The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-20
OUT OF THE FIELD.
Wells, Fargo & Co. Have Decided to
Abandon the Carrying
of Letters.

Wells, Fargo & Co. have decided to retire
from the business Of carrying letters within
the States and Territories of the United
States. Thus will cease to exist another of
the institutions which, in early days, served
to make California a State apart from its
many sister eommonwealths. What the
company could not be forced to do years
ago by the direct interposition OF the Gov
eminent, it now voluntarily does by force
of circumstances brought about by the
powers Jnat it once dened.
Just when the letter service of the COM
panv will be discontinued has not yet been
definitely decided, as it will depend en-
tirely on how long the present supply OF
the franked envelopes in their possession
will last No more of these viii be printed,
and with the sale of the last one the people
of this State will have 10 depend entirely
on the Government for the transmission OF
their letters. Such is the announcement
made by Manager E. NJ. Cooper.
The letter service of the company in
Mexico, however, will be continued, as
heretofore, as competition with the Mcxi-
can Government mail service is still lu-
cratiye undertaking.
In speaking Of the part the mail opera
tons Of this company played IN the early
development of the State, III. B. Phillips, a
former employe OF the company, said:
There is no institution on the Pacific Coast
more interesting than Wells, Fargo & Co.'S eX-
press. 1t was the omnipresent, universal bust
hess agent of all the region from the Rocky
Mountains TO the Pacific Ocean; its offices were
IN every town, far and near; saloon, black
smith shop and a Wells, Fargo express Office
were the first three features OF Pacific Coast
town.
In the carrying of letters its operations were
rather curious. Going along hand in hand
with the rapidly changing population or the
mining camps and districts, offering reader
and more varied facilities than the slower
moving and circumScribed Government postal
machinery, II conveyed many OF the letters
operated as quickly as the express company,
though their cost by the latter was twice as
great The extent of this business is shown by
the statement that Wells, Fargo &; Co. bought
OF the government in 1863 over 100000 OF
the scent denomination OF Government
stamped envelopes, some 10 900 of the 6-cent
denomination and 30 900 of the higher values,
Desldes IO,OOO Scent adhesive stamps and
1000 scent stamps used on letters that had
been deposited in their letter-boxes short paid
for overweight. In 1864 this business had in
creased 10 such an extent that the Scent
envelopes bought amounted 10 2,250,0O0 and
the extra adhesive stamps TO 125 900.
Each year saw a gradually increasing
amount Of business added 10 this branch of the
company, until the many Improvements made
IN the Government service and its cheaner
rates gradually drew the patronage away from
the express company.
Aside from the general interest of this
news TO the mercantile community, it has
a special one for philatelists, or stamp col
lectors, as many OF them collect the franks
and stamps of private mail carriers. as well
as those issued by the various govern
ments. The franks Of Wells. Fargo e. Co.
will now become obsolete, and consequently
rarer and more valuable.