New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-10-10
THE EXPRESS BUSINESS.
IT'S FOUNDERS, PRESENT CONDUCTORS
ROUTES AND EXTENT.


icrvice DOW executed by them extensively aud &C.
eeptaby was performed b. stage-dryers and WAGONS
Al important person was the stage-driver in those
dsyr, wbeE locomotives class Of monsters as
yet uDki orn ano the ree earth had no, felt the iron
sbackss Of the railway. Commonly por.ly, f'rit
faced maD with IN air OF authority that IS most iu
presve, he Is. ppon Ms boz grsspog the 1eins Of
bic four or skin band, he vas looked up TO BY al
sorts Of people. As a celebrity, he certainly ranked
high as the ,qure or even the minister; ard this
is saying not little, ior hardly quarter OF century
has passed since cergymen were reyerenced full
n ueh as the uasi-tTaies. That before Mr.. Par
hers day, or Mr.. Beechersi and pos-roads and
pike. were thought by the grest body OF the people,
to be fss, enough. Had il been said to that corpuen
comnc dore like nsn with the whip, reins and fate of
fifteen passengers in bis hands thst two parallel iron
rails ard tea kettle on wheels would, at come future
day. dcthrone him from his imperial position, aud
der staging rot only Questionable, but almost obso
lete he would have stared in ss.oanhuent or smiled
in pity, upon the speaker, az either fool mad.
mar. The stsge.ccach he regarded as Indispensable
as we now think the railroad and express In addition
TO the conveyance Of passengers, the driver had
multitude Of other duties to perform upon his route.
There were messages to deliver, notes and bills to pay
or collect and nice articles to purchase, beside the
business more important than ali the rest of deliver
ing to banks and brokers' packages Of money for re-
demption, deposit, or exchange. Some Of the old
agedrvers, on this account aver roundly that they
themselves were the original e1pressmen; but, how.
ever similar their service it known by the
name Of express business, ard no more entitled to
be called 20 than were the lsbors Of the baggage
wsgoners.
The first freight and parcel Express ever known in
the world was announced by WM +. HARsDEs 10 the
daily papers of New-York and Boston, in February,
1862 ard commen running on the 4th day of March
of that year between those two cities, via the Boston
aud Providence Railroad and Long Island Sound. The
want Of public messenger to take charge Of valusbls
parcels, &c., had been felt ever since the operation Of
railroads bad given quietus to stage lines and driven
the drivers into other employments. On no route OF
travel had this want been felt more than between
New-York and Boston. Many Of our mercantile read
ers will remember the time when no map of any
responsibility and business acquaintance could pass
from one city to the other without being loaded down
with packets of bonds bank notes, other vsluables
which bis friends defred him to deliver as address
3D." Handlers enterprise therefore, though spoken
of ss "a new kpk"-a Yankee notion" &c.-was
favorably regarded by the business community espe-
cially the brokers'
WIN. r. uARhDEh was heliNc VI ~No0-Lb5ona'
He renquished conductors berth on the Is 'ston and
Worcester Railroad, 10 commence upon his OWE &C.
count, the project which has sirce nade his name
famous. He was young man at the time, full OF
vitality and energy, which experienced no dminuon
until the time of bis decease, in 1917 or is. II was
Harndens custom, at the outset to carry his Express
in bis hant. vase held it all He would come on
by tho railroad to Providence, and thence 10 Tho
ohr nd IN n
Der seeing him run around to deliver his parcels Ho
was of medium size, rather thin and wiry, dark
oomple1ioned brighteyed active rapid in perception
cheerful and sccemm odstipg. His weakness ley in
coucevipg more plans than he had capsciytc execute
Afer commencing the Express service here, he en-.
gaeed incidentally in thetransporation Of immigrants
by the canals in ths State and attempted other enter
prses which did not result 70 hi, advantage.
The second sxpressman was Luke Damon, meg
sepser in Harnden's employ, now engaged with
Ki.sley & Co in Bo'ton.
In May, 1910, ALVIN ADAMS and 2. b. BURKE,
started an express in direct competition with Ham
deps, under the style Of Burke & Co. After . few
months of cup hill work." Buke retired, and Mr..
Adams executed all the business of the Opposition
himself He was its messenger cashier, reccip-clerk,
label-boy and porter. lie employed no wagon, nor
did Hsrnden, until year two elapsed for they had
only small and valuable parcels to deliver in those
days.
We believe that Burke rever returned to the EI-
press business.
Alvin Adams ives native of Vermont. While he
was yet boy great misfortune happened to him IN
the loss Of his parents. They were Frustrated by the
| spotted fever" ard died within week OF eaen
other. II was heavy blow TO him, OF course Tor ne
WAS of an sect;onate disposition and tendey attached
to them At the age Of 6 be prevailed upon bis rea'
tyes to consent to his seeking his fortune among
strspgers lie wert first to one OF the larger interior
towns and remained for time, then went to Boston.
An INEXPERIENCED Green Mountain boy, be could not
expec. the best employment, nor old he hud H. Alter
seeking in vain for some days such situation as no
he offered his services to the proprietor OF the
LAFAYETTE Hotel, on Washington street, opposite
Bo,son At that time that hotel had just been erected
and ramed in honor of the Marquis, who wcs very
popuar in Boston, 1t was then the crack house, aud
held in high esteem especially by the joval members
of that poteptal and numerous, but always harmoni-
on, body the Handel aud Haydn Society. This mrs.
c.l institution, fron time iumemorial the pride OF Bos-
ton was then and still is we believe located in Boys
tom Hall, opposite the Few hotel and-ss the membs
met several nights in the week. either for rehearsa or
public performance of orator,opsrty from pstri.
cite yenerston for the Marquis and partly to recu2e
rate after their musical abors, they visited the bar OF
the Lafayette very Often and sometimes they would
| come in great numbers rendering IN assistant bar.
| tender very desirable. Our Green Mountain boy,
therefore, was allowed TO take hold occasionally n that
| capacity, at his own request and worked for his
bosrd In few weeks his intelligence, industry and
probty 70 pleased the lessee Of the hotel that he re.
ceiyed him into regularly compensated employment.