Have you ever heard of William H. Russell? His company’s name was Russell, Majors, and Waddell, and they hauled freight.
Let’s say you want to ship some pots and pans across the country. If you contacted Russell’s firm way back in 1860, they could give you a price to put your stuff on a wagon, and take it across the country by wagon train.
This trip could take weeks, and that’s if there were no breakdowns. Maybe their slogan was something like, “Need some merchandise today? It’s just eight weeks away!”
Obviously, the problem here is: If your wagon’s held up, or if there’s a lousy winter, there’s no telling when your stuff will get delivered.
That’s when Mr. Russell came up with the idea of express delivery for small goods and letters by Pony Express. The company placed horses every 15 miles --and riders every 75 miles – across a 2,000-mile route.
Each rider rode 75 miles at a gallop. That's a long ride, especially without power steering.
Personally, I assumed the Pony Express lasted a long time, but it survived only about 19 months. That’s because in 1861 telegraph lines linked the country, and made communications almost instantaneous.
What does this story teach? When it comes to communications, speed seems to win every time. The downside is that a hastily written message might arrive inaccurate or incomplete.
Even in the 21st century, it’s better to get it right the first time than to get it wrong quickly.
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Article: 19th Century Advice For 21st Century Communicators Author: Rix Quinn Publication Date: 2007-07-27 Total Views: 376 Word Count: 287 Category:Home /
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