three
times week from Wells by way OF
Cherry Creek, three times q week
from Frisco by way OF Osceoia. three
times a week from Phoebe by way Of
sunnyside, and twice a week from
Duck Creek by way OF McGin. In
1901 and 1902 there was an addi-
tionai service three times q week be-
tween Cherry Creek and Ely, making
twenty mails n week at that time
Inere was always. since 1890. a six
tunes n week 8ervicc hatxvao,s ~ 49,.