The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-10-06
CARRYING THE MAILs In 1895.

At the foot Of Livingston Street, in
the year 1926, was an important spot Of
high ground, known as Manhattan
Island"-a place where were located the
ship-yards, among them the large one
belonging to Henry Eckford. The pro-
prietors of these yards had an exten.
sive correspondence with the South, es-
pecially with Georgia and Florida, from
which States they obtained thier fat pine
and live oak used in ship-building. Ar.
Charles Forester, more than forty
years an employee of the post-ofice
and who still performs his daily and
arduous duties, then boy, lived in the
suburbs, and he wonld bring up the let.
tiers directed to these ship-builders
carry them across the wet meadows
that lined the eastern shore of the isl
and, and deliver them to their owners
The year was made memorableby the
fact that Colonel Reside obtained the
contract to carry the mails from Boston
to New York. the route being over the
old post road. Resides stages were
very snowy, drawn by four blooded
Virginian horses, and driven by the
most accomplished "Jehus."
On pleasant summer afternoons the
people confined to the lower part of the
island would purposely walk up to the
OOHSEY W SCS INC DODSOA A40A4 SOE4C
in. Sometime before the vehicle reach
ed the old hay-scales, just where the
Cooper Institute now stands, driver
would herald his approach by melo-
dious winding of his horn then laying
aside the vulgar instrument he would
assume his legitimate scepter, the whip,
which he would harmlessly crack over
the heads of his spirited steeds with q
noise that, on clear day, could be
"heard q mile"
On Saturdays the jolly school-boys
and girls would gather together under
the tall poplars and buttonwood trees,
and, as stage dashed along, they would
wave their hands as a welcome, and the
most Venturesome would catch hold OF
the straps, and thus have the glory OF
riding few yards under the overhang-
ing 'boot." The characteristic gamins
Of that period would evince their en-,
thusiasm by following the coach and
rolicking in the dust of its revolving
wheels would cheer it and its passen-
gers to the end of the route; and es-
pecially was this the case when the
driver would purposely make abortiYe
attempts to drive these human flies
away with his whip, or a jocose passen-
ger would handy wit with the boys,
and make them crazy with delight by
the scattering of few pennies in the
road.
In the winter those gay coaches were
put aside, and in their place was a huge
box on wheels, the combination not un-
like 9 hearse, in the heart of which was
deposited the load. The practice then
was to abandon passengers, when the
roads were heavy from mud and rain
and carry the mails; but nowadays, il
the reports from the many stage routes
be true, under nufavorable circum.
stances the drivers abandon the mails to
carry the passengers. Amos Kendall,
the interchangeable Postmaster General
by his industry and good management
reduced the carrying time between New
York and New Orleans from sixteen to
seven days. The event was celebrated
at the Merchants Exchange and the
postofice by the raising of the national
standard, and there was q general re-
joicing on Wall Street. Jimmy Now
er had his joke by gravely asserting
that all newspapers delivered at the of.
fee from New Orleans less than sixteen
days old were printed by the Advertis'
err offico-Hd2De2's MuO1zine.