Bianconi's horses
consumed on an average from three to four thousand tons of hay
yearly, and from thirty to forty thousand barrels of oats, all of
which were purchased in the respective localities in which they
were grown.
Bianconi's cars--or "The Bians"--soon became very popular.
Everybody was under obligations to them. They greatly promoted
the improvement of the country. People could go to market and
buy or sell their goods more advantageously. It was cheaper for
them to ride than to walk. They brought the whole people of the
country so much nearer to each other. They virtually opened up
about seven-tenths of Ireland to civilisation and commerce, and
among their other advantages, they opened markets for the fresh
fish caught by the fishermen of Galway, Clifden, Westport, and
other places, enabling them to be sold throughout the country on
the day after they were caught. They also opened the magnificent
scenery of Ireland to tourists, and enabled them to visit Bantry
Bay, Killarney, South Donegal, and the wilds of Connemara in
safety, all the year round.
Bianconi's service to the public was so great, and it was done
with so much tact, that nobody had a word to say against him.
Everybody was his friend. Not even the Whiteboys would injure
him or the mails he carried. He could say with pride, that in
the most disturbed times his cars had never been molested.
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