Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-18
A 100000 BET.
Nineteen Hundred Miles Across
Mountains and Plains by Pony

Nineteen Hundred Miles Across
Mountains and Plains by Pony
Express.
In 1859 st. Joseph, No., was the
western terminus of railroad commune
cation. Beyond the stage coach and
saddle-horse and the OK trains were the
only means of commerce and communi-
cation with the Rocky mountains and
the Pacific slope. In the winter of 1860
there was Wall street lobby at Wash
ington trying to get S., 900, 900 for carry
ing the mails overland one year between
New York and San Francisco. The prpo-
ositicn was extremely cheeky, and
William Fl. Russell, backed by Secretary
of War Floyd, resolved to give the lobby
acold shower-bath. He, therefore, offered
to bet S200,G that he could put on a
mail line from Sacramento to ST. Joseph
that should make the distance, $50
miles-in ten days. The bet was taken
and the Sth of April fixed as the day for
starting. Mr.. Russell called upon his
partner and general manager Of business
upon the plains, Mr.. A. B. Miller, now
a citizen of Denver, and stated what he
had done, and asked if he could perform
the feat. Miller replied: "Yes, sir I
will do it, and do it by pony express.
To accomplish this MIR. Miller purchased
800 of the feetest horses he could find in
the West, and empoyed 125 men. Eighty
of these men were to be post riders.
These he selected with reference to their
light weight and their known daring and
courage. It was very essential that the
horses should be loaded as light as pos
sible; therefore, the lighter the man
the better. It was necessary that some
portions of the route should be run at
the rate of twenty miles an hour. The
horses were stationed from ten to twenty
miles apart, and each rider would be re-
quired to ride sixty miles. For the
change of animals and the shifting Of
the mails two minutes were allowed.
Where there were no stage stations at
proper distances tents sufficient to hold
one man and two horses were provided.
Indians would sometimes give chase,
but their cayuse ponies made but sorry
show in their stern chase after Miller's
thoroughbreds, many of which could
make single mile in a minute and fifty
seconds.
All arrangements being completed, a
signal gun on the steamer Sacramento
proclaimed the meridian of April s, 1860
the hour for starting when Border
Ruffian, Mr.. Miller's private saddle
horse, with Billy Baker in the saddle,
bounded away toward the foothills of the
Sierra Nevadas, and made his ride of
twenty miles in forty-nine minutes
The SHOWS were deep in the mountains,
and one rider was lost for several hours
in snow-storm and after the Salt lake
valley was reached additional speed be-
came necessary to reach st. Joseph on
time. From here all went well until the
Platte was to be crossed at Julesburg.
The river was up and running rapidly,
but the rider plunged his horse into the
flood, only, however, to mire in the
qricksand and drown. The courier sue.
ceeded in reaching the shore, with his
mailbag in hand, and travelled ten miles
on foot to reach the next relay. Johnny
Fry, popular rider in his day, was to
make the finish. He had sixty miles to
ride, with six horses to do it. When the
last courier arrived at the sixty-mile
post, out from st. Joseph, he was one
hour behind time. Two hundred thou
sand dollars might turn upon single
minute. Fry had just three hours and
thirty minutes in which to win. This
was the finish for the longest race, for
the largest stakes, ever run in America.
When the time for his arrival was nearly
up, at least 5000 people stood upon the
river bank, with eyes turned toward the
woods from which the horse and it's rider
should emerge into the open country in
the rear of Elwood-one mile from the
finish. Tick, tick, went thousands of
watches The time was nearly up
But seven minutes remained Hank a
shout goes up from the assembled multi
tude, HE comes! he comes !" The
noble little mare, Sylph, the daughter
of little Arthur, darts like an arrow from
the bow and makes the run of the last
mile in one minute and fifty seconds
landing upon the ferry-boat with five
minutes and a fraction to spare.