The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-18

| York Central system had been In opera
llon a year and the Pomeroy company
used It's rails; the messenger. Henry
Wells. paying his own fare like any other
passenger and carrying the express
packets in an old carpet bag He never
missed trip and from the accuracy of
| The delivery OF valuable packages in that
old carpet bag DEVELOPED one OF the big
enterprises for that period. il grew anG
prospered. Pomeroy &: Company branched
| out and later ran river and other cX-
presses. They had for a competitor 2
firm named PuIlen & Copp. but at last
they got tired and sold out 10 Wells and
Fomeroy and became the messengers
for the former combination. In passing
II can be added that Wells was something
Ike Hartman or a Hawley even in
those early days,
Also, in passing. it was about this per
iod that Copp was robbed OF his trunk
containing S64 900 in money and $500. 600
In registered notes. not yet signed by the
bankers. The history OF that remarkable
covery OF the money is one OF tho most
interesting chapters in express history
and VIII be feature Of another railroad
story at later date.
III the course OF a year or two the
style OF the firm name was altered to
Livingston, Wells & Pomeroy and later
LIVINGSTON, Wells s Company.
The most important fact I'm the last
named firms history IS it's reduction OF
letter postage from 25 cents TO cents "A
whole year before the United States gov
ernment made the same reduction by
In 1916 the Western Express was
formed from Buffalo onward 10 Cincin-
natl, st. Louis, Chicago and intermediate
points Wells was here Joined by WI
nam Fargo and Dan Dunnlug under the
hrm name o. Wells & Company. Fargo
mad been one OF the former messengers
for Wells. Then came the fight to Ret
the letter business and al last the gov !
ernment had TO reduce the postage and
10 these two men, therefore. can bel
ascEibcd the credit OF causing the great
est reforms the mercantile world has
ever known.
Inc history OF the express business is
iol0"ed thereafter With the names OF
wells. Fargo, Livingston and others,
forming new and further westward lines
In 1886 they commenced their European
business and established offices In Lon
don and Paris Their success brought
horse. into the express field and with all
these little fellows developing and work
ing IT was decided that such were grow
Ing important enough 10 be reprlrnandrd
ana so, In 1850. negotiations were en-
tered into between Wells g. Company
Livingston Fargo. and ButterfleId Is
Wasson FOR a grand consolidation and
IL being SO ordered and a joint stock
company was formed under the name OF
The American Express company,
In 1892 these same mon originated the
Wels-targo Company California express
but today the Fargos are all. I'm the
American and that company has oustcd
Wells Fargo from this region to a large
extent, so the name means nothing an
this late day.
From then on success was assured. Tho
american secured contracts on all the
Vanderbilt roads the Northwestern and
hundred others. II took up franchises
on all the leading ocean grcyhounds II !
has marble office buildings thousands OF !
horses and wagons II has offices In all |
points OF the known world and its tray
elers cheques are cashed wherever there
is civilization.
Today and every day a solid express
train leaves the Grand Central station |
In New York for the west. II Is made rlp |
Of nine cars as follows: two for Chica- |
go. one for milwaukee, ono Tor ST. Paul. |
one Tor Minneapolis one for Salt Lake, |
ono for San Francisco. one FOR Portland !
one for Seattle This train is the one
That makes the special run TO Fremont |
Nch., as already explained. and from
there the Tar western cars are brought
through in the wonderful time mentioned !
The coming Of tho American there
fore. has already revolutionized the local
cNprcSs traffic II has twcnt, blue