The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-01
ALVIN ADAMS, THE EXPREsSMAN.

ALVIN ADAMS, THE ExPREsSMAN.
The Business Success that Made Him md
His Two Associates Millionnires.
From the New York SUM-
Last evening Mr.. William B. Dins-
more, MIR. John Hoey, and a large num-
Der of merchants and expressmen left
this city for Boston to attend the funeral
services of the late Alvin Adams, the
founder of the Adams Express. In 1910
MI. Adams was not worth o dollar.
Last week his express carried in one
day $27, 0O0, 900, the security for which
was simple receipts. In 1910, with the
assistance of one.man and n boy, he
did what little there vas to do. To-day
the concern of which he WAS parent en-
ploy nearly Is, 900 persons. Mr.. Adams
was n of the few of whom it might be
said "He was one of the most re-
markable men in the country" Like
Vanderbilt and Aston, Mr.. Adams started
with nothing, and died leaving al estate
valued at many millions Of dollars.
Among his earliest associates was John
Hoey, who for tlirty-seven years was an
intimate, and at Mr.. Adams death stood
high in the councils of the company. On
the eve of his departure to attend the
funeral Mr.. Hoey was asked to give
some "reminiscences of Mr.. Adams and
the early days of the great enterprise he
began. In reply, Mr.. Hoey said ~
would be glad at some other time to tell
you the facts of this romance, but [ am
hurrying off to Boston. When MIR.
Adams began to carry parcels and letters
between Boston and New York there
was no railroad. He came to Allyn's
Point, and thence direct to New York.
He had q singularly pleasant face and O
frank, manly bearing, that attracted peo-
pie and bred confidence, so that he soon
got his share of that kind of patronage"
Ibid he travel much himself"
"No; he travelled a short time only.
Then he hired messengers; but his per
sonal bearing and genial manner did
much to win customers. 1t was every
thing in fact. After a few months he i'll
duced a young harness maker named
Dinsmore to come to New York and
open an office. He did so; and at first
he kept the books, delivered the letters
(for which they got twenty-five cents
each) and the parcels, made out the
way bills and collected the freight"
"Were you with them them"
ooh, no; I was q cabin boy on the
Sheridan, a packet between New York
and Liverpool. I got in q with q gang
of boys, and in q short time we five madea
corner in counting papers. We counted,
mailed, folded and shipped all the pa:
pers printed in this city. Mr.. Bennett
took a great fancy to us. One of us was
Jerry Bryant, the minstrel. While I
was doing this I made the acquaintance
of m expressman named Beecher. He
was running o little Connecticut express
and offered me four dollars a week and
steady work. I accepted, and we took
nm office with Adams. At that time Ed
wards 8. Sanford was in the habit Of
coming in and asking for a job. Finally
Dinsmore let him help to make out q
way bill, and little by little he worked
in, till he vas made agent in Philadel-
phia, and Dinsmore and I ran the New
York end, Adams staying in Boston,"
"Was MI. Adams the chief ?"
"Oh, yes. And he was the sole one
known, too. He and his name made
everything"
"Were you successful at first ?"
"Not at all. It was 1916 before we
began even to see our way clear. 1t was
q constant struggle. A three-dollar way
bill was n wonder"
At first bills and letters were the
principal freight, but parcels began to
come in, and after q while trunks, boxes
and bundles. This necessitated a porter,
but for q long time a boy and a wheel
barrow did all the collecting and dis
tributing. Then they got a horse and
wagon-a step which was pondered long
before it wal taken. All the parties in
terested we're fond of horses. MIR.
Adams had in early Life looked forward
to the day when his ambition would be
crowned as he took his seat upon the
box of O stage, with the ribbons of O
four-horsc team in his fist. MI. Dins-
more, as a harness maker, WAS brought
in contact with horsemen, and knew
about horses. In late years Messrs.
Adams and Sanford have been noted for
their stables, and !leld the reins over the
best blood in the land. With the pur-
chase of the horse and wagon came n
new field of operations, The New York
and New Haven Railroad, just then COM
pleted, offered them facilities and ex-
elusive contracts for carrying money and
small packages i'll what was known as n
P. P. truck over it's line. For this
Adams G. Co. contracted to pay, with
fear and trembling i'll their boots, the
enormous sum of 81, 700 a month, but
almost at the very start it proved a pay
ing venture-indeed, the venture which
determined them to continue in their
business. The next step was to carry
freight for merchants at either end of
the line, and to establish agencies along
the route rs we'll; and in less than three
years the whole custom of the country
was changed, almost all the light freight
and some of the heavier being sent by
railroad express, instead of on the boats
rs freight.
The government was not slow to fol-
low the example of the banks and mer-
chants, and sent for Mr.. Adams to 60 to
Washington. He went, and made SO
good an impression that a contract was
at once entered into by which the COM
pany were to carry over oil their lines
the government treasure. When the
war broke out this duty meant much
more than in ordinary times. Millions
were sent by Adams & Co. every day all
over the continent ; sometimes millions
in coin, sometimes in bills or bonds. At
times they had armed guards to protect
the treasure, but, rs a rule, the govern
mcnt agent took the company's simple
receipt, and left the rest to the agents.
When the California fever broke out
in 1910, MI. Adams was first in the field,
and sent out IN express under Mr.. D. Il.