Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1904-04-05
TALE OF THE PONY EXPRESS
TOLD BR A PIONEER RIDER
Inauguration Of the System and the First
Memorable Ride Over the Trans.
continental Route

The following article on this subject,
published many years ago. will interest
not only those who have come upon
the stage Of action since the pony ex
press was established. but those also
who were the beneficiaries of the fast
mail service" in those days:
I'm those early days the firm of Rus
sell. Majors. Waddell & Co. We're
among the largest contractors in the
United States, their business some
times amounting to 100000 annual
ly. NJ. Miller was the GO" the young
est member of the firm, and in great
measure the life of it. Mails were very
weekly which was sometimes lost. in
fact was extremely fortunate to get
through. This was conducted at a
tremendous cost. There was a great
rivalry between the stage and ocean
lines, the latter struggling for contracts
for taking the mails from New York by
steamer to the isthmus, across this
and again by steamer up the western
coast. This mail went overland west
by the northern route through New
Mexico and Arizona. The contracting
firm above mentioned had the control
Of the central route, by Kearney, Jules
burg. Fort Laramie and Salt Lake.
People insisted that this route was i'm
practicable. and the idea of a daily
mail over it was pooh poohed most Wig
orously. Mr.. Miller persuaded his more
conservative partners that such a thing
could be done. From this idea grew
was soon world wide. He was given
two months. February and March, 1861,
to equip the line with stock and sta
tions. which he did at a cost Of $50. 900.
1t was thought that the line would
support itself. SO the proprietors ex-
pected not to be out more than the
original investment. It could hardly
De said that it did pay, but it demon
s1rated what could be done and en-
toufaged the railroad and wire to fol j.
low in its wake Previous to this time
there had been limited express lines OF
this kind. but nothing on so gigantic
a scale. Mr.. Miller had been over the
route enough to know what had been
done. He said that Salt Lake could
be reached from st. Joseph in ten
days and the coast in five days more
On April 3 the ponies were started
from each end of the line. BY this
time the confidence Of Miller had
proved infectious and Russell was
just as confident too, but not in the
same way, So bet was made II
was a pretty good sized bet, being 70,
$4,000 side.
The race began and was watched
with GREATNESS interest. The pom,
from the ocean and the pony from the
valley painted toward each other. with
the hundreds of miles between then
melting awy. At each station there
was another horse saddled and anothe,
rider ready spurred. The mail bae
was tossed from one to the other. ant
on sped. like the wind. the fresh horse
and rider. One boy on the first tri1
was lost In canyon of snow. Fol
-FOUR precious hours he wandered. Their
he started on with desperate vigor
Another was lost in the Platte Tht
horse he rode was drowned. But the
rider swan out with his mail and foot
ed it to the next station. Here his re.
lief was in waiting and the fight wa.
taken up again. Would the riders ant
the horses, with their daring and en-
ergy. win? Would the accident and tn,
strangeness of the trail make then
lose? No one could tell The day.
passed. The ponies neared each other
They passed, The riders gave a wilt
hurrah. On and on: whip and spur
:. Ten days are gone and the ponies hav,
kept up to the mark. Fifteen At
O'Clock the westward bound must be il
Sacramento. The noon has passed an,
the minutes are being counted. Hal
past three. VIII the brave rider be o,
hand? AS yet there is no sign Will
only thirty minutes to spare. Russell
wants to double his bet. Then {
speck of dust is seen. 1t grows to {
cloud The rider waves his hat. TIL,
people shout. The pony express ha
crossed the great American desert
Victory! There is still twenty minutes
grace.
The speed was always kept up JUS
as il there We're $4,000 at stake daily
1t was the same for months Then tn
complications of the war turned every
thing upside down. The riders wen
to do battle, the stations were aban
doned. contracts went to other hands
and grass grew over the trails. Blu
soon the stage used it and telegraph
was not far behind, while those VIII
have rushed across the plains b.
steam know what followed these in
nOvatiOpo