The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-01
MUD RACING ACROSS THE PLAINS.
Thrilling Memories OF the Famous Pony
Express Service.

There is ever a charm about that which re-
lates to the West in ante bellum times. II was
not the Same West as now; the sun Is Just
Us bright maybe. and the grass and trees as
green, and the waters as clear but when me
iron wheels OF progress swept over her SANDY
plains and scaled her mountain tops there was
n change 1t is indelinable for all that, but 81
one likes TO read OF tho stirring times OF mo
border harlships aud eNcltements ana o, thS
gradual giving away o. nature % me NAM manu-
OF man. Aman oi middle age may LOOK back
within his memory and sec the heavy, STOW
freighters measuring their squcaky WAY across ,,
the plans :Bthe Santa rs trail within lis mem
DRY wound. serpent like. from the banks OF ihe
Missouri AT this CITY to the lonely Spunish seJ,
he relies OF earlier days sip out Of existence
toward the setting sun, the RAILROAD anu VIZ
| telegraph pushed their way from the east. anu
| the pioneer glories OF the great West were over
one of the last; and. at the same IN ninei sse
| most prominent of these features OF the nest
before the railroads and the telegraph came
| was the pony express; by tho means o! Tiii,u nrr
messages were carried from the missouri iE Wv
TO the Pacific coast in less than ten dhys. i ilow
| remarkable II all seems now Ten DAYS rom
| the Missouri to the Golden Gate on rony back,
! lIut IL Is remarkable after all. Now II Is zen
seconds. but for ponies, over mountains, plains
through storms and sun; the work was won
dertul. one OF the founders OF the pony, OK
press system lives in this city at q ripe Dnt ac-
| tive old age prominent IN business, am t Us
ander Siajors is 70 For years he was mem;
| Dor of the firm of Russell Majors ~ Walden 81
| nent freiGhting house in the West In the Gays
! before the railroads came. ,rX,
II was IN 1888 that Senator GTynn OF CALI
some tue conferred upon him IN Mexico, con,
ceivel the idea OF transmitting the malls
Senator Set1IS ' Gwynn bs b. The 6y was Killed Cali
fornin before the war in duel with the famous
Frederick. Gwynn thought the coast deserved
n better mail service than that, afforded ~ the
stage coach route through he southern Terri
ny %@y With IT lbs sd FIJI T OF Plans S Tor
pony service directly across the country, over
what was known as the central r9ute eov ae
s sH sd the mdiIe H9SFy Sionntaqs: through
COLORADO Nevada anI Utah. %0na be gen %er
tWynn fo@sht COL Eq$sS, WIG sHSas ~ great ,To
that Russell. Majors. and Waddel were the
heaviest fioghters in tue West suggested that
the firm would give u good service in tho new
venture. Assistance from the Government was
secured. aud in 1899 the ponies started. ,.
months" said col. Majors a few days ago,
never missln schedule time at either OF me
Joseph to Sacramento was ten days, anu
through sunshine and storm, snow. mud sand.
west or back to tho east. with the speed OF 4
railroad train II the ponies lost time thr9 ,ht
bad weather over one part OF the p0ule; t tS6
thousand miles some OF the weather was bound
TO be good. The most noteworthy piece OF WorE
Majors. was in the delivering OF one OF Pres-
deut Buchanan's messages in few hours over
eight days. The message was received n q.
Joseph by wire. Immediately placed upon ilght
mHniioding paper and given to the Inessehr
ger The pony was or like the wind. Forty Of
The little fellows were required to do the work.
and ii was done to the Queens taste. But the
telegraph came soon.' said Col Majors sauiy
" and that broke the pony's back Later the
railroads came, and We had TO stop our wagons
and close up our business. =,
At leavenworth, KAN to-day tho rusty oId
sign bearing the names Russell. Mayors x
Waddell may yet be seen on building, at the
iors, who is Vice President Of the Kansas City
Mining Exch2nHe Is the only Survivor OF JANE aEe
ago and Vim. II. Russell passed away in st.
Louis over a decade since.
The pony express company employed about
GOO Of the hardy little animals indigenous to
the West. Post houses were maintained every
ten miles. at which several OF the ponies
animal was tea miles without a, rest. And it
was n run. too. Not step 81 the way was
walked or ,rotted F0E ten miles the asv rider
tho familiar ground. whether 1t was noun
tain or prairie. plain or desert. Zach rider
was one fellow. loose. easy going dare-de
who always rode sixty miles at that breaknecK
eh%9Ee Of the Door
ing the changing pony that was TO carry the
man rhefe was cloud tT5 dust
an instantaneous change of the small. light al
die bags carried and IN ten ;b SECONDS rom ne
rearing little animal that was SO anxious TO be
of Away they went with plunge and
Cloud Of flying dust The ponies entered
into the spirit OF their work quite, as
ne9sr ner fsf whs9he sho Eight
or the road uncertain 1t was always plunge
ahead as II on ride where NE and dea!h were
tells OF his first and last sight Of the pony ex
press from stage coach window The nv, ~,
horses and the daring fellows who rode them
closing thus: 49,, III, nj, t
real fancy. that but for the lake OF white foam
left quivering and perishing after vision had
flashed by and disappeared, We might have
William Cody, Buffalo Bill" had his first
experience on the plains as a pony express
that lay Just along the eastern slope, OF the
Rockies. He was considered one OF the brayest
The precious stuff carried by these messen
gers was made up Of business c9Smm1unica-
ters freghted with PROMISES and verses ever
weighed the ponies, and no bulky newspapers
shod il they wore any shoes at all. The riders
were clothed as simply as the weather would
on the thinnest of paper and folded into the
least possible space The messages we're placed
IN liRht, saddle bags which were thrown over
the only thing changed tho new pony always
having stood, sudded Ieady for the eNpress-
man to Jump on his back.
The ponies started from Sacramento and ST.
Joseph daily. so that there WAS continuous
procession Of the little racers extending both
ways across tho great West. Despite the fact
that IS letter was charged as eNpressage. the
scheme lost money for its managers and Col.
Russell died poor man, largely as result OF
efforts to maintain the pony express. The tol-
eGrqph came about tho time the ponies began
paving for themselves and with II camo tho
end OF one of the most remarkable institutions
in the always wondrous annals OF the great
West.
better care or more pettinG than these Wild
tough ponies of the plains; and In their rough
big hearted way the miners and pioneers
choered the little fellows as they sped along,
and In every camp and wit hin every stQckade
their virtues and wonderful work were lauded
10 the skies.
Hints for Salmon Anglers.
Fran Forest ami SrCdm.
TO the tyro salmon fisher no better advice
can be given than to avoid prejudice and learn
something from every guido You have. FOR
instance you will be almost universally told
not to fish when il l!ghtens ana thunder.
Don't believe 1t, Take IL showery, squally
summer day. Alter the heaviest peals OF thun-