Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1940-10-03
Crossing A Continent

press was established The conti-
nent was crossed in 10 days. Gov
ernment has issued a special stamp
commemorating the event. On April
8, 1860, Harry Rolf left Sacramento
with mail to Saint Joseph, Missouri.
Henry Walters left ST. Joseph for
Sacramento. Bells, cannon, and
anvils participated in the jubilee.
Every 25 miles there was a relay of
ponies, making the average. speed
10 miles, and sometimes rs miles
an hour. ~ .s.cs,I1.15
There were needed 100 relay sta
tions, 400 employees, 500 sound and
fleet ponies and 80 riders. VIM. F.
Cody, Buffalo Bill, was one of the
riders. He made once 353 miles
without a stop. Indians and white
and bad weather and trails were
encountered Mail was carried for
$3.50 half ounce. This was chang
ed later to 81 a half ounce. 1t was
a noble experiment 1t came to an
end when on Oct. 2, 1861, the Over
Ian Telegraph company joined
wires at Salt Lake City, connecting
New York and San Francisco From
Al letters the pack grew to $50 in
the last few weeks. But the gov
ernment lost 100000.
Not far from where l live, stands
a Pony Express Museum. Here are
seen many old Concord Stages,
hand-drawn fire-engines, and can
non, revolvers and rifles of 100
years ago. There are so gold scales
on which were weighed millions Of
dollars in gold dust. There are bull
let-scarred boxes of pirates of the
Spanish Main mingled with relics
of ghost-city mining camps.
We saw an old stage operated by
Wells Fargo company which had
been robbed 28 times in seven years.
Wells Fargo transported from Cali
fornia in 1857, $60,00O,0OO. Hold
ups were frequent in the good old
days. Black Bart robbed this
coach He planted three broom
sticks in the ground, and on top of
them three typically western hats.
1t was the psychology of fear. With
travellers to donate all they had
cuff, which led the officers to a GER
tain hotel, where he was arrested
After many years in prison, Wells
Fargo honored him with bonus,
and he retired rich. 1t seems in a
remote sense this company started
the racketeer system, by doing this.
Edward Marsden, octogenarian
poet, recently deceased, thought
that Black Bart left for him under
a bush $500. This the young poet
found. He was delighted to think
the brigand intended he should find
it, and use it for his education!
/ see l have wandered a long way
from the subject of transportation.
Well, it is long way from the pony
express, the ox-drawn covered wag-
on, the push-cart of the Mormons,
to the railroad, automobile and air.
plane of today. We saw an ox-cart
made in 1890, about $50 years ago.
1t was wood without nail in it. 1t
was tied together with raw-hide,
its linchpins, yoke and tongue
much worn. It's crude wooden
wheels were four feet in diameter,
a common sight in Mexico today.
Our government hired the John
Butterfield Stage Coach company to
carry mail in 1858, for 100000
a year. We ride now over splendid
highways which were once the
trails traversed by mail
coach, taking 25 days from st.
Louis to San Francisco, at a pas
senger rate of 5000. Now many of
our 45,000,000 tourists annually
drive over these same roads, which
the gas-engine and consequent gas
oline tax have made possible. Our
great republic is 5000 miles long
and 1000 miles from lakes to gulf.
Our matchless roads make these
sublime distances small.
In 1869 a Golden Spike was driv-
en- where the Union Pacific and
Central railroads were joined to-
gether In Utah. Now a half-dozen
trans-eontinental roads of steel
span the continent. Three are CO.
ordinated in the Union Station
here, costing $11,O00,OOO. No mon
ey has been spared in making this
guest room Of the traffic a work Of
art, despite the fact the auto had
made such inroads in passenger re-
ceipts. We visited the Lockheed
Aircraft factory, covering 50 acres,
and employing 1900 skilled men.
One cannot doubt the future of the
airplane. They turn out two a day,
100000 parts much at
ter the fashion OF the Ford as
semblage. Pan-American Airways
bring Mexico, Central America and
South America within a few hours
travel. Some carry 32 passengers
1T 800 miles per hour.
Our government is back of an eff |
tort to produce a plane going 420
miles an hour.-Howard H. Scott.