Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-08
FIRST PONY EXPRESS TRIP
1t Began with a Record Run on a
Railroad.
RACE AGAINST TINE ON H. & ST. J.
Feat OF = Merry EngIneer that Won n
Mail Contract for His Road
speed Record Lone
Unbroken.


fury OF life.
When the connection was made near
Chillicothe in 1869 Hannibal was a village
Of the character described as -. Peters
burg in Tom Sawyer" A decade be-
fore st. Joseph had been known TO river
men as only a landing. The towns be-
tween were small and Of like consequence.
There were whole counties that could
be entered AZ N.25 an acre. Governor Bob
Stewart was the Colonel Sellers who saw
millions In 1t, and he managed to assoc
ciate with himself enough men of kindred
spirit to make the project Of building the
road a success.
Some queer notions were promulgated by
those who opposed the road. Some said
II would furnish an easy avenue OF es-
cape for fugitive slaves. one man who
had been a representative said they
couldn't run the steam cars In muddy
weather because their weight would break
down the road bed and that Ok teams
were the surer for freight.
Another man said the fire from the en-
CINE stacks would burn all the farmers
richards and meadows. An officer OF the
claim department recently observed that
judging from the bills nled the last man
came near being a true prophet.
When the pioneer was pacified the bush
whacker Of civil war times took a hand.
and for four years he made 1t a hard
guess whether a train would get through
or not. Finally block houses garrisoned
with soldiers were placed at all large
bridges ana a degree of peace followed,
but not until an immense amount of prop
erty had been destroyed.
locomotives Part in Feat.
A great deal has been written about
the pony express which was operated
across 1000 miles of mountains, prairie
and desert to deliver to the western gold
miner his tissue letter from the east at
IS per letter, but comparatively little has
been heard OF the steam engines part In
the long race, An important element in
the scheme was the hannibal & ST. JOS
eph railroad, which at the time was just
completed across northern Missouri.
Although FOG miles long. the building OF
this road was regarded in Missouri as the
mightiest commercial feat of the period.
1t united the two great rivers of the con-
tinent and it's completion was typified
by transporting several barrels of water
from the Mississippi on the first through
train and discharging them in the Mis-
souri,. This was on February 10, 1889.
A little over a year later, on April 3, 1850,
the pony express train made its test run
from Hannibal to st. Joseph.
The government had given its mail con-
tract to the pony express, but had not
yet closed with any railroad. Until 1850
the mail had been going up to st. Joseph
by BOAT So it became necessary for the
management of the new railroad to show
Uncle Sam what could be done. +.
In comparison with the quiet way rail-
roads go about such matters today the
preparation for the run of the pioneer fast
mail is interesting. Every man on the
line considered himself as an important
part of the event. George II. Davis, the
roadmaster, who is yet connected with
the Burlington system, which now
operates the Hannibal & st. Joseph divis-
ion and who lives at Quincy, ILL.,, issued
orders for every switch to be spiked and
all trains kept off the main line. He was
selected to make the run with a nervy
engineer. Add Clark, at the throttle.
Engineer and Engine.
Clark was a fine specimen of the early
day engineer. He was absolutely fear
less. His fame rested mainly on his abil-
ity to handle a locomotive and get his
train over the line without mishap. In
those days that was a great achievement
If running at a high rate of speed. The
light rails were easily thrown out Of line
by heavy rains and the roadbed was no
more firm than a country highway.
The mail car used on the run of the
pony express was the first one con-
structed for that purpose In the United
States. The engine, named the Missouri,
was a w~ood-burner. From an artistic
point 1t was a much handsomer machine
than the big black moguls of today.
Al ---1IYv.-lr about Nhn had
light, bell and drivers and all the steel
and brass parts were polished until they
resenbled a looking glass.
Fuel agents all along the line were noti-
fled to be on hand with an adequate force
to load the tender in less than no time.
The orders given to Engineer Clark were
simple He was to make a speed record to
stand for fifty years. As Clark understood
IL the only harm that could come to him
would be a failure to max time.
The train pulled out OF Hannibal amid
the waving Of hats and the cheering OF
a crowd. All the way across the state, at
every station and crossroad, 1t was greeted
by enthusiasts, many of whom had jour
neyed miles to see 1t. Nothing that had
ever happened In northern missouri excited
as much general interest.
The first seventy miles OF the journey
was comparatively level and straight.
Through Monroe and Shelby counties the
eager railway officials figured that the
little train was making sixty-five miles
an hour. At Mason it began TO strike the
rough country, where hills and curves were
numerous.
1t stopped there for wood. The fuel
agent, l.. 8. Coleman. had erected a plat
form just the height Of the tender. On
this he put every man that could find
room, each bearing an armful of selected
wood. As the train slowed up the men
emptied their arms. The fuel agent, watch
in hand, counted the seconds.
some Real Running.
Just fifteen passed while the train was
at a standstill. Then it was off again like
the wind. The spectators saw the occu-
pants Of the car clutching their seats with
both hands as It rocked to and fro and
threatened 40 toss them all in a bunch on
the floor.
out at Macon at that time was a grade
that averaged eighty-three feet to the mile,
running down toward the Charlton river. ~
Engineer Clark shut off his steam ever 30
little on that stretch none Of the officers on