Evening journal., 1910-07-28
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Theatrical Ventura ilat
Improved the CO4aEy'S
Mail Service
BY "HOliald."
By "HOliand.'' ?

This hitherto unpublished story Of
how the countrys mail service was
vastly improved through the medium
of a theatrical idea was told TO me
lby Henry NJ. Jarrett, one of the great
est theatrical managers this country
has ever had, about two years before
/ his death, which occurred several
years ago when Mr.. Jarrett was an
old man.
with my partner, Mr. A. NJ. Pal
mer, we had been playing George
| Rignold and a very fine company in
| Henry " at Booths Theatre, in New
York city, for an entire season" said
| Mr.. Jarrett. "Rignold wanted to go
TO Australia at the end of the season,
and we suggested to him that he stop
over at San Francisco for few weeks
and give Henry " there. He wouldn't
listen to it. His success had been so
great in New York that he had got
case of badly swelled head.
But the idea was born, and Mr.
| Palmer and / undertook 10 carry it
out in another way. We saw Lawrence
| Barrett, and offered him the part Of
! Henry " on our part agreeing, when
he consented, to furnish a great COM
pany and as perfect stage settings as
it we're possible to procure. Then We
! determined to see if the railroads
would undertake to carry us from
/ New York to San Francisco in half
weeks time
My, when / think of it, that was
daring proposition. This was in
1878, ed the railroads. in the far
west at least. were far from being as
perfectly equipped as they are at the
present time. However, the idea ap-
peared to appeal to the railway man
ayers, and they made the contract.
We we're TO leave New York one hour
after midnight and be delivered at San
Francisco three and one-half days
later. And the contract was kept to
the letter. But ] never want to ride
again as we did then.
"Of course, that trip has become a
| tradition. Now | am going to tell you
of another feature of it which has
never been published It occurred to
me that, II we could get the post Of
fee authorities to consent, we would
undertake to deliver a mail. made up
In New York, in San Francisco three
and one half days later. l went to see
Thomas L. James, then postmaster of
| New York, in fear and trembling,
lest he might turn the proposition
down.
Instead Of that he grew enthusi-
astic. That's a great idea. Mr. Jar
rett,' he said and by means of it we
can show the government the feasa-
bility Of establishing q fast railway
mail service that will bring New
York and Chicago within less than
| twenty-four hours communication
New York and Omaha in less than
/ thirty-six, and New York and San
Francisco in less than four days. We
viii make M mails for Pittsburg.
! Chicago. Omaha, Ogden. and San
Francisco We will have the postmaH-
ters at those places on the lookout r
the mails Then we will make repc-ts
of the result to the government, ar
think the reports will give US re
long desired fast mail trains
do you know" continued Mr. Ja-
rett, that the head Of the express
company which had the contract for
carrying mails from the railway sta
tions TO the New York post office
himself actually drove the mail wagon
rich a man as he was, from the New
York post office to the Pennsylvania
station? We took on the mail Just be-
fore one o'clock at night. Before eight
o'clock that morning the mail foy
Pittsburg was delivered and within
an hour distributed By nine o'clock
In the evening Chicago, for the frst
time, received a mail the same day
that it left New York Omaha got It's
mail early In the morning of the sec.
ond day, and San Francisco's mai
was distributed on the afternoon o.
the third day
That experience demonstrated Il
the government the feasibility o
adopting through fast railway mai
trains. And as I recall the history of
the passage OF the theatrical specia
from New York to San Francisco II
as yet unbeaten time, am convincet
that, after all, the greatest servic,
that It performed was to show both Il
the government and the railroads gen
orally that the latter were capable o
cutting down time for the delivery o
mails by one-half."
Copyright, 1910, by E. j. Edwards
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tel
0f fsThe Inst 0Dnortunifv fhnf Grinva