Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-07-07
The Express System of the United State.

In No. u of the Mount Vernon Papers, pub
lished in the Ledger, Mr.. Everett gives an in
teresting account of the origin and growth of
the Express system in the United States. His
attention WAS first called to the subject on en-
barking from New York for South Carolina
and Georgia, more than n year ago. where the
arrival and unloading Of Adams Express
igons, drawn by sleek, powerful horscs, al
tractod his notice, and induced him to inyesti-
cute the subject. Mr.. Everett separates the
Express system from the commercial and IN an
ufacturipg exchanges Of the country. The lat
tor are for the carriage of articles of bulk; the
f'rmer for the transit of comparatively small
p,rcels of value, some of which he thus emu
In rates: volume transmitted to friend at
distance; watch sent up TO town TO be re-
paired; a dagucrreotype of an absent relative
an engraving In gilt frame; specie balances
interchanged by banks in critical times;
small cask Of hams of Southern curing and
favor; a piece Of plate as bridal present to
distant friend; pair Of shoes of metropolitan
fabric specimens Of natural history, fossil
pi,kled, recent; live rattlesnakes, the boxes
judiciously marked 'to be handled with care;"
delicate fruits from suburban forcing houses
despatched to the Interior; a fresh salmon from
the PenobscOt packed in ice, or a muscalongo
from Sault st. Marie; buffalo robe from the
plains; box of Cincinnati or St Louis cham
payne; patent medicines in great quantities; at
some seasons, mountain piles of newspapers,
the Ledger" overlapping them all; picked
oysters for the craving West, denied that lux
ury by nature; box Of Congressional docu-
ments; in q word, every conceivable article Of
convenience or necessity the growth of manu-
facture Of every part of the country, dispatched
by interest, duty, friendship or affection to the
other
Mr.. Everett makes honorable mention of the
connection Of Mr.. Alvin Adams with the ex-
press business since lSi0 He thus refers to
Adams Express: L
Its lines Of communication, as have been
informed from a reliable source now run not
only South as far as New Orleans, but West as
far as st. Louis. By friendly or tacit under
standing with other expresses, its territorial
limits extend from Boston to New York via
Springfield and New Haven; from New York
to Pittsburg via Philadelphia from Pittsburg
to Cleveland, Ohio, and thence to Cincinnati !;
from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, and thence to
st. Louis The points upon these several lines
are common to Adams's and the other ex-
presses. All South and West of them is, by
mutual understanding, within the territorial
limits Of Adams's Express; all North Of these
limits is served by other expresses. .-s
At the present time. as learn from the same
authentic source, Adams's Express employs
1892 men; it has 972 agencies, and its messen-
gers travel daily 40, 50 miles on the railroads
and in the steamers; a distance equal TO once
round the globe and two thirds around il a
second time.
Mr.. Everett thus alludes to Messrs. Wells,
Fargo Co., another well known and extensive
express company: No small portion of the
specie remittances from California to New
York are conveyed by Messrs. Wells, Fargo a
Co. The general expressage to California is
shared by them with Freeman Co., late
Junior partners Of Adams 4 Co. The houses of
Adams d Co., and Wells, Fargo q Co., are the
two lesding establishments in the expressags
of the United States. .r =