The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-11-11
American Mail Enterprise.

| The British Government has two mail
routes to Australia, or rather the mother
government has one, and her stalwart
Young infant of New South Wales has
another. One is by way of the Suez
Canal, and is subsidized by the British
Government the other is across the two
oceans and this continent from New
York to San Francisco, and has no sub
sidy except the sums paid the steamship
and railway companies for their services
by the United States and the Colonial
governments. There has always been
sharp rivalry between the two services;
and thus far the Transcontinental has
regularly beaten the Suez Canal route.
The last named, during the year, from
March, 1879, to March, 1880, averaged
So days in transit from Sydney to Lon
don; the route via San Francisco and
New York-which is carried by the Pa
cifc Mail Steamship Company from Sgd
ney to San Francisco, thence to New
York by rail, and hence by the British
Mail steamers to England-averaged 45
days, clear gain Of s days. 1t will be
seen that for the greater part of the
route the mails by New York and San
Francisco are carried by Americans; and
a recent incident has illustrated that it
is largely Due to American enterprise
and activity, both on the part Of officials
and contractors, that the quickest time
is made.
On Wednesday last Postmaster James
leayped by telegraph that the Pacific
Mail Company's steamer City of Sydney,
which left Sydney on September 9th,
had reached San Francisco on October
9th, two days ahead of her time. I'm
fortunately, she was just two hours too
late to catch the mail train of that day,
and delay of "a hours was unavoid-
able. The schedule time from San Fran
cisco to New York would bring this i'm
portant mail about 10 hours too late to
catch the first operating British steamer.
Mr.. James went to the Union Pacific
Railroad Office, in this city, and repre-
scented the facts to Mr.. Sydney Dillon,
and asked if special could not be put
on to catch the regular mail train of the
day before It happened that Mr. s.
II. II. Clark, general manager of the
Union Pacific at Omaha, and Mr. A. N.
Towne, general superintendent Of the
Central Pacific at san Francisco, were
present, and the facts stated to them.
''Where is the train with the mail at
this timel' Mr. Dillon asked of Mr..
Tovne. "On the Humboldt Division,
somewhere" was the reply. "Can a
special catch the other train?' he asked.
~ Clark replied in the affirmative, but
added: We shall have to run a special
a thousand miles, and it will cost
thousand dollars" Don't care what it
costs" replied Mr. Dillon; "do it." The
telegraph was put in requisition. Mr..
Towne by telegraph detached the mail
car and gave. il a special locomotive
somewhere on the Humboldt Division
and Mr. Clark sent word to- push it over
he Union Pacific as 20 snake up "a
hours lost time Il was done. The
regular mail train was overtaken at
Omaha; the Australian mail car was at
tached; last night az 9:lS il was landed
in this city, and to-day j: goes by the
Arizona to England. II the vessel
makes schedule time tie trip from sgd
ney will have bean made in The shortest
time on record, apout 20 DAYS.
This is an illustration not only Of
American energv, but Of American
methods. NJ emergency such as movel
the postal and railway officials in this
instance would have had the slightest
weight in cutting red tape. It is doubt
ful il the idea Of recovering this lost
time would have ever occurred to a
British Official trained IN routine dates
and educated IN the worship of the
Very Reverend Precedent.-New York
Tribune.