Its long route was traceable clear across the deserts of the Territory by the writhing serpent of dust it lifted up.

By these wagons, freights over that hundred and fifty miles were $200 a ton for small lots (same price for all express matter brought by stage), and $100 a ton for full loads.
One Virginia firm received one hundred tons of freight a month, and paid $10,000 a month freightage.

In the winter the freights were much higher.
All the bullion was shipped in bars by stage to San Francisco (a bar was usually about twice the size of a pig of lead and contained from $1,500 to $3,000 according to the amount of gold mixed with the silver), and the freight on it (when the shipment was large) was one and a quarter per cent.

of its intrinsic value.
So, the freight on these bars probably averaged something more than $25 each.

Small shippers paid two per cent.