Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-12-22
A GREAT RACE.
IT WAS AGAINST TIME, AND THE
STAKE WAS S2OO,O00.
Carrying the United States Mail From
st. Joseph, Mo-, to Sacramento,
CAL, I'm Ten Days by the
Pony Express.

TN 1859 st. Joseph, Mo, was the
terminus of railroad communica-
L ton. Beyond, the stage coach,
the saddle-horse, the ox-team and
prairie schooner were the means OF
transportation thence to the Rockies
and the Pacific slope.
In the winter of 1S59-5O there was
Wall street lobby at Washington try
ing to get So, 900, 900 for carrying the
mail overland for one year, between
New York and San Francisco. The
proposition was extremely cheeky, and
William H. Russell, backed by Secre-
tary of War Floyd, resolved to give
the lobby a cold shower-bath. He
therefore, offered to BET 5000, 900 that
he could put on a mail from Sacra-
mento, Cal, to St. Joseph, Mo, that
would make the distance-1950 miles
in ten days. The bet was taken, and
April s fixed upon as the day tor
starting.
Mr. Russell called upon his partner
and general manager Of the business
upon the plains, Mr.. A. B. Miller, and
stated what he had done, and asked if
he could perform the feat
Miller replied: "Yes, sir, l will do
it, and by pony express
To accomplish this Miller purchased
300 of the swiftest horses he could find
in the West, and employed 125 men.
Eighty OF these men were to be post
riders. These he selected with refer
ence to their light weight and known
courage 1t was very essential that
the horses be loaded as light rs posi-
ble-therefore, the lighter the man
the better. It was necessary that some
portions Of the route should be made
at the rate of twenty miles an hour.
The horses were stationed from ten
to twenty miles apart and each rider
would be required to ride sixty miles.
For the change of animals and the
shifting Of the mails two minutes were
allowed, Where there were no stage
stations at proper distances tents sufii-
cient to accommodate one man and
two horses would be provided. In
dians would sometimes give chase, but
their cayuse ponies made but sorry
show in their stern chase after Miller'S
thoroughbrcds. many Of winch could
make a single mile in LAG.
All arrangements being completed,
signal gun on the steamer Sacro-
mento proclaimed the meridian of Sth
of April. lS60-the hour for starting
when Border RuAian, Mr. Miller's
private saddle horse, with Billy Baker
in the saddle, bounded away toward
the foot hills in the Sierra Nevada.
and made his ride of twenty miles in
torty-nine minutes. The SHOWS were
deep in the mountains, and one rider
was lost for several hours in snow
storm. and after the Salt Lake Valley
was reached additional speed became
necessary to reach St. Joseph on time.
From there all went we'll until the
Platte was to be crossed at Julesburg.
The water WAS upand running rapidly,
but into the river food the rider
plunged his horse, only, however to
mire aud drown in the Quicksaud
The courier succeeded in reaching
the shore with the mail bag in hand,
and travelled ten miles on foot to reach
the next relay. johnny Fry, a popu-
lar rider of his day, was to make the
finish. He had sixty miles 10 ride,
and six hours to do it with When .
the last courier arrived at the sixty /
mile post, out from st. Joseph, he was /
one hour behind time. A heavy rain .
had set in, and the road was slippery. /
Two hundred thousand dollars turned .
upon a single minute. Fry had Just 7
three hours and thirty minutes in
which to win. This was the inisi, of .
the longest race for the largest stake
ever run in America.
When the time for his arrival was
nearly up at least 5000 people stood
upon the river bank, with eyes turned
toward the woods from which the
horse and rider shortly emerged into
the open country in the rear Of Elm
wood, one mile from the finish. Tick
tick tick went thousands of watches.
The time WAS nearly up-but seven
remained Hark a shout
goes up from the assembled throng:
"He comes He comes :" The noble
little mare, Sylph, the daughter Of
Little Arthur, darts like an arrow
from the bow, and makes the run of
the last mile in ] 80, landing on the
ferryboat with five minutes and ten
seconds TO spare Savannah Ga
News
RI. U.,.. = ct-..1 a.. NJ.