“On May thirteenth,” comments Mr. Langford further, regarding this interesting commercial situation, “we note that the principal restaurant, ‘in consequence of the recent fall in flour,’ reduced day board to twenty dollars per week for gold. The food of this restaurant was very plain, and dried-apple pies were considered a luxury. At that time I was collector of internal revenue, and received my salary in greenbacks. I paid thirty-six dollars per week for day board at the Gibson House, at Helena. During the period of the greatest scarcity of flour, the more common boarding houses posted the following signs: ‘Board with bread at meals, $32; board without bread, $22; board with bread at dinner, $25.’ Those who took bread at each meal paid about ten dollars per week more than those who took none.”
Here is the story of an incipient bread riot in the ancient West of thirty-five years ago, taken from the columns of the journal previously mentioned:
“Virginia City, Montana, April 22, 1865.
“April 16. The flour market opened at an advance of ten dollars per sack, and by eleven o’clock A. M. had reached the nominal price of sixty-five dollars per ninety-eight-pound sack. The day closing, holders asked a further advance of five dollars per sack.
“April 17. The demand for flour is increasing. The market opened firm at yesterday’s prices. Before ten o’clock it had advanced to seventy-five dollars per sack. Eleven o’clock rolls round and finds dealers in this staple asking eighty dollars per ninety-eight-pound sack. A few transactions were made at these figures. Before twelve o’clock transfers were made at eighty-five dollars per sack, and some few dealers were asking a further advance of five dollars per sack. Consumers, having no other resource, were compelled to concede to the nominal price of holders, and paid ninety dollars per sack in gold.
“April 18. Flour is truly on the rampage, no concession from dealers’ prices on the part of the very few holders of considerable quantities, with a still further advance of five dollars per sack, which brings the price of an average lot of flour to the unprecedented figures, in this market, of one dollar per pound.
“April 19. The flour market weakened under the excitement of ‘current reports’ from some new speculators in the market, transfers of small lots being made at eighty dollars per sack.
“Eleven o’clock. Our city is thrown into a state of excitement. Rumors of a bread riot are heard from all quarters.
“Twelve o’clock. Our principal streets are well lined and coated with men, avowedly on the raid for flour.
“Later. Flour is seized wherever found, in large or small quantities, and taken to a common depot. On the pretext under which several lots of flour were confiscated, we do not think that any one would consider it wrong or objectionable to store flour, under the present circumstances, in fire-proof cellars or warehouses.