The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-26

The principal EXPRESS companies are tho sdsms ~
press Company, Harn5en & Co, Kinslsy h Co. the Ma
onsl Express Co the American Express Co the United
states Express Co, Wells, Fargo h Co, freeman Co,
ard hope Co, whose lines cover nearly every az iabe
point the country Besides these, there numbers OF
merchant dispatches transportation agencies shippers
commisaoD and city expresses, ch do not propose
TO eDbyace In the scope Of this article While
rate sstemept OF the OF their business w,ad prove
Interesting to readers, most of them 10 thuk II
would interfere with their private arrsngo ents TO mako
such Information public record, however, Of such
facts been able to collect will 10 Illus
tfaie the Dature and extent Of the business.
The American Express Company undoubtedly occupies
the finest building in the city for express business. l.
situated at the Of hudson and Jay streets built OF
Wts,cheser marble, five stories in height, hun
dfed feet square, aud cost $22S 600 Tho arrangements
for the reception and shipment Of freight and the
action OF business are Of the most complete Description
The companys cars are switched from the main
track into the building, where tney DO
vepienty loaded and unlosoed aud are readily
cached by the city wagons, and the whole basi
ness of ta'lyipg, way billing aud loading is
transacted under The building contains
than large fire and burglar proof vaults The
lines Of the company extend through New York. Western
Iowa. Minnesota, Missouri Northern Kentucky Nebraska
Kansas ana Canada west In one year they carried
less than l6soi,797 pounds of freight and they have
brought into New York in day less than Sc
If bank exchanges which business is exclusively
transacted by the express companies. They handle,
literally, "cartloads OF money" and pecunSrily
sponsole for its safe delivery II is estimated that the
value Of property entrusted this company alone
all it's lines 20 $500, 900 900 annually Of which
very small amount fails 10 reach It's destination and
that is mainly due to the mistakes of shippers and consgn
ess. After inquiry and written notice to the places
of erection all packages kept five years. and then
sold 70 pay charges the balance being for the benefit Il
the county poor. The fret sale by this company
this law realized coo to the fund. The company
about Blk hundred Offices throughout the country, and
thirteen hundred employees and its expenses about
81 eco per day.
The Adams Express Company has it's main Office at SO
Broadway Their nes the railroad from Au-
eusta Charleston and Columbia via Wilmington, Weldon,
Petersburg, Richmond, Washington, Baltimore and New
York; also, steamer lines Cnareston and thence Au
gusta, Nashville, Tenn, Memphis and New Orleans.
They, in fact, all available routes of communica
ton East, South and Southwest.
This company claims 10 do equal amount of business
with the American Express Company, and employs Ia
this city about fifty men, forty horses aud twenty I've
gops to deliver and collect goods The arrangements of
their basement reaching through to Temple street:
ceent for the shipment delivery OF freight nearly
all Of their wagons may be loading tho same time
9s,ndens Knsieys and other expresses eas side
OF Broad way have similar Easements
reaching through to New street.
OF the California expresses, Wells, Fargo & Co. and
Freeman Co. are the most prominent The capital stock
of the former company is 5000 0oo and their lines reach
rV ort1 NJ IT. MA NJ
wch Islands, aud the principal ports the Pacific They
also buy and sell gold dust and execute commissions II
all kinds; sell small bills London and Ireland The
amount OF transported by them and from San
Francisco $50 ss4 GOO IN 1857 and 500 100 900 in
1868.
Freenans California Express s devoted to express
business exclusively, having nothing to do With banking
Their lines reach through Oregon and Washington Terri
tory, and all parts Of California and Pacific coast
They have Offices in Boston, New York, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, Washington ard New Orleans and have rssu-
lar express on the Tehuantepec route.
The Harnden Express, confined mainly to the Eastern
business has lis Office at No "A Broadway. Mr. Harnden
the founder and originator of the express business died in
January Of 1916, but his has still been retained
The National and Hope Expresses have both Offices in the
same building
The Unred States Express Company, No SO Broadway,
transacs Western express bnsiness mainly the New
York and Erie Railroad, which was commenced 1854
when the road abandoned its experiment OF doing all the
business s route. Their Ines connecting with the
Erie Railroad tra verse all the Western States
Neither the limits OF this article the disposition OF
the mensgers OF the various lines will enable us to give
anything like accurate estimate of the amount of bust
transacted by the various companies enough has
been said 70 show their vast Importance the business
Of the community. has been proven by actual expert
en that 900 pounds Of butter shipped 10 New York by
the American EXPRESS realized $40 80 titan shipped
by the railway freight lines and the shipper received big
by express, five days in advance Of the other
channel.
Besides the facilities OF inter nunicaticn between
States and large ciies the qualifications Of the business
into European and other foreign expresses railroad bag
gage deliveries and city expresses form another interest
ing feature of the business, which perhaps may con.
slider In separate article
Launch OF the Large Steamer De Soto.