Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-23
The Express System of the United States

In No. o of the Mount Vernon Papers,
published in the n. Y. Ledger, Mr.. Everett
gives an interesting account of the origin and
growth of the Express system Of the United
States His attention was first called to the
subject, ON embarking from New York for
South Carolina and Georgia, more than a
year ago, where the arrival and unloading of
Adams Express wagons, drawn by sleek.
powerful horses, attracted his notice, and in
duced him to investigate the subject. Mr..
Everett separates the Express system from
the commercial and manufacturing exchan-
PES of the country The latter are for the
carriage Of articles of bulk: the former for
the transit of comparatively small parcels of
value. some Of which he thus enumerates:
A volume transmitted to friend ut dis
lance; watch sent up to town to be repair
ed daguerreotype of AN absent relatives
an engraving in a gilt frame; specie balan-
cos interchanged by banks in critical times;
a small cask Of hams of Southern curing
aud flavor; IA piece of plate AZ bridal pre-.
sent to distant friend; II pair OF shoes OF
metropolitan fabric; specimens OF natural
history fossil, picked recent; live rattle
snakes, the boxes judiciously marked ito be
handled with care" delicate fruits from
suburban forcing houses despatched to the
interior; a fresh salmon from the Penobscot
packed in ice, or Il maskilonge from Sault
ST. Marie; buffalo robe from the plains;
box of Cincinnati or st. Louis Champagne;
patent medicines in great quantities; ut
some seasons, mountain piles OF newspapers,
the Ledger" overlapping them all; picked
oysters for the craving West, denied that
luxury by nature; n box OF Congressional
documents; in word, every conceivable ar
ticle of convenience or necessity, the growth
or manufacture of every part of the country,
despatched by interest. duty. friendship, or
affection to the other"
The convenience Of the system, says MIR.
Everett is particularly felt by newspaper
publishers and readers, in the facility with
which periodicals are transmitted during the
stormy weather in autumn and winter, when
the ordinary fret ght trains are not to he de-
pended on. After abiding to the inconve-
nience which was felt in former days, in
transmitting small parcels, the loose system
of the old stage coaches, and the dependence
which had to be placed on private persons
who happened to be chance passengers, IN
taking charge of valuable parcels, he pro-
ceeds thus:
This very important state Of things gradu-
ally passed away, with the extension OF Rail
Roads through the country. The change at
first was slow, for though Rail Roads had
made considerable progress by 1880, the first
regular EXPRESS in the United States was
started between New York and Boston in
1899. 1t was projected by VIM. +. Harnden
who gave up place as conductor upon the
Boston and Providence Railroad, and COM
menced business as travelling messenger
between the cities Just named. His enter
prise, like most important enterprises, began
unon small scale Mr.. Ilarnden was able
at first to transport the articles conided to
him in a valse, and distributed them on foot
in the two cities that formed the field OF his
labors."
He then arrives at the year 1870 when
Mr.. Alvin Adams. in connection with MIR. Z.
c. Burke, embarked in the business. MIR.
Adams was poor boy W no came from
Vermont to Boston to seek his fortune. On
the retirement of Mr.. Burke from the con-
| Germ shortly after Mr.. Adams associated
himself with Ephraim Farnsworth in the
| business in New York, since when it has
grown to its present dimensions, conveying
| daily, goods that may be estimated at millions
/ In value.
Its lines of communication, as | have
been informed from reliable source, now
| RIM not only South as far as New Orleans,
bnt West as far as St Louis. By friendly or
tacit understanding with other Expresses, its
territorial limits extend from Boston to New
York; from New York to Pittsburg via Phila'
delphia; from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Ohio
and thence to Cincinnati; from CINCINNATI II, &c
Indianapolis, and thence to St. Louis. The
points upon these several lines are common
70 Adams and the other Expresses. AL
South and West of them is, by mutual un
derstanding within the territorial limits o. o.
Adams Express: all North OF these lines IL
served by other Expresses.
At the present time, as learn from th'
same authentic source, Adams Express EN-
ploys ,7s3 men; it has 972 agencies, and it.
messengers travel daily 40, l52 miles on tn,
railroads and the steamers:-a distance equa
to once round the globe and two-thirds roune
| il q second time"