CERTIFICATIONS
                        --------------

I, Douglas G. Ober, certify that:

1.  I  have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of The  Adams
Express Company;

2.  Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain  any
untrue  statement  of a material fact or  omit  to  state  a
material  fact  necessary to make the  statements  made,  in
light of the circumstances under which such statements  were
made,  not misleading with respect to the period covered  by
this report;

3.  Based  on  my  knowledge, the financial statements,  and
other  financial information included in this report, fairly
present  in  all material respects the financial  condition,
results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows
(if  the  financial  statements are required  to  include  a
statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of,  and  for,
the periods presented in this report;

4.  The  registrant's other certifying  officer  and  I  are
responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure
controls  and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c)  under
the  Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant  and
have:

   a)   Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or
   caused  such  disclosure controls and  procedures  to  be
   designed  under our supervision, to ensure that  material
   information  relating  to the registrant,  including  its
   consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by  others
   within those entities, particularly during the period  in
   which this report is being prepared;

   b)   Evaluated  the  effectiveness  of  the  registrant's
   disclosure controls and procedures and presented in  this
   report  our  conclusions about the effectiveness  of  the
   disclosure  controls and procedures, as of a date  within
   90  days prior to the filing date of this report based on
   such evaluation; and

   c)    Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change   in   the
   registrant's  internal control over  financial  reporting
   that  occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal
   half-year  (the registrant's second fiscal  half-year  in
   the  case  of  an  annual  report)  that  has  materially
   affected,  or is reasonably likely to materially  affect,
   the   registrant's   internal  control   over   financial
   reporting; and

5.  The  registrant's other certifying officer  and  I  have
disclosed  to  the  registrant's  auditors  and  the   audit
committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons
performing the equivalent functions):

   a)   All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses
   in  the  design  or  operation of internal  control  over
   financial  reporting  which  are  reasonably  likely   to
   adversely  affect  the registrant's  ability  to  record,
   process,  summarize,  and report  financial  information;
   and

   b)   Any  fraud,  whether or not material, that  involves
   management  or  other employees who  have  a  significant
   role  in the registrant's internal control over financial
   reporting.



Date: February 27, 2004
                                /s/ Douglas G. Ober
                                ----------------------
                                Chairman & Chief
				Executive Officer