Omaha daily bee., 1886-09-12
THE EXPRESSMEN OF OMAHA.
Two Hundred Men Who Are Always on
the Move.
THE SOURCE OF THEIR PROFITS.
Their Rigs and Rates-Sunday Busi-
ness-Their Places of Business
Their Patrons-OId-Time
Expressmen.

looks around inquirlngly upon any prin-
cipal street corner in the city. The police
force may be too small to properly cover
the streets, and disturbing influences will
sometimes clear the street corners of
their usual quota of loafcrs and close the
shops of the banana peddlers, but from
early morn till late at night, in all sea.
sons and all kinds of weather, the trav.
eled thoroughfares are always closely
guarded by the man with the wagon. the
expressman.
THE MEN AND THEIR CTTARA CTERIsTICs.
There are about 200 expressmen in
Omaha, enough to cover the city thor
oughly and attend to the wants of the
people who are always on the move and
whose necessities constitute the express
mans stock in trade. Different from
other classes of workmen, the expressmen
have no distinguishing characteristics in
common, but form class whose means
and methods of doing business vary as
much rs they do among the merchants of
the city. On one corner may be fire.
quently found representatives of all the
kinds of eXpressmen--the young lad with
the big whip, who is the bane of existence
the next wagon; the old veteran with the
sorrowful cast of countenance, who
stands at the end of his wagon, with
hands thrust deep into capaciouS trouser
pockets drawing consolation from cud
of the weed; the small-statured Celt who
is cracking jokes with passers-by; the
portly Teuton, whose wagon is suspi-
ciOusly near the lager beer saloon on the
corner; the colored eXpressman, who
stops whistling or singing only to answer
the questions of patrons; and the ner-
vous driver, who keeps his seat and con-
stantly drives from one corner to an
other blocking the streets in turning and
making himself nuisance generally
Let passcr-by ask for wagon, and the
lollers become the most active men in the
city. The probable customer is sur
rounded and the best that the city
affords placed at his disposal, and prompt
performance of the Job in hand guaran
teed When the outfit is selected the
other drivers resume their wonted posi-
tions of repose and quietly await the ad-
vent of the next patron. They work on
the suf1icient-for-the-day y-is-theevil- There
ot-plan, and know that there is no use in
trying to create business They merely
take care of the work that is offered and
are content.
THEIR PLACES OF BUSINESS.
The places where the expressmen make
tHclT III lnc
Union Pacific depot, at the corner of
Fourteenth and Douglas, Fourteenth and
Dodge, Thirteenth and Harney, Twelfth
and Harney, Fifteenth and Douglas,
Fourteenth and Farnam, Tenth and Far
nam, and at several places on Sixteenth
street.
THE EXPREssMAN's OUTFIT.
There is as much variety in the style of
rigs used by the eXpressmen as there is in
the men themselves. They range from
the spawned horse with a chain harness
and II wagon fearfully and wonderfully
made to the magnificent platform spring
wagon, drawn by thoroughbred chargers
wearing finely, mounted harness. The
first named style, however, predomlnates.
A small capital is required to provide an
outfit of this kind the value. of the aver
age rig, horse. harness and wagon, not
exceeding $3.50. Many of the express
men, however, have teams and outfits
that cost them from $400 to 5000.
THE EXPREssMAN's S PATRONS.
Ali classes of men contribute more or
less to the eXpressman's support. The
merchant whose business does not war
rant the keeping of a delivery wagon
furnishes numerous jobs to the express
man, and many of them have yearly con-
tracts for their work. The young men
who are coming to the city, and those
here who change the location of their
quarter that goes to make up the eX-
pressmans income. Many of the ex-
pressmen have carrYalls, and are kept
busy during the summer season attending
the wants of picnickers and conveying
passengers to and from the ball park and
fair. grounds. They reap rich harvest
during fair week. A carryall that will
seat ten persons will make at least five
trips day to the fair grounds, making
an average of So for each round trip, or
$25 for the days work. Some of the ex-
pressmen have provided themselves with
especial facilities for moving household
goods, and find plenty of work in accom-
modating the great army of tenants who
change their places of residence almost
every month. But the servant girls form
one of the expresman's most profitable
class of patrons. Their name is legion,
and they all have trunks The Want
columns of the DAILY BEE are an indica-
tion of the servant girls itineracy that
provides the eXpressman's profit BY
servant girls have become known to most
OF the expressmen of the city, who are
well posted as to the whereabouts of the
kitchen mechanics and are frequently
able to discount employment bureaus in
providing this class of household help.
HIS LICENSE AND WAGES.
Each of the zoo eXpressmcn of the city
n revenue of $4,000 yearly, which, with
other licenses, goes into the city school
fund. The scale of charges is also fixed
by a city ordinance-twen cents for
the delivery of trunk or small parcel to
any portion of the city, and this in a
measure does away with the strife for
business and forms tacit agreement
among the eNpressmen upon division of
the territory and the business thereof
The nature of the business, size of loads
and length of trips. does away with the
ordinance however, and makes the price
a matter of stipulation. To the credit of
the eXpressmen, be it said that tht 4 sre
seldom accused of making exorbltant
charges, as is too often the case with
their brothers, the hackmen. Most of
the eNpressmen do business on their own
account, though there are several compa-
MES that conduct an exclusive express
business. One of these operates line
between Omaha and Conncil Bluffs, an.
other controls the trunk and baggage
business at the depots and Il third does
an exclusive light parcel delivery busl.
ness. The wages of the expressman also
come under the head of notable variances.
Near the first of the month, when movers
a. 4 Il