New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-10-10

was epgegsd n ttfs ust or 10 the origin o. toe az
press. but GONE of his operations were unfortunate,
and. winding up bis affair, he commenced in Is4Q
the competitor Of Hs'nder.
In The sam year, Hsrnden made DExrra BE,srAu,
r.. bis New-Yo'k sgent, and 8 few weeks susae-
ouertIy they executed articles OF eopac s.shp under
tbe style of " I. Harndep Co. Brigham We, t1e
f.st sspres.msn ever located in New-York. Es orig
insl express office, if ~ remember rightly, vas in
the basenept der what was then HIjsoLs Reading
room. at n e corner of " all and Nassau streets.
Soon after becoming partner, Brigham went to
ENGLAND ana established the first express Inc bet reen
the United States ard Great Britain. He vas native
Of Wes,borsugh Mass. The son Of respectable parent
be had received fair education, which his nstUrsi
brightness az strength Of intellect had made the most
of 80 thai while still yourg he was remarkable tor mis-
business ability. At the age OF sixteen Ae was and.
surveyor In one cf the Southern States. Afer~ard
he became conductor Oh the Boston ard Worcester
Railroad, and it was Il ere, probably, that H.rndea
srmed his acquaintance Before becoming local
agent of the express, Brigham had made many tips
as messenger.
In ISI Hsrnden & Go. commenced the erst express
pes ever in nee between Boston and Albany, Albany
IL New. York, ard New-York and Phnadelpbs-
Their line from New York to Boston wss via
S,onippton and Providence, and Adams Co.'s Wis
Norwich and Worcester. The two expresses have
continued runrng over those routes ever since.
In the mean time, Alvin Adams had taken for
partner Ephraim Farnsworth, and installed him in
charge of the New-York office, in the basement now
occupied by Boyd's City Letter Express, in William,
near Wall street. W. B. Dnsmore, no~ President OF
tie Adams Express Company, was clerk there at the
tine. bat soon succeeded Farnsworh a. partner ard
the latter stepped out. Upon becoming Adamss
partner, Dinsmore removed the express office to No.
(,ow No ~ Wall street
William d. Din.more was the son Of constable OF
Boston. We remember this functionary very wall.
He was large, goodlcoking maD altogether superior
to the class persons usually serving in like capacity
and much respected by his neighbors for his sound
dgmen, and dry humor.
The .op. Wilism was ambitious TO be merchant,
and when be was fourteen would have gone into
store but his prudent father sad No. my son; learn
"a trade now. and when you are free, abandon it,
you like for some other purrut But learn trade,
coed trade, and the knowledge of it will always
" stick by you, to serTeyou in time Of need
It was much against hs inclinstions to become an
apprentice, but to William bis fathers sish sss law
against which he would not contend. Accordingly, no
devoted seven years of bis life to acquiring trade
a
count Of the ts,tefuness of his workmanship could
have con snded the highest wages but as soon as bis
time was out at the age of twenty he abandoned
the business asserting in his own quaint way hst he
would break into aims house rather than return to
t. Nor did he ever work moment at his trade after
ward, though, while seeking more cougenal employ
ment in the city, while he resided little way out Of
town. be was at timer poor to pay his toll 70 cross
Al. LII A niuS we
ingroom of his brother n.lsw Mr. Bowers, an Eastern
land and lumber merchant, on Commercial street.
There he proved neat and excellent bOok-keeper;
but bis employer was soon after involved the gen.
era ruin which suddenly bcfel the Eastern land bust
ness about that time and he was thrown agsin upon
bis own very limited resources. He was captain of
FIRE engine company, before it was paid department,
and his manhood energy and rare bunor, We well re-
member made him much beloved by his fellow fire.
men, and large circle of acquaintance at the West
End so that when be was at length led to seek for
business in another secon of the country, and sever
his early associations, his departure was deeply re-
grctted BY rumerous warm friends. ourselves among
tie rest.
After two or three years passed in the South and in
this city be had entered into the express service in
ls4l, IA before stated. Energetic, jddeious blunt
uokep yet jocular he was just the man for the work
His orly ssshtant at No. w street was lad
named John Hoey. The Custom-House department
Tor butiuess Of huryrg through our customs the i'm
perta,iops Of Boston and Philadelphia merchansj now
perfoIned for the Adams Express by j. X. Sdmson
& Bro, was then in charge Of q Mr.. Dagget; but,
strictly speaking tue entire express business OF Adams
g. Co. in this city was performed by one man and .
boy with the al of 70 larger vehicle than wheel
tsnow. But the lad WAS . smart one, for he had
made himself, and in serving the latest intsll'
seuce received per express" to tho dali, newspapers
of thi. city, be put Harnden& Co.'S Mercury jim to
hi. trumPs especially after the enterprise of Dinsmoie
had furnished him with poDy-an actual pony-with
which to trot from Brooklyn (Wnere the papers were
thross to John by Adams & Co.'s messenger, on the
Long Is,ard Railroad traio from Boston, around to the
Offices of the various editors IN Nsw-YOrk.
Mcrcnry Jim," however, MAS very serviceaoe,
and We could wish that he had aimee met with good
fortune ike bis competitor, John aoey, who has con-
trued to serve his employers to the extent OF MS co.,
ssnlly -erlaIopg capacity, untnow when We Ind him
superirtel deLt Of the Adams Express Compenys
immense freight ard parcel bwiness at No. % Broad
way with force Of 80 men, 40 horse' and ~ wagons
a. his command, as substitute for thst pony.
In 1912 or ls43, Adams g. Co.'s lines were eI-
eLdeo torough the enterprise VI 'ne VIII "NN 80
new coadjutor, Z. g. Sanford at Poi adephia and ).
N. Shoemaker in Bsltin ore, IS far a. Washington,
d. c., aud Ale1sndiia, Va About the same time,
Col. Thompson, AgeLt at Springfield, Mass, bought
out He,nden & Co.'s Boston and Albany lice, sdssve
il the name of THOMPSON L. Co.'s EXPIRES. tessrs.
johnson CT Albany, and Melcher of Boston, are his
partners. Col Thompson has since become idensihed
with nearly all tie more important express enter
prises Of our times. He is gentleman Of wealth and