The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-11-30
new NEWS or YESTERDAY
Theatrical Venture Improved
Country's Mail Service.
Fast Trans-continental Trains orlgl-
mated With the One on Which Pal
mer and Jarrett Took Lawrence
Barrett to San Francisco.
BY e. J. EDWARDS.

BY E. J. EDWARDS.
This hitherto unpublished story Of |
how the country's mail service was |
vastly improved through the medium
Of a theatrical idea was told to me by |
Henry M. Jarrett, one Of the greatest
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. M. Pal
mer. we had been playing George
Rignold and a very fine company In
Henry vat Booths theater in New
York city for an entire season." said
Mr.. Jarrett. "Rignold wanted to go
to Australia at the end Of the sea-
son, and we suggested to him that he
stop over at San Francisco for few
weeks and give Henry " there. He
wouldn't listen to 1t. His success had
been SO great in New York that he
had got a 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 ", 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 | think of 1t, that was
a daring proposition. This was in
1873 and the railroads, in the far
west at least, we're 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 I never want to ride
again as we did then
"Of course, that trip has become
tradition. Now l anu 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-
Efce 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 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 a great idea, Mr.. Jarrett,
l. he said, and by means of 1t we can
show the government the feasibility
: of establishing q fast railway mail
: Iservice that will bring New York and
, Chicago within less than twenty-four
hours communication New York and
5 Omaha in less than thirty-six, and
I New York and San Francisco in less
: than four days. We will make ur
|, mails for Pittsburg, Chicago, Omaha
!. Ogden and San Francisco. We will
. have the postmasters at those places
on the lookout for the mails. Their
we will make reports OF the result tt
the government, and ] think the re
ports will give us the long desired
: fast mail trains
Z
I: rett. that the head Of the express
!: company which had the contract fo
!: carrying mails from the railway sta
T. lions to the New York postoffice him
= self actually drove the mail wagon
rich a man as he was, from the New
York postoffice to the Pennsylvania
y station? We took on the mail jus
1t before one o'clock at night Befor
10 eight o'clock that morning the mai
s. for Pittsburg wes delivered and witt
In an hour distributed. By nine o'cloc
in the evening Chicago, for the trs
time, received mail the same da
&c that It left New York. Omaha got 1t
mail early in the morning OF the SCI
ond day. and San Francisco's ma
H. was distributed on the afternoon
ra the third day.
That experience demonstrated
" the government the feasibility
If. adopting through fast railway ma
lie trains. And as recall the history
ic- he rassage OF the theatrical srecii
from New York TO San Francisco
as vet unbeaten time. am convince
that. after ALL the greatest serVi'
that IL performed was to show be-
TO the government and the railToat
" generally that the latter were capab
lie Of cutting down time fer TIE deliNs'
ed of mails by one-half."
- Copyright. 1910, by e. J. Edwards.
io' Rights Reserved) f