The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-08

NTHE STAGE COACH DAYS.

~
-
when the Mails Were Carried
From Wheeling in nm Unc0uth
Leathern Boot
From The New York Mercury
The old.fashioned stage coach will soon
be aenrious thing Of the past. The shrek
Of the iron horse and the rumble and
roar Of the rushing trainihaye succeeded
the tooting horn Of the numbering mail
coach driver. In the distant southwest
and northwest, stage coaches running on
long lines are still 10 be found; but sthe
glory Of Ichabod hath departed.s The
gayly decorated coach, drawn by aspank.
ing team Of four matched horses, driven
by q knight Of the whip, swelling with
pride In his scarlet uniform, and hand
ling .the ribbons with the skill Of .
master, Ia but \ fast fieeting memory.
Fifty years ago mails and travellers
from New York, Philadelphla, Baltimore
and the Ohio river, at Pittsburgh and
Wheeling, were carried by stage lines
largely owned and managed by Reside,
gthe Land Admiral In 1914 he began
to run n line Of stages from HagerstoWn,
Maryland, TO McC onnelstoWn, Pennsylya.
mia, and 4 fewyears atterwafd he became
one OF the largest mail contractors in the
United States. He possessed q grand
physique being six feet four inches
high; and without any superauSus flesh,
measured ffty,three inches about the
cheat, and weighed two hundred and
twenty pounds. His hair and whiAkerS
were sandy red, and his complexion iorid.
Great enterprise, remarkable executive
ability, strict, integrity, frankness OF
speech and open.handed generosity were
his marked characteristics. ! He was the
intimate friend OF General jackson, the
associate Of Clay, Crittenden, Benton, Nc.
Lean and other distinguished men Of
that peiod.
Shortly after the war Of 1912 James
Reside was concerned in establishing a
daily line OF stages across the Allegheny
mountains. Atthat time there was q
turnpike from Baltimore TO Frederick
and and that portion between
Boonsboro' and HagerstoWn was the trst
piece oil macadamiEed road in the United
States. From Hagerstown. west, TO
Wheeling there were no turnpikes. The
charter had been Just obtained, and they
were about to begin work. The tirst
through stsge line between Baltimore and
the Ohio river was organized in relays.
These relays were to lodge the first night
ut HagerStown,the second at Cumberland,
the third al Uniontown, and the fourth
at Wheeling. The stages were OF the old.
fashioned kind, somewhat similar 70 the
modern ambulance, open In front, with .
mere rack behind to hold OF or two
trunks. Persons rarely Travelled in those
days with 8 trunk. The passengers all
faced the team, on alevel with the driver.
Ssddlebags, then the usual baggage OF the
travellers, were slung around the stan
dards which supported the root. Il was
the custom 1t night when they reached
the lodging place 10 give their saddlebags
into the custody Of the landlord, whose
wife put them under her bed and deliver.
ed them to the travellers in the morning.
Travellers often carried large sums In this
way.
Shortly aiterward the construction OF
the turnpike between Hagerstown and
Cumberland was begun. The bill auth
orizing the national road passed Congress
in 1902, but the construction OF II was
not begun until 1916. AT that time there
were no coaches running across the AL
leghany mountains day and night, and
that was the condition OF affairs until
about 1897.
Mr.. Reside having giving the Postot.
fee department great satisfaction In the
South, Judge Mclean urged him TO take
the contract for carrying the mails be-
tween Philadelphia and New York. This
was the latter part Of 1927. Mr.. Reside
had not the capital to stock the line, and
the money was advanced to him BY John
Slatterthwaite, Of Lsbanon, Ohio. Rec
side nut on his line,and between 1927 and
1885 reduced the time from twenty.seyen
10 twelve hours to the trip. Inthe mean
time he became the contractor Tor the
mails between Baltimore and Wheeling,
via. IIagerstown and the National road,
and from Philadelphia, via. Harrisburg,
Chambersburg and Bedford TO Pittsburg,
upon which routes, prior TO his taking
hold Of the lines, no mail bad been car
ried at night. He introduced the system
OF running day and night between Phila.
delphia and Baltimore aud the West, re-
ducing the time from four days to 6fty-
two hours, and thereby earned the soub-
riquet Of aLand Admiral" bestowed upon
him by Joseph R. Chandler, oithe Usited
States Gasetc. who, In giving him tina.
title. said that he could leave Philadel-
phia with q hot johnnie cake in his pocket,
and reach Pittsburgh before It would grow
cold.
The carrying capacity OF mail coaches
between Philadelphia and New York was
ut frat limited to six ~pasaengers leaving
Philadelphia at 2:30 p. m, and reaching
New York the following morning at 3
O'clock. This time was subsequently re-
duced 10 twelve honrs, the mail leaving
ats p. m. This service was performed By
land the year round. The day seryices,at
the time, between Philadelphia and New
York, wss performed BY the steam: boat
Philadelphia, Captain Abiiah jenkins,
leaving the foot oil Chestnut street. Phil
adelphia, at 8 am, running TO Trenton.
Across The Peninsula from Trenton
TO New Brunswick, mails and passengers
were carried by coaches. Il rarely re-
auired more than four coaches, carrying
nine passengers each. These coaches
connected at the Long Dock, one mile be.
low New B%runswick, with the steamboat
for New York. Of which Cornelius Van.
derbilt was captain. During the winter
season, while navigation was suspended,
the travel required only . daily line OF
two coaches, carrying nine passengers
each, between Philadelphia and New
York. These coaches were, in the begin.
ming Of the egg s~haped,or round top model
without any railing or capacity on top,
and with but . very little slight boot be,
hind Tor baggage. The mail was carried
in the front boot,
while Mr.. Reside was carrying the
mails between New York and Philadel.
phia, the celebrated controversy over
carrying the MALLS on Sunday through
Pennsylvania and New Jersey began
Violent opposition was made BY teligi
ous denominations, and frequently at
tempts we're made to stone the coaches
-L iii. rkafaa .ara alanaF