The Portland daily press., 1897-07-13

rest. Every three months the United
States Treasury sent the sub-contractor
his share of the pay and RENTED the bal
ance to the original. bidder at his home
In the Kentucky mountains.
These enterprising men thought no
more Of bidding on all the mail routes in
Maine, Michigan, New York, and Cali
fornia than they did of taking two mile
contract near their own villages, nor did
they hesitate about tackling the fancy
work in the big cities. At times the
Kentuckians held every contract for car
rying the mails in cities like New York
and Boston, as they now hold them in
Brooklyn. The greatest profit, however,
came from the country business and from
the mountains, where they had no COM
petition at all. Mail routes through the
highlands of the Carolinas, Virginia, and
| Kentucky and other States brought them
many thousands of dollars. A favorite
method was to sublet contracts to cir
cult riding preachers who made regular
| trips horseback, and who would carry the
| mails for almost any sum they could get,
| frequently for less than one-tenth OF the
amount the star reuters were receiving
| for the work.
1t is difficult to tell just how much
money was made out of the business, and
| in manner perfectly legitimate, in its
rosy days, but hints here and there give
thirty-six miles in Michigan, which had a
mail each way every day, was awarded to
the contractors for $6, 600 year. or 1924, 900
for the life of the contract. 1t was sublet
to liveryman at just one half the sum.
The liveryman killed forty horses and
sank a lot of cash, besides trying to get
rich, on the job An old travelling agent
now out of the business says he has let
many contract at a profit of rs per cent
to his EMPLOYERS
| William Harding of London is one of
| the veteran route agents. He has been in
the service of the big contractors for
thirty years, and is still in the business,
which he says has now about gone the
way of many other good things Hard
ing has been in every State in the Union
time and again, dealing with sub-con-
tractors, and has cashed checks in every
county seat in the United States where
| there is a national bank.
OF the younger set of professional star
reuters W. B. Catching of London is
in the nighborhood of 80, but has an old
head. A few years ago Catching was a
subordinate of one Of the old star route
kings, and in this way he mastered the
science. Then he got hold of a little
money, thousand or SO, and went to
bidding for routes on his own hook. He
was shrewd and bold and his success has
made nobody knows. Some say that at
times his profits appropriated $4,000 a
year He built the Catching block in
London at a cost of $75, 900, has lived
we'll, and is rated high. When a subscrip
ton was started for big school at Lon-
don, Catching was approached, and put
his name down for $4,000 or $50 as
quietly as he would have given a dollar.
Catching like his successful predecessors
transacts the larger part of HIS business,
from an unpretentious office in London.
Ed Parker, another brilliant young
operator, has also made his pile. In the
mountains they will tell you that $50, 900
is not the measure of his income. He, too,
| was product of the Kentucky noun
tains, and learned the art in the service
of the veterans He had brains and nerve
and is still in the game. Parker has lived
well, and his fOndness for politics. state
and national, has cost him some thous-
ands. He was the leader of the revolt
against DR.. Hunter. the nominee of the
Republican Senatorial caucus at Franklin
in March, and has been prominent in
other party affairs.
While many large for tunes have been
made in star route speculations, much
money has also been lost, and not few
of the mountain operators sank their
thousands in unfortunate contracts. The
business Is science, and the novice is in
great danger of burning his fingers the
first time he tackles the schedule. In
ers have sprung up all over the country
At every letting the competition is
warmer and the margins more closely
drawn. The Gland Office business of
the famous old Southern Mail and Trans
portation Company is now a thing of the
past. Within few years the contractor
will earn all he gets out of the routes.