Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-09-19

associates was John Hoey, who for
| thirty-seycn years was All intimate
friend, and at Mr.. Adams death.
stood high iii the councils of the COM
pany. On the eve of his departure to
attend the funeral, Mr.. Iioey was
asked to give some "reminiscences of
Mr.. Adams and the early DAYS of the
great enterprise he began. In reply
Mr.. Hoey said 81 would be glad at
some other time to give you the facts
of this romance, but l am hurryins
of to Boston. When Mr.. Adams be-
gan to carry parcels and letters be-
tween Boston and New York there
was no railroad. lie came to Allyn's
| Point, and thence direct to New York.
lie. had n singularly pleasant face,
and frank, manly bearing that at
tracicd people and bred confidence.
so that he soon got his share OF that
kind of patronage
"Did he travel much himsclf?"
"No; he travelled short time only.
Then he hired messengers but his
personal bearing and genial manner
did much to win customers. Fl was
everything. After a few months he
induced Il young harness maker by
the name of Dinsmorc to come 10
New York and open an office. lie did
so and ut first he kept the books, de-
| livercd the letters, Qer which they
got twenty five cents cach,) and the
parcels, made out the way-biI!S and
collected the freight"
"Wcrc you with them then -
"Oh, no: was a cabin-boy ON the
Sheridan, packet between New
York and Liverpool. i.got in W it'll 8
gang OF boys, and i'll q short time We
made "a corner in counting papers
We counted, mailed, folded. and ship
ped all the papers printed in the city
MIR. Bennett took a great fancy 10 us
One OF us was Jerry Bryant, the min,
strcl. While was doing this / made
the acquaintance of an eXpressmal
named Bccchcr. lie was running /:
little Connecticut express, and Offered
Inc 81 y week and steady work.
accepted, and we took an Office with
Adams. AT that time Edwin S. San
ford was in the habit of coming i,
and asking for y job. Finally Dins
more let him help make ont a wa,
bill, and little by little he worked in
till he was made agent in philadel
phia, and Dinsmore and | ran TIN
New York end, Adams staying il
Boston,
"Was MIR. Adams the clief?"
"Oh, yes; and he was the sole on
known. He and his manner mad
: everything
: "Wcrc You successful at first ?"
: "Not at all. 1t was 1916 before W
began even to see our way clear.
was constant struggle. A three AoI
, lar way-bill was wonder"
At first bills and letters were til
principal freight, but parcels bega
, to come in, and after while trunks
: boxes and bundles. This neccssitate,
: porter, but for long time a boy an,
wheelbarrow did all the collecting
and distributing. Then they got
horse and wagon. step which wa
lpondercd long before it was taken
All the parties interested were fon,
of horses. Mr.. Adams had in earl,
life looked forward to the day whel
!, his ambition should be crowned as h
, took his seat upon the box of a stage
with the ribbons of q four-horsc tear
|, in his hands. Mr.. Dinsmore, as har
/ ness-maker was brought III contac
with horsemcn, and knew horses. /
t late years Messrs. Adams and Sanfor
+ have been noted for their stables, an
have held the reins over the best bloc
iii the land. With tho purchase of th
horse and wagon, came new field O
operations. The New York and Ney
Haven Railroad, just then completed
offered them facilities and exclusiy
contracts for carrying money anc
!, small packages in what was known a
? q p. =. truck over its line. For thi;
} Adams & Go. contracted to pay, wit
: fear and trembling in their boots, Iii
3 Ienormous sum of $l,700 per mouth
2 but almost at the very start il provet
3 a paying yenture--inaeed, the ven
' ture which determined them 10 con
tinue in their business. The mex
step was 10 carry freight for mer
chants at either end of the line. an,
to establish agencies along the line a
? well and in less than three years tn
? whole custom of the country wa
changed, almost all the light freight
: and some of the heavier, being sen
by railroad express, instead of on tn
boats rs freight.
The government was not slow +
follow the example of the banks an,
sent for Mr.. Adams to go to Wash
: ington. lie went, and made so GOO
an Impression that a contract was a
once entered into by which the com
pany We're 10 carry the government
Treasure. When the war broke on
this meant much more than in ordi
nary times. Millions were sent b,
Adams ~ Co every day MI over III
continent sometimes millions i'm coin
sometimes i'm bills and bonds. A
times they had armeb guards 10 pro
tcct the treasure: but, as rule, In
government agent took the company
simple receipt, and sensibly left tn,
rest TO the agents.
When The California fever brok'
out in 1919, Mr.. Adams was the frs
in the field, and sent out an expires
under Mr.. ID. IL. Haskell, one Of ia,
keenest men in the service. lie tool
out wooden shed for an Office, ant
soon made the place tue headquarters
for all the wise men of the east. Thos,
were golden days The trouble, ex
posure, risk, danger, and cost of run
ming an express to San Francisco, ant
thence to the interior, can never b.
known by hearsay. The messenger.
were honest, for they carried mil
lions safe. Attacked by robbers
caught in turbid streams, tempted by
new diggings, and harrasscd by hard
| ships and fatigucs they did their duty
| like heroes. After the express had
been doing finely, in an evil day they
oPened bank. When Mr.. Adams
! went to San Francisco the whole town
rose at him. He went to inspect, but
he had no time for that. He was car
riei from point to point in carriage
drawn by four horses, and treated
like prince. When he got back he
/ said he didn't know whether he was
Alvin Adams or the Great Mogul. Al
all events he knew he hadn't done
what he went to do. EXPIRES!
charges at the east were moderate il
California they were outrageous
Letters, deguerreotypes, and small
packages from loved one at home wen
out at eXtortionate rates, because o.
the danger and risk. Ten to one if the
consignee ever saw the freight which
went in the rush to the land of gold
Later, system obtained, and regular
service ruled. During the great e.
nancial scare the California branch OF
Adams u Co, went under. Fortu.
nately the business here was in differ.
ent shape. A stock company was
formed with capital Of $l,000,000
called the Adams Express Company,
and as the business has assumed col.
ossal proportions, Mr.. Adams, who
was seriously crippled by the Cali
fornia failure, was not many years in
extricating himself by the dividends
accruing to his share Of the stock.
Mr.. Dinsmore had graduated from
the happy-go-!ucky harness-makcr
into the calm and portly president of
the company. That position he still
1 l.. H., n ~