The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-08

seph on time. From there on. however.
all went well until the Platte river was
TO be crossed at Julesburg.
The stream was swollen and running
ffiIplq9ly, put the horse plunged into the
Hood, only, however, to mire in quick
III reaching the shore with his mail bag
sdle ana Travelled ten miles on foot to
this point to within sixty niles miles of ST ST
Joseph was made quickly and without
Johnny Fry. popular rider of his day,
was 10 make the finish He had sixty
miles to ride, with six horses upon which
to do it.
When the last courier arrived at the
siXty-mile post out from st. Joseph he
was one hour behind time. a heavy
perry.
the loss and gain of 5000 might turn
upon a single minute.
Fry had Just three hours and thirty
minutes In which to win. 1t was the
finish of the longest race and largest
stake ever run in America.
When the time for Fry's arrival was
nearly UP, at least 5000 people stood upon
the river bank. with eyes turned toward
rider should emerge into the open cOun-
Try IA the rear OF ElwOOd-one mile from
Tick, tick went hundreds of watches
me time was nearly up Only seven min
utess remained.
Harki
'Hurrahr' A shout goes up from the
assembled multitudei The courier comes :
A noble little mare darts like an arrow
from the bow and makes the run of the
last mile in one minute and fifty seconds
landing upon the ferry boat of Francis
street with five minutes and fraction
The story Of this remarkable feat is but
a scrap of history now. A few of the
riders who participated in the great race
are still living, and hundreds of old
timers recall the scenes and incidents that
marked the finish OF the splendid contest
NN~an Z h
history OF st. Joseph.
8 o @
The enterprise established by Majors,
Russell & Miller. in the shape of the pony
express, carried the United States mails
and telegTaphic dispatches to far west
ern points Tor many years. In fact, the
service was not discontinued until Den
yer and other western towns wore con-
nected by rail with Missouri river cities
1t was five days prior to the running of
the great race for $200. 900 WAGER that the
first pony express left St Joseph for
the west. At 7:15 o'clock Tuesday even
ms, April ), 1860, a rider received a t the
7 nlted states express office in this city
MS Hght burden OF dispatches, and amid
the cheers and huZZas of the vast throng
assembled TO witness tho event darted
OH across the plains OF Kansas and on
into the distant west This event created
so much excitement in St. Joseph that the
little pony was almost robbed of his tail
the crowds of people assembled at the
starting point being DESTROYS of preserv-
ing memento of the flying messenger.
the Free Press, published at ElWood
Kan, then thriving, populous village
located Just across the river from ST JO-
Seph, the Star correspondent obtained the
fouowlng time card for the regular Pony
Express service:
EIwood to Marysville, u hours: Fort
kearney, 81 hours; Laramie. 80 hours:
Brldger, h@ hours; Salt Lake, 124 hours;
Camp Floyd, l23 hours; Carson City. 1SS
hours; Placerville, 226 hours; Sacramento
20 hours; San Francisco, 243 hours
me pony express started weekly from
81. Joseph and San Francisco. mails and
Geographic dispatches for these points
and the cities in the far east being trans
ferred at Salt Lake, 124 hours out from
81. Joseph and 1876 hours out from San
Francisco.
As may be expected, all transmission of
messages over this line was effected at
no tritlfng cost. and those who had oc-
casion to avail themselves of its con
Venlence made it point to study brevitv
OF expression. amusing incident is
chron1cled in this connection Lucky
Baldwin, at that time the leading theat-
rlcal manager of San Francisco, sent to
Artemus Ward, in New York. the follow
ing dispatch:
What will you take for forty nights?''
me great humorist promptly replied at
the expense of the manager:
Brandy and water
BALDWIN had the good sense to accent
the Joke, and by means of a perhaps less
ambiguous communication afterWard eff
IeCIed mutually profitable engagement
WITH the Witty and careless ArtemuS