Arizona republican., 1904-03-07
FIRST EXPRESS SYSTEM.
w. F. Harnden Originated Enterprise
 Sixty four Years Ago.

From the first swing of the peop'e toward the open and empty west, one of the chief needs was a safe, spec ly and orderly transfer of perso-sl prop erty. ContemperaneoUs with t-c early push toward the Pacific maa arC-e whose project (sOon to 8 de tl.e world), was destined to fill the need. This man. whose dream and deed helped nightly to people the vacant west, was William Frederick Harnden the founder of the express system of America and Of the world.
 The express business seems SO indi- spensable arC inevitable a part of our life, so fixed and unalteraEle a Tart O. our business, that We can scarcely real iZe 2 time when there existed no per ipatetic bank, TO ubiquitous delivery system, no ever-ready, eVer-Capable medium for rendering a thousand up- able services in fetching and Carryin- and in representing Us at home and abroad. To get his thought trars- mitted. to set himself and h,s go ds transferred with celerity and sa@ety-- these are large problems Of civil zat'on that man has been struggling wi h since he began to think and to labor. NJilt IuIQltl anu S4N stage llt4tS lsllA out of Boston clcne n 1884 and il be- hooved the promoters of the struggling
 railroads to concil.ate these depose publicans and jehus in order to make and keep friends wi h the clamoiing people. So stage drivers were gener- ally made ticket agents end conductors and pressed into every other -sible service.
 N1tnrDl lly~ those M-hD the stages to the trains carried on their friendly service in fetching and carry
 ing along the line. But it was all a matter of accommodation and haphaz- ard, with no record or metkol. The same sort of errandmOngering was Op- eratirg on the steamers of both the eastern and the western waters. The steamer John W. Richmond was at this time plying between Boston and New York James w. Hale. an | cmploye of Hudson's News room in i the old Tontine building at the corner of Wall and Water streets. New York ] city, happened to be also the agent of 1 this steamer.
 ! He was in the habit of running down 1 to the beat at the hour of it's tri-weex- | ly sailing to send oft a copy of the ! News rooms bulletin sheet to the BoS- l ton newspapers. Certain Wall street
 brokers, noting the punctual errard.
 fell into the way of asking MT. Hale ! to take to the boat packets of bank
 notes or coin, with q request to pass them on to some Boston bound travel CT, to be delivered according to direc-
 tions. Rather e slack arrangement 8 broker of today would consider this unreceiptcd for consignment commit
 ted thus to Providence and an un-
 known vest pocket. But no ore is saiC
 to have refused to perform such ar
 erraud or to nave betrayed such .
 trust. Yet we know that hundreds ot
 thousands of dollars passed yearly tC
 and fro in this aTcadian manner; ar
 evidence, is it rot Of the ECblenes!
 that lies in men, sleeping. but neVe
 deado2
 Perhaps, however. the obIg.ng MT Hale began by and by to feel h!
 unprofitable stewardship something O
 a, bore: for in the winter in 1889 an.
 1Ssn. when Mr. Hernden came to Nev , York. suffering from what We wou.' today call nervous prostration. a mo
 ment ous conversa ton took place. T am worn out Hale" said MT. Harr
 den, by my sixteen hours Q day in th Boston & Worcester ticket office. , must find a less monotonous position rands between' New York and Bos ton2"
 What would ycu think of my doing e "I believe" answered his friend that a good thing could be made O } parcel delivery between these ctiss | Every day l am pestered by bro Ser 10 take money and packages down t the Richmond where in turn I mus ,; poster passengers to carry the stuff { Poston. Why not let these gent,ecse pay for this thing"
 I've had just that it my nina sa' . Harrden. System is good in othe . lines-why not in the errand bus ness" I believe I'll try it."
 "Go ahead" said Hale: I'll get yo the patroage Of l lot of brokers an
 speak for facilities for you n the R.ch 2 mond."
 t Tn a month Hzrnden was aC wo ]. between Boston and New Yo.k vt
 circulars and offices and plenty cf bus
 ires-SucCesS