Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-28

Ut staked on the Result
: .se first Trip across the Desert
fChicaoo Times.

xwh
.nan order from the Missouri to
- IUac;er il now a resident of this
tno nd his hair is only streaked With
clsy, 90 90 fast do things change in the
Ra TO- In an early day the firm Of Rus
Motors. Waddell d Co. were among
sniargest contractors in the United
u.s,as their business sometimes amount
p" N rs 900 900 annually. Mr.. Miller
lrs s t5e Go" the youngest member of
81. Arm. and in great measure the life
os;t Mails were very irregular, the
.4aoa lines taking a weekly mail bag
swh;eh vas sometimes lost-in fact was
.rtyamaIy fortunate to get through
This was conducted at tremendous
coat There was great rivalry between
the stage and ocean lines, the latter
struoolino for contracts for taking the
mails from New York BY steamer to
tbe Isthmus, across this, and again by
steamer up the western coast. The mail
which wen. overland went by the north
ern route through New Mexico
and Arizona. The contracting firm
above mentioned had the control Of the
central route by Kearney, Jolesburg,
Fert Laramie and Salt Lake. People
insisted that this route was inpractica-
Die. anu TIC kubh VI n uftlly tHftiI ONtE u
was pooh poohed most vigorously. Mr..
Miller persuaded his more conservative
partners that such a mail could be car
ried. From this idea grew the pony ex-
press, the fame of which was soon world
wide. He was given two months. Feb
ruary and March, 1861, 70 equip the line
with stock and stations. which he did at
a cost Of $4,000. Il was thought that
the line vuuId support itself, so the pro-
nrietors expected not to be ont more
than the original investment. 1t could
hardly be said that it did pay but 1t
.damonstrnted what could be done, and
enoouraoed the railroad and the wire to
follow its wake. Previous to this time
there had been limited express lines of
the kind. but nothing on so gigantic a
scale. Mr.. Miller had been over the
route enough to know what had been
done. He said that Salt Lake Guild be
reached from ST. Joe in ten days, and
the coast in five days more.
On April Sd the ponies were started
from each end Of the line. By this
time tho confidence of Miller had
proyed infectious and Russell Wa Just
a. confident. The New York Steamer
Company we're confident, too, bat not
in the Same way. So a bet was made, a
pretty good sized bet-$50. 600 side.
The race began and was watched with
breathless interest. Station after sta
ton was passed. The pony from the
ocean and the pony from the valley
panted toward each other with the hun
dreds of miles between them melting
avay. At each station there was an
other horse saddled and rider ready
spurred. The mailbag was tossed from
one to the other and on sped. like the
wind, the fresh horse and the rider.
One boy on this first trip was lost in a
CANYON of snow. Fol four precious
hours he wandered. Then he started on
with desperate vigor. Another was lost in
the Platte; the horse he rode WAS
drowned. But the rider swan obt with
his mail ang footed it to the next sta.
ton. Hers his relief was in waiting,
and the fight was taken mp again.
Would the rider and horse with their
daring energy win? Would the acci-
dent and the stranoeness Of the trial
make them loser No one could tell.
The days passed. The ponies neared
each other, they passed, the riders gave
avid hurrah. On and on; whip and
spur. Ten days are gone and the ponies
have kept up to the mark. Fifteen. At
4 O'Clock the westbound must be in
Sacramento. The noon has passed. and
the minutes are being counted. Half
past 8. Will the brave rider be on hand?
AZ yet there is no sign. With only 30
minutes to spare, Russell wants 70
double his bot. Then a cloud Of dust
10 seen. It grows to speck. The rider
waves his hat. The people shout. The
pony express has crossed the great
American desert. Victory! There is
still 70 minutes grace.
II there were 10000 at stake daily. Il
WAS the same for months. Then the
complications of the war turned every
thing upside down. The riders went to
battle. the stations were abandoned,
ernas grew over the trail. But soon the
stage used IL. and the telegraph line was
not far behind, while those who have
rushed across the plains by steam know
what followed these Innovations.
The riders of the pony express were
all young wiry fellows. whose very love
o. excitement and danger had brought
them TO the frontier. In this OCcupa-
tion they had their fill. The individual
adventures would all q volume. The
life, with it's exposure and hardship was
awearing one. What has become of
the riders now is question. Many of
them have followed the frontier, and
will stay ON its fore until they die.
Many are dead already. One, named
Murray, recently died in Salt Lake.
From the stripping Ut the SOS he came
70 weigh 200 pounds. He made quite a
repulAtion az 4 desperate character.
A. one who knew him said, He got
TOO big 70 ridea pony, but had good
build for holding mp stages" One of
TIE most daring of tho crowd rode into
eak Lake from eighty miles this side,
sArough the Widest part of the route.
y vas hard task, bat he was equal to
., doing the work of about four mon.
He afterwArd joined tho Confederate
army, and died on a Southern battle
These riders we're a clasa similar to
~ cowboys Of the present day, ready
fcs light OF frolic, and entered
WIN the determination to make the
0oee OF Il. They we're loyal to each
oeoer and their friends. There was on
yone mail lost by them. and that hap
4ened tn be Of little value. Is WAS lost
u EQan's canyon. when the rider in
oharge Vas attacked by. Indians, his
nosss killed, and he himself wounded.
Ihs company tried to get the govern
y ment to punish the Indians for thia.
ut there was other matter for Uncle
oam to attend 70 just then. So Mil
~ teak seventy i've men, vent ont and
9lled a few playful ssvaQes. and found
nat they kept out Of the way very nice.
y Forever after. The charges for car
svine letters werc s. per ounce or frac-
Won thereof. This WAS af.ervard re-
0uced to half the amount. and then q
M Of paper known as "Pouy kxpreas'
sas inyented, its best point being that
mvdghsd almost nothing. Tho con-
so!ss ct an eight-page paper could b
vltfen upon Il and sent for 81 80.
lhs income Of the concern while run
smR was $500 per day. Some valuable
soeaments we're carried, aud in ever,
80 arrived in good order. England
- q that. time having little arRu
1ent With China. Reports from ths
1aRiish squadron in Chinese waters II
ne home Government were carried b,
n.s route, it being the quickest and
ateet. One of these official paper
slaned 20 much that the charges upol
avsre $ls5.