The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926 Page: 12
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Roulhweszern HIislor ical Quarterly
timber grew, stones where they were available, and adobe brick
was most commonly used throughout the arid sections.30
The difficulties encountered were well nigh innumerable. De-
pendable employees were hard to secure, and it was more difficult
still to retain them long in the service. Besides a number of
drivers, which must have been in the neighborhood of two hundred
and fifty, a superintendent for each of the divisions of the line, and
an agent for each station, it was necessary to have from four to
a dozen supernumeraries at each station. Cooks, stock tenders,
herders, water haulers, blacksmiths, guards along portions of the
route, and laborers of various sorts also had to be provided.31
The district superintendents impressed the New York Herald
correspondent as being straightforward men, courageous enough
for their various tasks. But many of the employees in positions
of lesser responsibility seem to have possessed most of the frontiers-
man's vices with few of his compensating virtues. A group work-
ing at Pope's Camp, on the Pecos, impressed him as being the
"sorriest lot of fellows" he had ever seen. J. W. Farwell, editor
of the Alta California, also thought some of the employees about
the stations were not equal to their tasks. Such employees some-
times cost the company dearly. At Dragoon Springs station in
Arizona some Mexican employees killed three of their Anglo-
American fellow laborers, seriously wounded a fourth, and drove
away part of the stock. All of the stock would have been taken
but for the desperate fight made by the wounded man, who man-
aged to fight off his assailants notwithstanding his hip had been
cut deep into the bone and one arm had been practically severed
at the elbow.32' Reports of "gold-diggings" frequently drew away
scores of supernumeraries, whose loss threw extra labor and hard-
ships on the shoulders of their more loyal companions.33
For long stretches throughout its course the route was nothing
more than a trail. To build a good road was out of the question.
One passenger reported that his stage overturned three times on
aNew York Herald, October 24 and November 11, 1859; account of a re-
porter. Also, Missouri Republican, November 10, 1858; account of J. W.
.Farwell.
-"Ibid. See, also, the report of Bailey, the special agent of the Post
Office Department, Report of the Postmaster General for 1858, appendix.
"3Account of Mr. Beardsley, a passenger who passed the station soon
after the tragedy. Missouri Republican, December 18, 1858.
"3Statement of "Dr. Jones," Missouri Republican, December 18, 1858.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926, periodical, 1926; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117141/m1/20/?rotate=270: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.