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Note: The original, from which this text was obtained, is only in fair condition. Most of the text could be read, but here and there words were beyond recovery. Illegible text is indicated here by [---]. |
The first express left Halifax on February 21st, 1849, on the arrival of the Cunard Royal Mail steamship Europa, eleven days from Liverpool, England. Concerning this first express, the Halifax newspapers contain no information, but we can confidently infer that it was dispatched on February 21st, as the newspaper referring to the express of March 8th, stated that the latter reached Digby Gut in "three hours less than it was done before." The Europa was the English mail steamship which arrived at Halifax on the trip before that of the America.
For more than a hundred years, historians in Nova Scotia — including John Regan and all the others — believed that no written record existed of the first run of the Halifax Express. No such record does exist in Nova Scotia (that is, none is known as of this writing, in November 2001), but in May 1999, two contemporary reports of that first run were found in the archives of the Saint John Regional Library:|
Two Contemporary Reports of the First Run of the 1849 Nova Scotia Pony Express |
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First Run, February 21-22, 1849 Saint John Weekly Chronicle, February 23, 1849 The steam ship Europa reached Halifax on Wednesday afternoon [February 21, 1849] at 5 o'clock, with the mail of 10th instant. The letter portion arrived this morning, but the news was anticipated by the arrival, at 8 o'clock last evening by the Steamer Commodore, Captain W.G. Browne, from Digby Basin, having received it in 11 hours from Halifax. The intelligence was immediately transmitted by telegraph to Boston, New York, &c., where it would no doubt arrive many hours in advance of the mail steamer. |
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First Run, February 21-22, 1849 English Mail — American Express New Brunswick Courier, February 24, 1849 A little after eight o'clock on Thursday evening last, the steamer Commodore, Capt. Brown, arrived from Digby Basin, bringing Mr. Craig, an American gentleman, who had undertaken on behalf of the Associated Press of Boston and New York to express the news by the Steamer Europa, from Halifax to Saint John, and thence by Electric Telegraph to Boston and New York. The arrangements on the road from Halifax to Granville Point, were very complete, and the distance was accomplished with single horses, in a light sleigh, in eleven hours, being a speed of about thirteen miles an hour! The Europa arrived at Halifax on Wednesday afternoon at five o'clock, in eleven days from Liverpool, and on Thursday morning at four, the messenger with her news was at Granville Point, but owing to the unusual quantity of ice in Digby Basin, it was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon before the Commodore was got into clear water. On her arrival in Saint John the Electric wires were immediately set to work, and the operator here, Mr. Mount, transmitted the intelligence in a manner which, while it gave satisfaction to the American editors, proved that the management of the Office has been entrusted to very competent hands. The Post Office express by the land route from Halifax, with the letter Mail, reached Saint John at six o'clock yesterday morning, and the newspaper express arrived about seven o'clock this morning. |
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