Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-05
oUEER FREIGHT.

"Odd freight? Well, I should say we
have" said ID. T. Masters, one OF the old
est clerks in the main office of the Adams
Express Company on Market street, as he
twirled himself around on a high stool and
faced an inquiring reporter. Mr.. Masters
talks with great volubility, and as he is in
the habit Of dropping many small words,
his conversation was decidedly jerky.
g Yes, we ship little of everything
from diamonds to Chester white pigs and
Limburger cheese. Remarkable thing
about that cheese Ever smell any Rich,
penetrating sort of fragrance, amt ? Case
burst in the freight-room last spring. Made
evely one sick. Two Irishmen tried to
shovel it up. Smell nearly turned em in
| side out. Got Dutchman-regular out
and out, Observation-Disclosures sort
of fellow from Bergmyers saloon across
the way-but he gave out in ten minutes.
Only finished 1t with the help of a box of
deodorizer. Phew They should charge
double rates to ship such stuff, and the
speaker elevated his nose as though trace
of the diabolical aroma still fingered in his
nostrils.
1.-TWO babies have come through this
office-one from Chicago for New York,
and the other from Washington to this
CITY. The man on the line made great
fuss when the Chicago young one was
| shipped. Telegraph operators all along the
route sent dispatches ahead, and crowds of
people went to the depots to see the baby.
Came all the way in the cars. Had ham,
mock all rugged up. New idea, you know,
and messengers thought it was kind of a
| joke, but they wouldn't like too much of
that kind. Baby's mother died in Chicago,
father lived in New York weighed
| forty-one pounds, believe cost about
81 50 to sent it through. Philadelphia
! baby came along some time after. Both
made their trip first class, and seemed to
enjoy things generally. Fed 'em regula-
| ton spoon victuals from hotels along
| the line. Often have dead folks shipped.
Don't know why they send 'em by express,
/ tho. Tain't likely that apyone's going to
walk off with corpse. Yes man
shipped three short-horned cattle clear
/ through to Nebraska about month ago.
] Unless he got them for nothing they must
have cost him power of money when he
got them Just think of a man expressing
| whole deer carcass two or three Thousand
miles. About as sensible for butcher to
expressa beef through from here to Camden.
| IaSG ldl1 1dletb4C cCA1b NV tlOuAA DtOSh
of cedar from California clear to New
York. That's nothing, however, for l see
someone sent twenty barrels of mess
pork to the Pottstown military camp
by express, and the charges amounted
to over one hundred dollars a cinna-
mon bear came through from Nevada by
express last January for the Geological
Garden. Said he was tame when they
shipped him. Got loose near Onaho, drove
every one out of the car, chawed up half
deer, ripped around among the freight
and had circus all to himself until he was
| lassooed and tied in the corner of the car
with log chain. Oh, yes, they ship lots
of mirrors, but the men don't like 'em.
Seven years bad luck to smash looking
glass, you know. Snakes till you can't
rest, but they keep 'ern in boxes. Messen-
gers don't mind EN-. Now, you might
think eggs are nice fright, but they
amt. More expressmen grow bald on ac-
count of worrying over baskets of eggs than
anything l know of, and Mr.. Masters
turned from the reporter to receive pack
age of hymn books consigned to a mission.
sry in the Black Hills Philadelphia
Times.