Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-13
MAIL BY PONY P
TOLD OF BY HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, July 13:-on
April 8, 1850, a lad left st. Joseph,
Missouri, astride a black pony and
another left Sacramento, California
on a white pony, inaugurating the
mail service of the famous Pony
Express.
On September 9 of this year the
| service will be instituted again for
Just one spectacular trip which is
to be a feature of a big celebration
concentrating the seventy-third
anniversary of California's admis-
| sion to the Union, and the seventy
fifth anniversary of the discovery of
gold in that State.
As nearly as possible conditions
will be established that are Identical
with those of the SOS and an effort
will be made to duplicate or beat
the best time ever made. OF course
the h%ardships of the trip will be
nothing compared with. what the
lion-hearted young men of the first
fast overland mail endured. There
will be no cruel, bloodthlrsty Indians
to evade and the riders will not
have to find their way across track
less desert and prairie as in the days
when there was not a road between
Missouri and California.
In fact, with nothing to bother
or worry them ave making speed
the modern pony riders, better
mounted and better equipped in
every way than their predecessors,
may be able to set a new record for
the two thousand miles.
Tha Grhndllad fipHn for tho pnnU
Express was eight days from st.
Joseph to Sacramento and two days
more to San Francisco. The best
time ever made was sever days and
seventeen hours when copies of
President Lincoln's message were
being transported. But the even
more splendid record of the SER
vice waE its monumental accom-
plishment of always getting the mail
through on schedule and neve los
ing but one pouch, and that one was
carried off by the Indians after they
had killed the rider. Also the SER
vice never had a man who dis
graced 1t by theft, and many of the
men lost their lives along the long,
long trail.
Before the day of the Pony Ex-
| press the direct service to the Pa
cific Coast was by stage from st.
Louis and the time required for the
trip twenty-three days. Passengers
were charged 500 gold for transpor-
tation and letters were carried at the
rate of ten cents per half ounce. The
rate by Pony Express was SIS per
| letter, and letters had to be written
on the thinnest paper. Each rider
had two mail pouches that never
weighed more than 20 pounds each,
and no rider was employed who
weighed over 1876 pounds.
Majors Instituted Service
Alexander Majors, a Kentuckian,
who was an altogether extraordinary
character even in those colorful
days, was the driving force back of
the Pony Express and really respons-
ible for instituting it. He was noted
for sustaining from the use of liquor
tobacco and profanity and he requir-
ed all his riders to take solemn oath
not to use profane language, not
to get drunk, not to gamble, not to
treat animals cruelty, and not to do
anything incompatible with the con-
duct of a gentleman.
The route followed by the riders
lay from Missouri through Kansas,
Colorado, Utah and Nevada. Majors
established 100 stations and had
500 picked horses and $50 picked
men. Each man was supposed to
ride an average of 80 miles, chang
ing horses every lei miles, but they
frequently were called on for more
strenuous service. William F. Cody,
Buffalo BILL" who was a mere lad
when he Joined the service set a
mark that was never equalled OF
a continuous ride of 3S4 miles. Jim
Moore, another star rider, was once
compelled to substitute for his re-
lief partner who had been killed
by the Indians and repeat a ride OF
140 miles without a minutes rest
He made the round trip of 280 miles
in twenty-four hours, which was the
fastest time even made by the Pony
Express for that distance.
Majors decreed that it was the
business Of his men to deliver the
mail and not to fight Indians. They
might go cunning for redskins wher
they were off duty. If they cared to
but when they yer on the job they
were supposed to run rather thar
fight. They carried pistols ant
knives and had a reputation 70
being able to use those weapon
NOSE effectively. although they neveI
INDUCED in any needless gunplay