Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-12-05
RETROSPECTIVE MAILS THEN AMI
now

1t more than repays the thoughtful
whose memory recalls the anti-railroad
and pioneer days of the Pacific coast to re-
feet upon the postal facilities of that time,
as compared to those of the present. Be-
fore the transcontinental lines were pro-
jected upon the basis of postal and military
roads, the mails to this coast were infre-
quent and irregular. BY steamer they
came at first once a month, and later once
each fortnight. The slow and hazardous
methods of transmission by water made
commerce and financial dealings upon this
coast the slaves of stated periods, between
which transactions were conducted at
greatly more of hazard than was known at
the East, and largely upon conjecture as to
what the-next-to arrive advices would be-
The construction of the transcontinental
telegraph lines to some extent relieved
trade, but it was very limited and entailed
degree of cost that was more than heavy
and crippling.
The enterprise of the daring riders the
once famous pony expressmen, preceding the
completion of the telegraph lines and clos
Sg mp the gap gradually as the electrical
wires were advanced, gave us advices all
the way from three weeks to ten days of
age. The condition of this remote coast at
that time was embryonic The news was
the one great, overshadowing and fruitful
topic, and the feverish state of the country
between dates of advices retarded develop
ment and lessened public energy to an ex-
tent scarcely conceivable by the new men
of this day
The ak of the pioneer has but little pre-
ceded the postal system of the country.
Indeed, they may be said to have been, for
all practical purposes, contemporaneous.
The link that has held the advance guard
to the body of our civilization has been,
and must continue to be the postal system,
which means, in fact, the whole system of
communication and transportation between
the various points of the country. But in
part vi illt vi bHC 0tliOu lids
the Unreasonable advantages of speedy
mail transmission been SO wildly illustra-
ted as in the case of the transcontinental
railroads.
Prior to their advent, the mail transport
was conducted at great expenditure of
human energy, and at more or less sacrifice
of human life. The maintenance of routes
and posts necessitated military defenses of
the most costly and exhausting character
The Postal Department could not be
trusted with any greatly valuable packa-
ges, and the certainty of any delivery was
always remote. Postal rates, as a neces-
sity, were high and did not at any time
approach compensating figure Mail
routes were not inviting to settlers, since
the protection afforded, of necessity was
devoted mainly to the posts established
The border West was, in more sense than
one, the wild West, and disorder and law
ieSsness ruled oftener than peace and the
arm of the law.
But with the completion of the trans
continental roads marvellous change was
effected. For the uncertainty of the
former means of transmission came regu-
larity. For the dangers of the primitive
modes were substituted safety and ease.
For the vast burden upon the Govern
ment of the cost of transmission, place
was given TO economy For the meager
ness of the speedy mail that could be car
ried in the saddle-bags of the pony
express rider, was substituted official ca
pacity to carry tons of matter daily For
the slow-going coach with its boot-load of
bags, and the toiling steamer with its de-
layed adviees, there were substituted ears
daily carrying tons Of mail, and collecting
and distributing mail matter over the
thousands of miles traversed
For limited and costly current litera-
ture there was given us as full access to
the press of the world as was enjoyed by
the people of the settled East Immigra-
ton, that Heretofore had gone timidly out
into the new land with its rifle and its
powder horn, fastened upon the skirts of
xhe rail mail route in multitude, and
dropped here and there along the line,
building up cities and towns, occupying