Additional information
by Oscar Melton Thomas (Author), James Blaine (Author), Scott Prior (Author)
Expresses: expresses may be defined as: Private concerns ranging in size from a single individual to large companies, which dealt directly with patrons wishing the safe and rapid transportation of letters, packages, gold dust and specie over given routes or areas, for a fee.
For our purposes, the services provided by the expresses began when an individual consigned a letter to an express company, which would either then: 1) Convey the letter to the addressee, 2) Carry the letter as far as possible, then turn the letter over to a connecting express for ultimate delivery to the addressee, 3) Carry the letter to an appropriate government post office, and deposit the letter therein for conveyance to the addressee.