Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-10
with dining and sleeping rooms, office,
telegraph office and stables close by.
Whole Route Operated With Precision

Whole Route Operated With Precision
The Overland system was divided
into sections of 200 miles each, three
of these sections forming a division,
with a division agent in charge. He
usually was a man who had risen from
the position of driver and he carried
heavy responsibilities. He bought all
the grain, hay and supplies for his
division, employed the stationkeepers,
drivers and other employees.
At certain principal stations there
were office agents, clerks and book
keepers. The system also had pay
of the express department. There were
nine express messengers who travelled
in an express coach specially made at
Concord for the purpose, which had an
iron safe built inside it at the front
end, just back Of the drivers seat. At
Atchison, Denver, Salt Lake and other
important points big shops were
established, where repairs to coaches
were made with parts and material
shipped from the mandatory at Con-
cord. In case of emergency a coach
could be built entirely in these shops,
and this was often done.
Holiday kept his stage lines run-
ming with the precision and accuracy
of a railroad line, and in all seasons,
night and day, coaches ran with nearly
the same regularity as railroad trains.
1t was his boast that he could set his
watch anywhere along the line by the
arrival and departure of the Overland.
Few persons u~nacquainted with the
Old Overland line can realize what a
huge enterprise it was and the great
amount of money required to equip
and operate it. For hundreds Of miles
it traversed barren wastes whose sole
vegetation was sagebrush. The logs TO
build some of the stations had to be
hauled by wagons from $50 to 200
miles. The nearest corn fields on the
east end were on the Blue river in
Kansas, and at Grand Island. Neb-
raska. In the west some grain was
grown IN Salt Lake valley, but the
available production of these localities
furnished only a partial supply of the
Overlands requirements. Much of the
grain had to come by boat from st.
Louis. Once Holiday chartered seven
steamers at st. Louis in one day to
load corn for his system. Some of the
hay used had to be hauled SO miles or
more.
Annual Receipts Ran Into Millions
In order to support the Overland
the receipts had to be large, and they
ran into big figures. For carrying
on the main line, Holiday re-
celved $l,0O0,OO0 a year. He was paid
another million for branch line con-
Passenger receipts on the line
ran as high as $500, 900 a year. At
one time the passenger fare from
to Placerville, California, was
5000; to Helena, Montana, $500. Extra
baggage formed another big source Of
revenue, the rate being from IS cents
to $l.5O a pound. During the mining
the stages were filled with
passengers both ways.
An Illustration of the energy with
which Holiday and his men worked is
found in his opening of the Virginia
City line. Early in May, 1864, he was
awarded the contract for carrying the
man to the Montana mining camp from
Salt Lake, a distance of 450 miles. He
was given to July 1 to get his line in
operation, with the provision that for
every day after that date on which he
Jailed to carry mail he was to forfeit
$500 as a fine. He at once notified
his superintendent, r. j. Spotswood,
hat the horses, coaches, freight
wagons, etc, must be in Salt Lake by
July i. 1t looked like an impossible
ask but Spotswood took the first stage
% the Missouri river, gathered his sup
and in a few weeks had his train
# 800 mules and horses, 30 stage
and other equipment rolling
westward. June % he had all his ar
completed in Salt Lake, and
he following day had his first stages
unning on their initial trip toward
Virginia City. In order to cross the
he had to swim his stock
nd float his coaches and wagons, TAX
ng desperate chances, but winning his
'attle against time.
Holiday was a man of quick decision
nd action. Once when he was making
effort to get an increase in the sub
idiary for carrying mail to California,
70 received word from his agents In !