Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-03-26
THE POST OFFICE.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE,
On the Post Office and Post Roads.
CONVINCED.
Resides Contratt from Cumberland TO
Biairs Gap.

TO the contract OF James Reside to trans
port the mail on The route from Cumber
land to Blair's Gap, (routes 1915, an,
$500 which is noticed ia page IS Of the
former report
The facts and circumstances concern
ing IT, as they now appear in evidence
are as follows:
The distance from Blair's Gap TO Bed
ford is SO miles. The weight of the mai
on this part Of the route is said by Johr
Hoihus, the postmaster at Bedford, tt
range from twenty TO forty pounds. Or
distribution days." he says it might be
forty pounds; on other days, about one
half or little less" The other part oil
the route, from Bedford 10 Cumberland
IS mountlEous apd but little travelled. /,
passes one post Office at Rainesburg, the
| net proceeds of which were % dollars 2s
cents. the year ending the 3Ist March,
! 1888. Hoflius, the postmaster at Bedford
testified, (sec doc. CD that the mail car
rIed on this part OF the route Syould not
average five pounds in weight, aud be
/ ADDS, " there were sometimes three or
four letters, it would not average so
many" Such were in short, the claims
OF this route, TO heavy expenditure of
the public funds.
Preparatory 10 the letting in 1881. pro
posals were published for carving the
mail on both these routes, once a week ON
horseback, and al the lettings they were
bid off by James Clark, at ats dollars a
year, TO be carried pursuant TO the adyer
tisement. The contracts upon these routes
however. changed hands, in the report OF
the Postmaster General Of the Sd March.
1884, (doc. 1873. page 1881 James Rec.
side Is stated TO be the contractor for car.
| rying the mail from Blar's Gap TO Cum.
| berIand three times week, in four horse
post coaches, at the annual compensation
of $4,000 Aud on the a5th of February.
1888, he was directed to run daily from
/ Bedford 10 Blair's Gap. at an additional
/ compensation OF a9ll dollars ~ cents.
making Ia the aggregate 7.4il dollars ~
cents a year
/ Your committee called for the papers
on which this change of contract was or
/ dered, and received the following:
LIST letter (See Doc No. 6s,) from
4 Silas Moore TO o B. Brown, dated al
Washington. the a4lh OF December 1881,
in which he says.
Having understood application is made
/ 10 The Post Office Department for having
the mail carried IN stages from HOLIDAYS
pufg 10 bedtotd from my knowledge oil
( 'hat section OF the country, the inclination
10 TIE Bedford Springs. and the termna
ton ct The Pennsylvania canal being at
Hoiidayshufg, must necessarily render
SUCH q" Improvement popular with the de
paftmeot' and gave general satisfaction to
ihal SECTION oi The country ="
Under this is written postscript. in the
! following words:
Respecting the Improvement as above
suggested. from my knowledge of ina,
section OF the country, aud adjoining our
mail route. hope the applicant may sue
ceed," &c
/ (Sisned) WIN. COLDER.
This WIN. Colder appears to have heen.
at that time, partner Of James Reside
IN contract 10 carry the mail on seven
other routes and Silas Moore was the
| partner Of Colder on one or more routes.
on which the contract price was 600
| dollars, and on which was engrafted AN
extra allowance of 1900 dollars
Next TO this letter of Mr.. Moore, and
The postscript of Mr. Colder, follows a
/ proposition Of James Reside. bearing
date the 3lst of December. 1891. in The
following words: See Doc No. 60
"No. 1915, from Bedford TO Blair's
Gap, and No. 1880. from Bedford 10 Cum
berIand, Md. will run the mail in four
horse post coaches, and connect with each
end Of the rouls with every mail that may
be ordered by the Post Office Department,
for three times week, and give such ex
petition as may be required by the de
partment, for the yearly compensation
of $500 dollars. refer you TO the Hon.
George Birds letter, and also to Messrs
Colder and Moore"
Ii is proper here 10 note that no letter
Of the Hon. George Bird was furnished
by the officers of the department TO your
committee, though specially applied for by
them.
There is, then, another proposition Of
Reeside addressed 10 the Postmaster Cen
eral, (Sce Doc. No. 70) and dated the
10Th of December, 1882, in which he Of
fers to perform the same service al the
same price as above, but accompanies it
with statement Of the importance Of the
route; and adds that stages have been es
iablished on No. 1915, bedford TO Blair's
Gap,) for several years. On this paper
is endorsed, I" Contract at tine price stat
ed" and " Decision made April 5, 1892
1t is also noted on the same paper, +" Con
tract made April 18th, 1882. Thus the
acceptance Of the proposition contained in
this paper is endorsed upon il eight montb'
, before the date Of the paper itself. ane
the contract made in pursuance OF the
i proposition contained in the paper, is no
/ ted on il as having been executed nearly
, eight months before the date Of the paper
E Circumstances pretty clearly show tina
8 the paper was in fact written before tb'
!. 5ih Of April, 1882. but yet in The yea
! 1882 Gas no one is likely TO date by mis-
e take ia future year, The presumption