Edison First Day Brings High Price! - New Jersey Postal History ...

NJ PRIVATE EXPRESSES: OFFICES IN NEWARK, PART 6B ~ Bruce MosherDeCamp City Express (1868–??)DeCamps’ Express was one of the earliest companies to pay for an illustrated ad in theNewark city directories. From this ad (see Figure 6-12) we learn that Job DeCamp specializedin moving furniture locally and probably did some train/steamer baggage collection anddeliveries. This line of express business was quite different than the parcel expresses that werepreviously discussed. This company stayed in business through 1882 and maybe beyond. Wesuspect that DeCamp placed his home address at the bottom of this ad so potential customerscould leave requests for his express services at his residence. DeCamp may have had an express‘order board’ posted outside his house for customers to write their express-job requests on (it isbelieved this arrangement was in vogue for expresses of that day, before telephones were widelyutilized). Nothing else is presently known about DeCamp’s Express.Figure 6-12. 1873 DeCamp’s Express advertisement.Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Express (1870?–86)The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Express (DLWX) was first discussed in Part 1 asan express company operating on the Morris and Essex Railroad. 1 At that writing, we did notknow when the DLWX began doing business in New Jersey and further speculated that theDLWX may have replaced Trader’s Express. More information can now be provided regardingboth of those topics. The 1871 Newark directory shows the DLWX operating in Newark with itsmain express office at 446 Broad, a location they maintained through 1878, and then in 1879–82,they are shown at 444 Broad, which may have been an expansion of the same location, but usinga different street number. The DLWX does not appear in the 1870, or prior, Newark directories.We are now fairly sure that the DLWX acquired Traders’ Express in 1875 or 1876. It isinteresting to note that Table 6-II shows both Trader’s and DLWX doing business in Newark forat least five years during the 1871–75 timeframe. These two companies very well may havebeen competitors, with both enjoying express privileges on the same Morris and Essex railroadlines. Information on the succession of these express companies is provided below under theTraders’ Express discussion.NJPH 76Vol. 33/No. 2May 2005 Whole No. 158