The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1858-11-10
The Overland Pacific Mail.


weekly mails each way. is. says con
temporary, an event the Importance
Of which cannot be over estimated
The contract specifics that the service
shall be performed il twenty tivc days,
and here We find the most satisfactory
evidence OF the good faith Of the con
tractors, and Of their ability 10 perform
their contract. ia tic fact that the very
first mail sent through arrived one day
and twenty hours ahead OF the time
specified. 1t does not require any pre-
science TO perceive tIiat this j. the first
practical step towards the establish
mcrt If railroad and tclesraphic crn-
mAnicaticn between these same points.
Ii wagons, travelling at the average
rate N four anu half miles per hour.
can traverse tietwo thousand six hun
drci am t;i;y.ore miles that lie be-
tween these two cities ~ the III f.so
ronte, Ia tie space OF twenty three
DAYS. ii fellows tina; train of ears,
travelling at an average speed SIX times
greater, can run between them in four
days; and that consequently the esta-
b.ishmcnt of the Pacific Railroad will
place New York and San Francisco
within six DAYS ride Of each other. II
is III view Of that not distant epoch Of
trans-continental railroad travelling,
that the arrival d. the first overland
mail wagon train from San Francisco
in st. Louis. becomes really an event
Of the highest significance, aud one
which deserves 10 lie duly honorcd by
the people Of the United States. Tie
President, in his reply Iy telegraph to
Lii. BurIerfield, has well described il
as glorious triumph for civilization
and the Union:r and he is equally
happy in Indicating the immediate re-
suits to follow. lie says: '.Scttle.
ments viii soon follow the course oi
tie road, and the at aud the West
will b. bound together hy Chain Of
living Americans which ran never IL
broken Tie first practical step tax
en- toward tie achievement OF this
most desirable end. was section IN
the Post Office Appropriation bill, ap-
proved Marci ,, 1871, empowering
the postmast,r General to contract til
the carrying u mail from tie Mis-
sissippi river at ST. Louis to San Fran
cisco, either monthly, scmi-montllv
or semi-weekly, with the diilcrcn
rates Of compensation mentioned il
the bill, the contract to last for 81,
years. In pursuance Of the authoril,
thus vested in the Postmaster Genera
lie advertised FIR bids, and finally. u
the 18th Of Sept. 1857, lie complete,
a contract with Ncssrs. John Butter
field, VIM. y. Dinsmore, Wm. q
Fargo, James v. +. Gardner, Marcu
J.. Kiryon, Alexander Holland, an
Hamilton Spencer, for transportin,
the entire letter mail overland to Cali
fornA twice week and back, in goo
four horse post coaches or spring wac
ons. tor the term Of six years, ut til
annual compensation Of six hundre
Thousand dollars. or about - .ssj ~
"trip, besides the right to carry passcr
gers. The mails eastward have al
rived at their destination forty ior
hours in advance u the schedule tin,
and it is not unreasonable to suppo:
that those westward have been tran
ported to San Francisco with equ
rapidity-;lus showing the pcrfc
practicabilitv Of an overland mail "
gon route BY which tao mail scrvi
can be performed as promptly as
now il performed BY the way 81 Pa
ANA.