Commonly, the express conipany owns its terminal facilities, and rents from the railroads the cars on which its traffic is carried. These cars are usually attached to the regular passen ger trains, and the employees of the express company accompany the shipments, and attend to the delivery to local agents along the route. The contract with the railroad company secures to the express company exclusive rights to oper ate over that line. For the privileges conveyed the railroad company receives from 45 to 55 per cent of the gross collections on the mer chandise traffic. In some instances however, the share of the railroad reaches 60 per cent, and even 70 per cent, and in a few exceptional cases all of the express earnings in excess of the actual expenses are paid to the railroad.
Under the law the express company is a common carrier, and its rates are under the supervision and control of the Interstate Com merce Commission — as well as under the ju risdiction of State Railway Commissions in most of the States. For the purpose of fixing rates the Interstate Commerce Commission has divided the area of the United States into five great zones: (1) The country lying east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River: in this zone the minimum rate per 100 pounds has been fixed at 60 cents. (2) The country lying south of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi, together with a small section west of this river: in this zone the minimum rate per 100 pounds is 65 cents. (3) The trans Mississippi country extending to the intermoun tain section: in this zone the minimum rate per 100 pounds is 70 cents. (4) The intermountain country: in this zone the minimum rate per 100 pounds is $1.05. (5) The Pacific Coast States, in which the minimum rate per 100 pounds is 70 cents. The whole territory is divided into 950 (blocks( having a uniform length of 69 miles, and widths which vary from 45 miles along the northern border to 62 miles along the southern border ; in about 100 of these blocks there are no express offices. The blocks are subdivided into (squares( or sub-blocks. The blocks are designated by numbers running in series from right to left across the map, the northernmost row beginning with 101, the next row toward the south beginning with 201, the next southerly row beginning with 301, and so on. Transportation is then designated as from 403F (Portland, Oregon) to 952A (New York, N. Y.).
Express charges are based on a classification into three divisions: (1) ordinary merchandise; (2) specials; and (3) what is commonly called 13(— newspapers, books, printed mat ter, seeds and scions, etc. Bulky and fragile
merchandise is charged multiples of the first class rates; as, for example, carriages at six times first-class, and racing shells or airships at eight times the first-class rates. As is the case with freight traffic on railroads there has been established by the express companies a schedule of (commodity rates( which allows the trans portation of merchandise of relatively low value at a reduction from the regular rates (which would be prohibitive)— a lower class rate on carload lots, or a first-class rate on goods which would regularly take several times that rate. On the regular tariff the limit of liability on the part of the express company is $50 on a ship ment not exceeding 100 pounds in weight. If the property shipped is valued at more than this figure the rate is higher, and the higher rate must be paid- to secure the full value of the package in case of loss or damage. The express company is liable only to the extent of the valuation declared by the shipper, and when the full charges have been paid or charged on that valuation.
Origin and Evolution of the Express Idea. —The (Express( idea sprang from the system of sending parcels in care of coach-drivers, by stage-coach, and from the shipping of such par cels in care of captains, by coasting vessels.
When the railroads took the place, gradually, of the coaches, much parcel traffic was per formed by means of the steam cars. Then the conductors of these cars had to assume respon sibility for safe-keeping. Eventually, this transfer overcrowded them with work A divi sion of duties naturally followed. Finally, the railroads insisted that their employees should choose between railroad and the supplemental delivery traffic.
The principal events following this decision were: 1838-39. The starting of an express com pany to operate in New England. Alvin Adams, who later began business for himself in New York, was with this company.
1839. °Harnden's Express( started between New York and Boston.
1840. (Adams' Express( began operations between the same points.
1840-45. Other expresses opened up busi ness, extending service to Philadelphia, Balti more, Washington, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville, Saint Louis and New Orleans.