The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-18
GOOD STORIES OF
THE PONY EXPRESS
Tiresems Journeys Acress the Desert 10
the Sixties.
FIRST SYSTEM Of RELAY RIDERS
How the Famous Liue Of Messengers
Was Established and How it Paved
the Way for Railroad and Teie.
graph. Experience Of Riders.

the Way for Railroad and Tele.
graph. Experiences Of Riders.
From the Chicago Record.
The first regular method of trans
porting merchandise across the plains
was by ox-teams, when detacnmeh's
Of United States troops We're placed
In the New Mexico country to hold the
border line against the encroachmehts
Of Mexicans about the time OF the Mex
ican war. Then the frontier posts were
along the Missouri river. When Gen.
eral Albert Sidney Johnson was or-
dered to move against the hghting NOR
mons In Utah territory the question or
the TRANSPORTATION Of supplies for the
soldiers became most serious. There
lives In this city q gentleman. now =.
years Of age, who undertook that prob
lem, and It was done to the approval
both Of the war department and the
command operating 50 far from base
Of supplies.
Alexander Majors passed his eventful
life entirely upon the plains. He
learned to drive an OK team soon after
he learned to walk and early In life he
was engaged In the business OF freight
Ing upon the famous Santa Fe trail.
He prOspered in the business and when
the demand came for q great caravan
to transport the supplies for the army
operating against the mOrmOms Ma
jOrs. with his years of experience, was
ready to undertake the gigantic task
Of conveying the supplies more than
1000 miles from the Missouri river to
the army. He secured the cooperation
OF two men with no end of energy and
courage, and the firm Of Russell, Ma
jors 4 Waddell soon became famous
all over the country. Possessing uh-
limited credit. the firm bought teams
and wagons on time and in two years
they had made over $2,OOO,OO profit in
their business. This great freighting
firm was not then satisfied. They
wanted to show their great prowess in
yet another manner.
ESTABLISHING THE PONY EX-
PRESS.
The discovery of gold in the Rocky
mountains, near Denver, was the Op-
portunity which Russell sought to
prove his wonderful executive ability.
He conceived the idea of establishing
g. daily stage line from the Missouri
river to Denver and against the opin-
the plan too dangerous an experiment,
the stage line was established. About
this time Senator Gwin, of California,
was seeking influence and aid to Sc
cure the opening of stage transporta-
ton route across the plains somewhere
along the 40th parallel Of latitude. At
that time the only overland means of
transportation, other than of emf
grant trains. was by the Red River
route, operated by the Butterfield
Stage company. That route across the
Pan Handle Of Texas, through Ari-
coma deserts to Los Angeles and thence
to San FrancisO, was much too long
and the CalifOrnians were seeking to
find shorter route. The chief oppOsi-
ton to the central route was that 1t
would be impracticable in winter, Ow-
ing to the extreme cold weather and
the heavy SHOWS Of the Sierra Nevada
range.
One Of his visits to Washington to
look after his bushes of freighting
army supplies to Utah posts Russell
met Senator Gwin and was taken with
the daring idea Of a direct route to the
Pacific that he Immediately declared
that the scheme was entirely feasible
and that his firm could and would un-
dertake 1t. They already had a stage
route In operation to Salt Lake City
and the remaining distance could be
coverede in good time, he was certain.
The fact that the stage line was losing
money rapidly did not seem to worry
Russell at all. He felt assured that
In time the country would settle up
and that the traffic would result in
great profit to the stage line owners;
then there was the hope Of a heavy
subsidy from the government for the
mall service. which the stage route
would afford II 1t proved practicable.
FOUR HUNDRED MUSTANGS IN
RELAYS.
In order to prove the practicability
of the route Senator Gwin proposed the
establishment first Of q pony express,
that by means of fast horses and relays
at suitable distances dispatches and
important business mail could be car
ried from the Missouri river to San
Francisco in ten days. II this venture
was q success the establishment of
stage line must eventually follow and
with 1t the change of the mail route
from the Butterfield line to that Oper-
ated by Russell, Majors & Waddell.
: when Russell came back from
Washington In the winter Of 1859" said
Majors recently. speaking of the days
OF the famous pony express. "he told US
Of the proposed scheme and wanted us
TO 90 In with him to try the plan. Both
Waddell and / opposed 1t as being en-
tirely too expensive and uncertain. but
astic that we finally consented and our
firm prepared to open the route.
within two months we had secured
between 400 and 500 wiry Mexican mus
tangs, had established relay stations
from Salt Lake City to Sacramento,
with force of men at each station
as keepers, riders and assistants and
had furnished all the necessary equip
meht for the work. Each pony was to
average thirty-five.. miles a day. three
ponies making relay in the best pOssi-
BILE time. The messe fes to be carried
were written or prirhd on tissue paper
and the charge wee IS a half ounce.
. THE first start Vas made from Sac
rainentO, the end Of the telegraph line,
on April 3. 1860. 1t was a great day in
the history Of that city. There were
public addresses. a parade and q ban
quet. The city was decorated with flags
and the express was started with all
the glory possible.
CUTTING DOWN THE TINE.
"Our relay riders made over 100 miles
before ha- ding over the dispatches to
the next re v rider. Often they rode
farther and u. several occasions q rider
was known to go 300 miles before he
wa6 relieved. From the day the first
bag was started there was not
Q single trip made in less than the
scheduled time Of ten days between the
Missbusi river and San Francisco. The
ttmd by the Butterfeld stage route
was ltwenty-one days. SO we demon
styat>d time-savinx Of eleven days
Of course the earnings Of the pony ex-