Daily globe., 1882-05-14
ODD SHIlpMENTS BY EX-
PRESS.
Babies, Bears, Snakes, and Other Articles
of Freight.

FhESSs
Babies, Bears, Snakes, and Other articles
oS Freight.
From the Philadelphia Times.]
"Odd freight? Well, I should say we
have, said d. F. Masters, one of the old
est clerks In the main office of the Ad-
ans Express Company, as he twirled
himself around on high stool and faced
an i93Auiring rep orter. Mr.. Masters talks
with great volubility, and, as he is in the
habit OF dropping many small words, his
conversation was decidedly ierky. Yes,
we ship little of everything, from dia-
monds to Chester-white pigs and Linn
berg cheese. Remarkable thing about
that cheese. Ever smell any? Rich,
penetrating sort OF fragrance, amt it?
Case burst in the freight-room last
spring. Made every one sick. Two Irish
men tried to shovel it up. Smell nearly
turned 'em inside out. Got a Dutchman,
regular out and out eat-a-sandwich-in-
a-minue sort OF fellow from Bergmyer's
saloon across the way, but he gave out
In ten minutes. Only finished it with
the help OF box of deodorizer. Phew
They should charge double rates TO ship
such stuff and the speaker elevated his
nose as though trace Of the diaboical
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 men On the line made a 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 depot to
see the baby. Came all the way in the
cars. Had hammock all rugged up.
New idea, you know, and messengers
thought it was kind Of joke, but they
would't Like much of the kind. Baby's
mother died in Chicago, father lived in
New York weight torty-one pounds,
believe; cost about $3.50 to send it
through. Philadelphia a baby came
along some time after. Both made their
trip frst-class, and seemed to enjoy
things generally. Fed'm regulation
spoon victuals from hotels along the
line. Often have dead folks shipped.
Don't know why they send 'em by ex-
press, though. Tain't likely any ones
going to walk off with corpse. Yes q
man shipped three short-horn cattle
clean through to Nebraska about a
month ago. Unless he got them for
nothing they must have cost him a
power of money when he got them.
Just think Of man expressing
whole deer carcass 1900 or 5000
miles. About as sensible for butcher
to express a beef through from here to
Camden. Last fall a lunatic sent ], 200
pound block OF cedar from California
clear to New York. That's nothing,
however, for / see some one sent twenty
barrels of mess pork to the Pottstown
military camp by express and the
charges amounted to over $100. A Gin
.namon bear came through from Nevada
by express last January for the Zoologi-
cal Garden. Said he was tame when
they shipped him. Got loose near
Omaha, drove every one out of the car,
chewed up half deer, ripped around
among the freight and had circus all to
himself until he was lassoed and tied in
the corner of the car with log-cnain.
Oh, yes, they ship lots of mirrors, but
the men don't like 'em. Seen years
bad luck to smash q looking glass, you
know. Snakes till you can't rest, but
they keep them in boxes. Messengers
don't mind 'em. Now, you might think
eggs are nice freight, but they amt.
More expressmen grow bald on account
of worrying over baskets Of eggs than
anything I know Of" and Mr.. Masters
turned from the reporter to receive a
package of hymn books consigned to a
missionary in the Black Hills.