Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-05

essary ior him 10 seek loss laboriuus bust.
ness. lIo opened n store on South Queen
street near the public schools which ho con.
Quoted FOR about seven years, aud then re-.
tired entirely from business, being con
iirmed invalid.
ANEW HAND Ar THE BELLOWS.
Sher. Smith, the present chief of police of
Lancaster was appointed agent 10 succeed
Mr.. Thackara, and entered upon his duties
June I, 1859. lie brought new vigor and
new muscle into tho business. Ile had been
a tag boy In the branch Office at tue
Adams Express company at Broad and Lo.
Gust streets, Philadelphia, at sl3 n mouth, IN
1852, when the company had only three
wagons I'm that city had been promoted To
the main Office, 80 Chestnut street, ~ plat
form hand, he aud one coiored uian doing
all the work he was next promoted To the
money department where ho worked tor n
year, and thence to the receiving desk. Then
the war broke out and In 1851 he enlisted
aud served three years In the I'D L. V. On
being discharged no was given his old desk
In the express company, where he served for
several years and from which lao was pro-
moted b. assistant floor superin tendent aud
on June !, 1859 ~ above stated was sent To
take charge OF the Lancaster Office.
On taking possession ho received rom Mr..
Thackara two single express wagons aud
only one horse. His assistants wero MIR.
Thackara, Henry Miller, Is. +, Adams, bill
clerk and 10. Adams, driver. lie discharged
Henry Miller aud appoiontod keab Il. VII
son his clerk, and added Fred Adams,
George kepner and Reuben Erisnan To his
force Of drivers
There was n boom In the express business
and Agent Smith increased his carrying
capacity by adding To II two heavy two horse
wagons aud one light ono horse wagon MAX.
ing his full com plement two double aud
three single wagons with sufficient mum
her of horses to Keep them IN service. The
business during Mr. Smiths agency increas-
ed from slb,OoO to $4,000 per month.
MIR. smith resigned a. agent of tho Adams
Express company early In January, lSi5, tO
tako charge OF the Philadel phiaN Reading Ex-
press company, then recently establish ed.
lio remained with the latter company oui Y to
the following October, when he resigned
and went to Philadelphia 10 work In the in.
terost of the Union transfer baggage express.
During the short time Mr.. smith was con-
nected with the Reading company its busi-
ness largely increased aud hD put AN addi-
ttonal wagon ON the road.
THE PRESENT ADMINIsTRATIoN.
Daniel Houser, tho present efficient aud
agent of the Adams express COM
pany in this city, went into Office on the 10th
OF January, lSlj and for eleven and "A half
years has given ontiro satisfaction to the
immense and constantly increasing number
of patrons oithe Office. He had good school.
ing before he came here. lie had been "A
young soldier for two years, serving with
Gen. kautZ In the department of the Susuuo-
hanna 1883, 1854. lie then ran AZ express
for about years, aud Tor three
years afterwards was agent OF tho Adams
express at York.
on assuming command of the Lancaster
Office he made some changes In his lieutcn-
ants, but retained all the ~ old reliableS"
The business of his office was greatly in
creased by the transfer OF express matter tn
and from the Frederick division Oi the Penn
sylvania railroad, which was not done under
the management of his predecessor. The
principal express freight over this division
OF the road Is fruit, berries aud vegetables,
and to give an idea of the immensity OF this
class OF trade, IL may he mentioned that
single dealer, Frank Metttett, frequently re.
ceives ~ high as so to "a crates per day.
Another cause of increased labor in the
office IL that there are now seven daily
trains east and ten trains west, on each of
which is an express agent
The territory embraced In tho Adams En-
press system extends from the Atlantic To
the Pacific, all roads west Ot the Rocky Noun
tains, and from the lakes To Richmond, Va
The Pennsylvania division embraces all the
railroads in this state, aud all the coasts of
New Jersey, DelH'. - and Maryland, tn
Norfolk, Va. Shl, .tS are made at a speed
more than double to llat which existed "A few
years ago. 1t il on record that dead bod v
was shipped from Lancaster at a. M, aud
that the funeral was held in "A Connecticut
town on the afternoon of the same day.
The receipts and shipments of goods by
Adams express i'll this city averages from
hNe to six wagon loads pCr day the year
round, and yet so admirably IL the business
adJusted that scarcely ever a complaint il
heard, though the force OF employees has not
been increased for several years past The
present force is: Daniel llouser, agent W.
u. Reed, clerk b. +. Adams, night clerk ;
J. II. Harrison, call wagon and general deliv-
cry; Harry Delchler and J. McMichaels,
drivers.
THE OLDES EMrLOYE.
B. L. Adams is the oldest enpIoye now in
the Office having been appointed June g. lsi5,
aud been in continuous service. lie smiles
when he relates the advance that has been
made in the shipment OF Christmas presents
He says that on Christmas 1853 there came to
Lancaster by express ono single Christmas
box. 1t was addressed To the late John Spur
rier aud carried TO him by Mr.. Adams On
Christmas lSS2 there were eight or nine
wagon loads of Christmas presents sent
aud received, aud for two or three days the
office was piled almost from floor to ceiling,
MIR. Adams has been an omplOye Of ulA
company under agents Tina ckara, Smitu and
iiouser. aud has been cogniztnt oi All tho
changes improvements aud advancement 5
made in express methods. Tie recdlis the
time when the little buck rabbit" engines
were run at low speed and the xpress mess
enger being locked in the car passed the OK
press packages out ol window near the top
OF the car.
THE PHTLADELrHIA AND READING.
The Philadelphia Il Reading railroad estab-
lished an express line OF its own in ls72,
first only over the main line, but subsequent
ly over all Its branches. The first Office in
this city was in Centre Square, and was
opened by Mr.. A. NJ. Wilson, as agent lie
started with only one one-horse wagon and
the business was for a time very light. When
the Delaware, Isckawanna n Western, and
the Baltimore * Ohio lines were COnsOli.
dated with the Reading the business
was largely increased in this city and
additional help was needed to run it. Mr..
Wilson became general superintendent and
MIR. Connolly became agent He left rather
unceremoniously, aud Sher. Smith, who had
lett the Adams company, was appointed in
his place January, 1873. Under Smith man
agement the business increased to such an eN
tent that another single wagon was put on the
road. Smith resigned in October OF tn,
same year, and was followed by Mr.. w
J. Iiegler, the present agent under
whose management the business ha'
increased enormously. Two single and
one double wagon are now required I,
deliver the freight Mr.. Ziegler's assistant
now are Aug. SOurbeer, money clerk, (wh,
is also ticket agent OF the T.. ,SR) w
Coho, express clerk Samuel Mccormick
of single wagons, and James Boyle, drive
of double wagon.
The Reading company claims by its com
petition to have caused a great reduction /,
express rates, and TO have secured to our cit
zens much more rapid delivery of package
than formerly. Its territory, once contine
| to its own main line, now extends all owe
the country, aud by connection with othe
| lines 1t ships goods to all parts OF the worlc
| The agents of the express companies, lik