Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-07-29
MORE STAR ROUTES.
Route No. 2S.I3I.

This route is not to be found on the list
of 50 routes which formed the basis of
the first official onslaught on the star
route thieves, but it is sufficiently
bad specimen to find place in that
document. 1t is located in Colorado,
and extended from Cannon City to Del
Norte, with 13 intermediate stations,
distance of 151 miles according to the
department, and IA miles according to
local postmasters. The original service
was tri-weekly. In the advertisement
for bids it was stated that this service
previous to the middle of 1878 had cost
81, 800 per annum. A bond Of So 900
and a check of 5000 were required.
There were nine bidders. C. W. Fos-
ter, whose address was "care Bradley.
Barlow, &C." was the lowest, at s.. 800.
The route was consequently in good
hands. Early in June, 1878, the usual
petitions from citizens, ,indorsed by Sen.
Henry NJ Teller and Rep. T. NJ.
Patterson, arrived in Washington. and
on the 9th the order went out increas-
ing the service four trips per week from
Canon City to Cleora, 60 miles, from
July l, and adding S3, 1868 to Fosters
pay. Three months later Messrs.
Teller and Patterson returned to the
attack, being backed this time by ex-
Gov. John l.. Routt in lieu of :'citi-
zens, and presto, four trips weekly
were added to the service from Cleora
to Del Norte, sc miles, and the entire
schedule was reduced from 43 hours to
80 hours. Mr.. Foster having duly
sworn that the increase" and "expe-
dition' would require 143 per cent.
more men and horses than he had on
the route, he was accorded 81, ,179. 80
for the one and S1S,S51.44 for the
other. His compensation had thus
risen in three months from $500 to
81 1S4.97. The net revenue from all
the post offices affected by the last in
crease was exactly 81 JIG.
BRADY's EXTREME HURRY-rRorEsT
AFTER PROTEST UNHEEDED.
ROUTE NO. Al, l49.
This route extends from Roseburg to
Empire City, in Oregon, a distance of
~ miles. There were seven interme-
diate stations, and the advertisement
called for Il service Of SIX trips per
week. The previous cost Of running
the 70 ute was $5,9S6. A bond was re-
quired in $1,000 and check for $3.50.
Twelve persons put in bids. c. c..
Huntley's, at S3,714, was much the
lowest, and it was accepted July 81,
1878, Soon telegrams began to pour
in from the postmdsters on the route
complaining of deficient service, and
Special Agent G. A. Steel, stationed at
Portland, wrote seveml communica-
tions on the subject, one ofwhich con-
cludes as follows:
Whoop la Things ae blue It won't do |
Tor any one IN connection With the pcstofice de-
partment, from postmaster general down to a |
fourth-class postmaster to run for office for 80 |
years, unless contractors are heavily fned |
or punished in some way tout this way par
ticularily]3
AT length official notice was sent that |
Huntley had abandoned the route, and |
that his stock had been seized by the
sheriff, and on Jan. 8 1879. he was de-
ciared failing contractor. The de- !
partment went up the list i'll accord |
ance with custom, and as usual the
ring men one after an11ner dropped
out. Unfortunately for the scheme, a
local man, William CARL. whose bid
was 81 300, was smdwiched in be-
tween, and he had the bad taste to ac-
cept. In this emergency there was
nothing to do but to declare his offer
too high and to make private con
tract, presumably under private un-
derstanding, which WIS afterwards full
filled, with ]. II. Warren 1T $500.
Early in April Sens. Lafayette Grover
and James ii. Slate and Congress
men John Whittake, John H. Mitch
ell, and r. Williamswere pressed into
service as indorsers Ola proposition to re-
duce the schedule from 80 to "A hours.
Brady did not happe to have his blue
pencil handy at the tine. In his haste
he used ink, and he formula, "Do
this, Brady" assumed for once Vi let
hue. Warren's pay was increased ST.
so per annum, 70 $13,775. Under
date of Roseburg, April Is, Joseph Lane,
evidently an old friend of Postmaster
General Key, wrote that dignitary rs
follows:
II am requested to say to YOU as l
candldly do, that any shetenng Of the present
schedule time would be torender the service not
only eNtrayagant but alhost impossible. The
route ls really over roughand broken country.
would prove Of no materia benefit and would Sc
riously embarrass those wo are engaged in car
rying the mail"
The Postmaster Il Roseburg, under
date of May 9, wrot the department as
follows:
return the blank wthost filling in the new
schedule tor reasons set forth in the certificate
herewi h. The certificate is not on file It would
certainly be impossible run this route on 81
hours time any longer han three months, say
Jnly, August and September. and l doubt very
much if it could be run down to q hours even
then. The Postmaster a Empire City concurs in
these views, as you will se
In addition to this special agent Steel
sent to Gen. Brady long communica-
ton, in which he SAYS:
/" Some time ago | madt a recommendation that
route No. Al, lay be redred TO a tri-weekly Ii
is all that is necessary.
No attention was ever paid to any Of
these protests.
THE NEW ULM DISASTER.