San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-31
COOLIDGE PRESSES GOLDEN
KEY AND STARTS MODERN
PONY EXPRESS RIDERS OFF
1923 Riders Will Use ESQ Mounts in Race Against
Tme-Re-enact Scenes That Occurred 63 Years
Ago-First Rider Gets Off Under
~ Adverse Conditions.

Washington, d. C., Aug. 3f.-Step-
ping from his office in the White
House to the telegraph loom in the
executive offices, President Coolidge
at II a. m. today pressed gold key
and a signal was flashed to st. Jo-
seph Mo, starting off the first horse
man westward toward San Francisco
in a revival of the old pony express.
st. Joseph, Mo-, Aug. Sion a
muddy track and under heavy clouds,
following showers during the night and
early morning. Robert Lee Shepherd,
who will ride the first lap in the wide
ly heralded pony express race from
st. Joseph to San Frarcisco, got away
promptly at 10 o'clock today to- the
shot of a cannon. r
Many thousands of people, includ-
ing persons from all pa, Is of the coun-
try, were assembled a. the spot where
the historic pony express had its start
in 1860, to see the start of the re-
vival.
Shepherd galloped Il rough the
streets, cheered by. til, throngs, to
the bank of the Missouri river where
he rode on a boat which had been
built especially for tic purpose of
ferrying him to the Kansas shore as
in the early days.
Before the ferry beat had fairly
landed, Shepherd las dashing
through Elwood. Kan, opposite st.
Joe, and making good time toward
Troy, Kan, the first relay station,
seventeen miles from st. Joe.
Before the Geographic signal was
given by President Coolidge in Wash
ington, Mayor George f. McIninch
of st. Joe, addr ssed the. crowd, re-
peating the speech mace by Gen. jeff
Thompson, mayor at the time, who
started the first pony express rider
from here, April 3, 1860.
Following the start of the pony
rider today. Mayor Mc1ninch and Of
ficers of the race started in motor
cars to follow the same route to San
Francisco.
Mayor Delivers Address.
Mayor McIninch said:
"In the early days tie telephone
to the Far West was by the slow
moving OK team.
"There were three great trails to
the West.
THE Santa Fe trai, the southern
route: Salt Lake trail, the central,
and the Oregon trail, the northern
route.
'49ers Travelled over in their mad rush
for gold.
at is over the Salt Lake trail. the
route of the pony express. that we
are now staging the biggest horse race
ever run since the pony express days.
"This great race viii be relay
from st. Joseph to San Francisco.
distance of 2150 miles. using about
500 horses and many riders. ~
"The prize is $4,000.
ave are assembled here to start
again after 63 years the ponies on
the first lap of the great race. de-
lvering President Coolidge's letter to
the mayor of San Francisco in the
short time of ten days.
During the pony express days the
riders carried the mail abouti?J0 miles |
at speed Of ten miles an hour. each |
rider making about so miles, chang.
ing horses each twelve to fifteen
miles.
"Pony express riders row living are
Charles Becker, Westfall. Ore. Will |
liam Pridham. Armada. Cal: Charles |
Cliff. st. Joe: Tom Ranahan. Los
Angeles. Cal. John Seebeck, Alameda. |
Cal, and W. II. Streeper, Farming
ton. Utah.
"Now. after many years. l your |
mayor. have the honor to address you
and to again start the pony express. |
re-enacting the great accomplishments |
of mail delivery to the Pacific coast |
in $780,
The mail pouch disnatched by ponv
express contains $50 letters and |
weighs eleven pounds. seven ounces.
and with pouch, fourteen pounds, nine
ounces.
All mail Is sealed and destined to !