Fast
Mail Trains - Page 2
About
the 1st of July last, the officers of the New York Central Railroad
announced their willingness to run a mail train from New York to
Chicago in
twenty‑six hours. This proposition from the Central road was at once
accepted
by the department, and almost immediately afterwards came a similar
proposal
from the Pennsylvania Railroad, which was also gladly accepted.
Specifications
and plans for the new equipment necessary to carry out this undertaking
were
furnished each road, and the construction of postal‑cars was
immediately begun.
The
16th of September was fixed upon as the date for the inauguration of
the new enterprise, and on that day the two special trains started from
the
city, each carrying a large mail, post office officials and invited
guests.
The New
York Central train left the FortySecond Depot at 4:15 A.M. and the
Pennsylvania Central train started from Jersey City at 4:30 AM.
The
rivalry between the two roads led to some little dissention and
resulted in the Pennsylvania Company dispatching a "limited mail" on
September 13th. The officers of the road state that when they offered
to run a
fast mail train and newspaper train to Cincinnati and St. Louis, the
Post
Office authorities accepted the offer, and requested the Company to
have its
cars ready by September 12th. This gave the Company only thirteen days
in which
to build the cars. The work was accomplished by the prescribed time;
but the
Post Office authorities, on being informed that the New York Central
Railroad
cars were not ready, declined to send any mail matter until the 16th.
The
Pennsylvania Railroad Company was not willing to wait until the New
York
Central Railroad should be ready, and accordingly sent out its first
train.
The limited mail train left the Jersey
City depot at 4:45 A.M., consisting of a locomotive and three cars. The
first
of the cars was the baggage car which contained 25,000 copies of daily
newspapers published in New York for distribution at Philadelphia and
intermediate places. Besides these there were 2,500 copies for the
West.
Following this car came the postal‑car, and behind this was a car
containing
several New York journalists, Samuel Carpenter, the General Eastern
Agent of
the road, and George W. Barker, the
Division Superintendent.