The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-03-24
A 100000 BET.
Nineteen Hundred Miles Across Monntain. and
Plains by Pony Express.

terminus of railroad communication.
Beyond, the stage.coach, the saddle
horse and the ox.trains were the only
means of commerce and communica-
ton with the Rocky mountains and the
Pacific slope. In the winter of 1850
there was 4 Wall street lobby in Wash.
ington trying to get SIS, 900, 600 for
carrying the mails overland one year
between New York and San Francisco,
The proposition was extremely
cheeky, and William H. Russell,
backed by Secretary of War Floyd
resolved to give the lobby a cold
shower. bath, He therefore offered to
bet 100000 that he could put on a
mail line from Sacramento to St. Jo-
seph that should make the distance
1850 miles--in ten days. The bet was
taken and the 9Th of April fixed upon
as the day for starting. Mr.. Russell
called upon his partner and general
manager of business upon the plains,
Mr.. A. B. Miller, now citizen of
Denver, and stated what he had done,
and asked if he could perform the feat.
Miller replied. Yes, sir; will do it,
and do it by pony express To
accomplish this Mr.. Miller purchased
three hundred of the fleetest horses
he could find in the west, and EN-.
p1oyed l25 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
possible; therefore, the lighter the
man the better. It was necessary that
some portions of the route should he
run at the rate of twenty miles an
hour. The horses were stationed
from ten to twenty miles apart, and
each rider would be required 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 A1iller's
thoroughbreds, many OF which could
make single mile in a minute and
fifty seconds.
All arrangements being completed,
4 signal gun on the steamerat Sacra-
mentO proclaimed the meridian of
April l8, l880-the hour of starting
when Border Ruffian, Mr.. Miller
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, addi.
tional speed became necessary to
reach St. Joseph on time. From here
all went we'll until the Platte was to
he 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 quick.
sand and drown. The courier sue.
ceeded in reaching the shore, with
mail bag in hand, and travelled
ten miles on foot to reach his
next relay. Johnny Fry, a popu.
lar rider Of this day, was to make the
finish. He had sixty miles to ride, with
SIX horses to do it with. When the last
courier arrived at the sixty.mile post,
out from St Joseph, he was one hour
behind time. A heavy rain set in and
the roads were slippery, Two hun
dred thousand dollars might turn up
on single minute. Fry had Just
three hours and thirty minutes in
which to win. This was the finish
for the longest race, ever run in
America. When the time for his
arrival was nearly up, at least five
thousand people stood on 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 nearly seven minutes
remained! Hark! a shont goes up
from the assembled multitude: 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 fraction to spare.