Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
Stage Venture Improved Mails

had got case of badly swelled head.
But the idea was born, and Mr..
Palmer and | undertook to carry 1t
out in another way. We saw Law
renee Barrett, and offered him the
part of Henry w., on our part agree
ing, when he consented. to furnish
great company and as perfect stage
settings as it was possible to procure.
Then we determined to see If the
railroads would undertake to carry
us from New York to San Francisco
in half a weeks time.
MY, when l think Of 1t, that was
a daring proposition. This was In
1878, and 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 were 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 l am going to tell
you of another feature of it which has
never been published. 1t occurred to
me that, if we could get the postof-
flee authorities to consent, we would
undertake to deliver a mail, made up
in New York, in San Francisco three
J and one-half days later. ! went to
see Thomas L. James, then postmas-
ter of New York, in fear and trem-
bling lest he might turn the PROPOSE
| ton down.
Instead OF that he grew enthusiast
tic. That's great idea, Mr.. Jarrett.
he said, and by means of it we can
show the government the feasibility
| of establishing a 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 will make up
mails for Pittsburg, Chicago, Omaha,
Ogden and San Francisco. We will
have the postmasters at those places
on the lookout for the mails Then
we will make reports of the result to
the government, and l think the re
ports will give US the long desired
fast mail trains
do you know" continued Mr.. Jar
rett, that the head Of the express
company which had the contract fol-
carrying mails from the railway sta
lions to the New York postoffice him
self actually drove the mail wagon
| rich a man as he was, from the New
York postofice to the Pennsylvania
station? We took on the mail JUS
before one o'clock at night. Before
eight o'clock that morning the mai
for Pittsburg was delivered and with
in an hour distributed. BY nine O'Clock
in the evening Chicago, for the frs
time. received a mail the same day
that 1t left New York. Omaha got 1t!
mail early in the morning of the sec
ond day. and San Francisco's mai
was distributed IN the afternoon o
the third day.
THAT experience demonstrated Il
the government the feasibility o
adopting through fast railway mai
trains. And as | recall the history o
the passage of the theatrical specia
from New York to San Francisco ii
as yet unbeaten time. l am convinced
that, after all, the greatest servic,
that 1t performed was to show boil
to the government and the railroad
generally that the latter were capabl
of cutting down time for the deliver.
of mails by one-half."
Copyright. 1910. by E. J. Edwards. Al
] Rights Reserved)