The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-04-09
From the st. Louis Republican.
The United States Express Company.

mode of transportation Is rcsortcd TO. and
over what a geographical range the lines
OF expresses run. Railroad lines are eve
rywherc, bu. express lines are "lcctlc
ahead"
The early history of the express enter
prise, like that of many Of the successful
undertakings Of the American people i tC
be found III unpretentious beginnings en-
tered upon by individuals, without capital
combination, each protector Of the bu-i-
ness soliciting patronage iIom friends, bat
rarely sufficient TO balance expenses and
indemnify for occasional losses. The buSi-
ness extended slowly. but gradually indi-
Gated for itself the place OF felt nccessi-
ty, yet always demanding perseverance,
toll by day and by night, as the condition
Of its growth, new miles being added
month by month, new villages and cities
being reached and reported in each
month return, until now express messen-
gers are among the most familiar person
ages on every thoroughfare in the land.
As railroads were constructed in the
East heading toward the Pacific the ex-
press business became the attendant OF
railroad traffic, Speeding westward, and
now claims for its field the remotest point
OF the territory OF the United States where
civilized Americans are found
II was the rapid extension of express
lines throughout the West and particular
ly throughout Missouri that lead us into
some inquiry INTO the history oil the Uni
ted States Express Company, which has
appropriated our own State q, exclusively
it, own, there being 100 Express lines IN
t.e State OF Missouri save those dictated
10y the Company named.
The existence Of this Company date
back only to May, 1854 During that year
its lines extended To Chicago IN the North
west, and TO Cincinnati on tine boidcr5 Of
the South with lew short lines - tl.Ju-
taFl@s To Jh= main route. But IN thc So
coHd year the Company commenced stretch
ing cIt its arms. under 4 we'll organized
management. displaying great executive
efficiency. inviting and challenging honor
able competition with older lines. steadily
pressing onward - the Mississippi. until
st Louis was reached VIA Chicago. then
the only Railroad Express route from the
East 10 the far Wcst The lines OF this
Company. While aiming az II LOUIS that
year. embraced also Rock Island. and adj
ded 10 the Tan-c o! IL lines lIr-" pro
portion Of the STATE of li!inci- accessible
either by railroads or hv uayicai.- rivers.
establishing agencies III all the principal
cities and towns. and becoming one OF the
institutions Of the Wet The number
OF miles run b. this Company III the wear
1874 and l>jj was scarcely more thau II
teen hundred. The progress Of the enter
prise was rapid II the Year l>j6, the mum
Der Of miles travcr,-d l-:n- over three
thousand, with REGULAR Express business
established al every city and town on the
line of this 5000 miles OF distance. In
the year lo5.. this Company. the pioneer
Express Of the Wet. Gor such il really
was. a then. 40 other Company had es-
tended its line a stone throw to the weSt
OF the Mississippi river pushed Oh across
the State of Iowa, more than three hun
drcd miles OF the distance being in post
coaches and in ;OuY-horsc covered WAGONS
reaching Des Mg;ncs, and thence 10 couu-
ell Bluffs. where, to make the line more
perfect, they crossed the " Big Muddy TO
Omaha ,ity. the capital Of Nebraska. max
inI a distance in nearly direct line from
tie seaboa:l of sixteen hundred milc~.
duly Ens-no triHing ieat for one orglniza-
ton.
Near the close of the same year 4 81
the United States ExYre-s Company com
menccd il services more extensively in
Missouri. The gradual extension of our
lines ci railroads. and the rapidly develop
ing business oi the State required ENVro--
facilities, and the Company placed tLcir
messengers on the North Missouri road.
then To st Charles only. extending their
business as Major Walker extended hi-
road. until It la, now reached the inter
section OF the Hannibal and st Joseph
road on which the United States ExureSs
are rendering daily service
westward from the Mississippi, with rea-
sonable certainty OF reaching st Joseph
during the approaching SPRING distance
of two hundred and seven miles from ri
Yer TO river.
In September, 1917. the Company sent
well-organized force over the Pacific Rail
road to jefferson City, thence by steamers
to Council Bluffs. establishing agencies AT
all the principal landings on the river in
Missouri, Kansas Iowa. and Nebrasl<a.-
From this main line the Company diverged
at Kansas City branching OFT into the in
terror of Kansas, passing through West
port, the city OF Lawrence Tecumseh. To
that somewhat noted city of Topeka, where,
for this winter only, the line terminates.
During the present year, it is understood
that the Company will have regular eX-
press service to Pixies Peak, the new Fl
Dorado in Western Kansas with view to
an early extension OF the express 10 salt
Lake City.
So remarkably has the Company cx-
tended its daily express service that by
the month of May Of the present year-
not including the gold express from Pixies
Peak--the Company VIII have performed,
every twenty-iour hours, an express service
extending. if the distance travelled was in
a continuous line over thirteen thousand
miles. The Company have about four
hundred offices, and employ some fifteen
hundred men, with horses and wagons in
Vulnerable.
1t is difficult 70 estimate the value Of
this addition TO the transportation, te!e-
graph and mail arrangements of the day,
to the merchant, banker, and business men
generally. Without it the most serious in
convenience and disadvantage would be
experienced instantly. A lady's fan,
case Of goods. box OF coin, or package OF
bank notes, can be forwarded by this Com
pany to almost any point of the United
States, California and Oregon included, as
well as to Europe and Havana.
We learn that the president OF the Com
pany. D. n Barney. Esq. Is also president
and manager OF Wells, Fargo ~ Co taii-
fornia Express. a Company, To It's credit be
i, said which was the sole express Colnpa-
nv do;np business with the Pacific coast
hal
storm of IS55 which passed over Caiiior-
MIA The direct connection OF the United
States Express Company with this Pacific
Express, gives to it unusual facilities for
doing business with the Pacific coast
Our own experience of the promptness
and despatch displayed by this line war
rants the statement that no other line sur
passes it in those particulars The tele-
graph may excel it in swiftness, but that
only The ordinary running time to and
from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston
is about fifty-six hours for money. talun-
bles and newspapers. The latter for Tseks
and months, we have had By this express
ahead of mails, often in advance OF all
other lines. and never behind any, while