The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-04
FOUNDER OF PONY EXPRESS
REMARKABLE CAREER OF ALEX
AMBER MAJORS. WHO RE-
GENTLY DIED.
Msde Millions Ia FFsIshtinS and Opened me
Way for Railroads to the
Pacific Coast.


press. both musical and historical IN the
ears OF old pIainsmen, Col. Majors Demon
strafed the probability. the absolute ne
cesslry of the first great railroad tnat
linked the East and the West. For TWEEN
ty years he "freighted" over the santa re
and Salt Lake trails, and conducted
wagon train system which was the won
der OF its day. In one year he carried
100000 pounds Of government supplies to
United States troops in Utah. Forty thou-
sand oxen, a thousand mules and over
5000 men, under his supervision, once
carried freight and mail from the Missou-
ri river across the Rocky mountains.
Seventy Years on the Frontier sums
ND the life Of one of the last of the ola
pisinsmen and OF the remarkable group OF
pioneers who made the West OF today.
Geventy years Of Col. Majors life were
crowded with the events which are history.
Today stories which were real 10 the old
man read like romance. and the figures
In them loom Hike giants through mist.
Though Col Majors did 80 much TO al
vance civilization. II in turn deprived him
of his occupation and he died compare
lively poor, where he had once been worth
q million. To the last the old man fought
With his head up He knew that times had
changed. and oven at 50 he strove to put
himself in harmony with new things.
I'm a young man yet" he said when
house few days before he died. Tell
the newspaper man TO come out In few
days when I'm better, and I'll have rem
iniscences enough TO make a book
Col. Majors had come to Chicago from
his daughters home In Kansas city dur
ing the holidays, to arrange for bringing
out an invention he had made. He was
tall, erect and carried his eighty-six years
wonderfully well. Except for his fund OF
anecdotes. ne did not seem like an old
man. His step was quick and his eye
alert. Among his old friends was Col.
Cody-"Buffaio Bilr'-to whom Majors
had given employment as a boy on the
Overland express. They remained firm
friends. and one Of the last to visit the
old man was Buffalo Bill" A few years
ago Col. Majors brought out his men,
oirs. Seventy Years on the Frontier"
and "Buffalo Bill'' wrote the preface.
start Of Overland Freight Service.
IT was In Is4s that Col Majors began his
freighting on the old Santa Fe trail. run
ming a line of wagons between Independ-
ence. Mo-. and Santa Fe, N. NJ. Majors
overland freight soon became famous all
over the world. He was not the first man
to carry freight over the trail. but he vas
the ffst man to develop overland freight
Ing ~ an industry and to insure In any de-
gree the safety of his goods His begin
ming was made auspiciously on the edge of
the gold fever and soon he. and the uart-
rers he afterward associated with him
had established lines TO Mexico California.
Colorado and Utah. and In one year the
profits Of the firm OF Majors. Russell q
Waddeli amounted to &50o.00. Nearly all
OF the freight carried over the Rocky
mountains by contract at that time was
carried bx Majors wagons. and the govern
mept contracts were all intrusted 10 him
The ,nfuance M Regular fre,vh,inp iines
on tbc building mn Of the Coast was in
oaIcuIable Emigrant trains OF men wo-
men ana children were protected along the
route by the express riders. who cons,ant-
Nv kent nm communication between one
~ rol Matters, freiyhtine outf,ts ana the
other. system Of watch was tnauuu
rated. and travelling became comparatively
safe. As government sunplies began 10 he
carried safely. other freight was sent out
ana .oon an immense ira fy,c went M Nv
both the northern and southern routes
Majors. freight wagons newer moved on
Sunday In making up a schedule SUNDAYS
were counted out When The dav came tho
t,r~ vagon trains were halted tho eat,le
turned out on the p,ains 10 craze. and bull.
drivers, and ..hroncho- busters, took n aay
on. Wages were continued al the EXPENSE
Of the employer and the colonel always
insisted that this rule brought him more in
i,nnroyea ~aryice than n cost him
r'nlike MANY Of the rugged p,oneers TO
whom .sbiied shirts were always fripperies,
and who prided Themselves on their I'M
couthness. col Majors was a gentleman OF
,he old school lie was able, hy a auiet
dignity. 10 enforce regulations thar would
have made laughing stock Of another
ooss a. franc increases ~ lc.' sr'uuai
IN" VI. ""uS W '"'o's VNc'''..
i"ikns' AZ" ne Veoh ~ wv PNahets hiu
ensnseu .ne name 10 Majors Hu'SeH
WaaneiL ihey sven 'nofcasea tneir team
Ing outht 70 WV" oxen anu ~" WAGONS.
d,vioins them into ootn's' or Trans.
moving out OF indcp@noehee' MO- on
certain date ana schednled % rcaeh santa
Re or salt LAX" or Denver. as the case
might Re, ON a certain date, The ergani1a-
ton OF a freight train Tor crossing the
plains consisted OF twenty ave wagons car
rsing the merchandise betting protested by
sheets Of dncking Each wagon was drawn
by twelve oxen, and the train was provid-
ed with thirty or forty extra animals, ia
case some OF these drawing the wagons
went lame. The whole train consisted ot
from $40 TO $50 cattle and haR dozen
"a IN