The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-02
OVERLAND TO SAN FRANCISCO.
PROGRESS OF THE FIRST MAIL
FOUR-N-HAND ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
Thirty-five Hours Ahead to the
Texas Border.
The Route-What is to be Seen-How the Western
People Receive the Overland Mail
90. &c.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE NEW YORK HERALD.
MAN OVERLAND MAIL WAGON,
MAR RID RIVER, Indian Territory, Sept. 20, 1858
My last letter written the Pacific Railroad
the western terminus, and left in anticipation Of meet
ing the first overland mail stage Upton hun
dred and sixty miles from s. Louis which city, will be
reooected, the great overland mail left O'Clock
the morning OF the 10th inst. Since that time have
travelled day and night, hills, mountains and
plains fast four horses with relays could
carry The teams have all been promptly ready to
change and think the facility OF progress has been
greater than the best hopes of the company anc
pated We nearly six hundred and seventy miles
from St Louis about quarter OF the distance OF
journey. Our general course has been west
o the Pacific to terminus, and southwest
through Missouri to Fort Smith, on the Arkansas line
thence 10 river the border Of Texas crossing
few miles below Preston. AT Fort Smith arrived just
twenty hours in advance of the time allotted the
time table which you have published, which made
Mt $50 Monday, while had arrived and started
before that time on Sunday. Much astonishmcn,
fovA that the Memphis mail had beaten fifteen minutes,
thos this for by the assertion the
Memphis Postmaster had given up the mails before time.
thus deprived Of my anticipated privilege of writing
you from Fort Smith and since then the stages have
gained nine hours more, you may readily believe have
had No opportunity TO write.
To gain thirty two hours have on the already
close time table OF the Overland Mail Company has not
given much time To 60 easy the stones. have
given up several attempts To wrte of sheer despair,
and perhaps your printers will wish had given mp this
Writing Captain Rynder's back in the midst of Tam
many Hall a circumstance to it, The only sleep
have had Thursday morning has snaiched
in the wagons roads which out Connecticut Connect
cut. Yet the scenes which constantly meet the
vew the varegaed aspec; Of the country the curious
characters be met and the novelty of roughing over
land are think, quite rccompcnse for any slight
convenience which may be experienced But, to the de-
tails OF our journey.
The Pacific Railroad train carrying the first overland
mail arrived at Upton the the road,
situated in Monteau county Mo, AZ precisely minute
after six O'Clock p Of Thursday the leh inst being
several minutes behind time We there found the first
coach ready the horses all harnessed and hched aud
Mr. John Butterfcld Jr., impatient to be or The
contains but few hundred inhabitants and all these
seemed 10 have turned for the OCCASION though they
made no demonstration on account Of IT, The place
n, however, but few months old, having been
built since tie completion Of this end OF the line,
and doubtless exctomcnts are too rare to be appre.
ca,ed. They looked with establishment as the bag
gage and packages being rapidly transferred from
the 70 the coach The latter entirely and
had not yet held a LOAD OF passengers II very much
rcsembed those heavy coaches which used in New
York TO convey passengers between the steamboats,
,e,,o,s and the hotels and pared 10 be- quite a. exnsn
sivey built In large letters the side the fol-
lowing
eS~>~ s~e>,~e~,>e~3
The time occupied shifting baggage and passen.
gers was just nine minutes at which time the cry Of " all
aboard, and the merry crack young John Bnterats
whip denoted that we were or took a note Of the
following distinguished persons present worthy Of
place history MIR John Buiterded President OF the
Overland Mail COMPANY. John Buttered Jr the box;
Judge Wheeler, lady and two children Of Fort smith, Mr.
X CorbIn Of Washington and the correspondent Of the
HnAp II had been decided 10 take passengers hut
the last named gentleman the hrs trip but Mr. Butter
held exception favor Judge Wheeler agree.
himself You will perceive therefore, that your
pendent the only through passenger who In
the first overland coach for Francisco all the
Of the party dropped OF by the time We reached Fort
Smith Not cheer raised as the coach drove on the
only adicu being Good bye John addressed John
Jr., by one 81 the crowd Had they have been Wild In
dians they could not have exhibited less emotion.
Our road for the first miles was very fair coursng
through several small prarcs, where for the irst time
noticed those travelling hotels 50 commonly in the
Western country. These large covered wagons in
which the owner and his family, sometimes numbering
high as dozen, emgrae from place % place, travelling
In the daytime and camping near wood water aud grass
night All along the widest Western roads these hotels
may be me-, in every direction, enlvcnng the way by
mestc felicity which might well be cmuated in certain
quarters comfortable and less homcly. We rode
along at somewhat rapid pace, because John, Jr
determined that the overland mail should through his
section time; and though his father kept calling
BE careful, John, lac assured him that il .'al
The nrst stopping place "shackleford's about
seven miles distant aud seemed hardly q have he
como comfortably seated - the coach before attention
attracted H. the illumination az Destination
cogni,,on q the occasion which seemed quite cheering
after the apparent previous neglect The team wheeled
up fine style, and found the change ~ horse. really
harnes-ed and supper waiting Mr. shacslcior assured
that he would have fired but ho could
get 10 OF We took the will for the deed however
and hustled IN 10 supper, which was soon despatched
After taking leave ri Mr. Corbn the others we were
OF again to the station, having been detained IN All
twenty minutes THIS locality called Syracuse ami
principally owned by T. Brayton ana Mr. Shacl cford
who have done much 10 establish the through this
section Tho Pac &c Railroad Company building
depot here, and the western terminus Will shortly BE-
n II 4 he 4 y
Morgan county. Prom this point I considered mysrif
fairly under way N the coarhs. ard must confess that
FELL quite faiigued With the hgst few miles a. with
many hundred which have Travelled since Tic
change from railroad 70 coach travelling somewhat
on the Pacific tho change graduaas u br hsrv
perccptible DO think that road quite equal to th1t
monument q human enterprise the Long Island Rlroai,
though generally must ajuis found the Western ral.
roads very well managed
As the road % TIC next station though only thrt.an
miles. nearly all un h, hour forty.
I've reaching j.. which considered pretty
good time Our horses -four N number. that beng
the allotment all along the line from Upton San FRAN.
CISCO They we're ready au4 harnCssed Al ts point aud
90 change teams the work - but few minutes AMI
we were on again. This time W got a driver who was
sick, and The road being somewhat bad, made pro.
Ercss SLOW and the sixteen miles Burns o-cspcd three
hours The driver from here did not know tn road vel,
and We had " feei way along tho nEh dark
The roads very difficult and the coach anI. SEEMED ~
q little use IN the dim moonlight, and the sixteen
another three hours Yet though us might appear -
be slow travelling. II faster than required hy
the time table A. ncarcd the stations blew our
horns 70 arprse them 81 our coming AZ WarsAN though
arrived about three A. N, and ahead ~ time ~
found horses ready hafucssod and were s00n 81 or
way 70 tho next station, eleven miles distant Tho rDad
led through ford ~ the Usage river AMI tonsa forest
fun Of rocky hits and TIE ughl dark pitch
A. we len Warsaw bal ~ We preceded vs. a.au 81
horseback with light 10 show Tn way through ne
ford but The rvcr beng rather low there no; much
danger began 20 feel fear ~ wet feet AMI mail
bags when the water reached the hub but W. got over
tatey and pretty dry Tho water deeper thin
n a mai ~ lie