The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-08-11
The Fastest Driver of California.
[sania BarbarsEC correspondence OF the Louisville
Courier-Jo JouTnal.l

Santa Barbara Correspondence OF the Louisville I
Courier-JouTnal.
A short time before | left Santa Bar
bara l CHANGED to take few hours ride /
on the stage 10 little town called Rim /
con, where | spent several days she'll /
gathering There was on the box beside |
the driver mother man, driver Of /
duty for a few days for a hunt and FISH |,
ing frolic He amused me very much |
by his stories In speaking of the anti
cipated fast railroad trip, he told me of
ride he once had down the mountains.
Said he: "If ! do say it myself, | am
known as the fastest driver in Califor-
mia. Whenever they want fast driving
they send for Charlie Crowel. I drove
Bowen and Richardson and all them
fellows over the Sierras, but the tallest
time ] ever made was when wager Of
ten thousand dollars was pending be-
tween the old California Stage Company
and the Pioneer Stage Company.
drove for the California. The track was
from Virginia Cit. to San Francisco
Old Lent-you know Lent-one of the
richest men in the State them days
well, lie telegraphed NE to drive him
fifty-fiye miles on the way. Says he
Have your horses and everything ready
to start at fash. Says be: Ge, good
ready, and I'll pay the bill. l knew
Lent, you know; knew what he meant
by good ready; so took good deal
aboard. ] wasn't drunk, an | wasn't
sober. / had just enough to make me
determined to win the job or 60 10 me
devil. | strapped myself onto the box
and Lent and two other fellows ,inmped
into the stage, and laid my whip on
There was six horses, as fine flesh as
you ever seen. Them horses was worth
$4,000. ! just laid the whip on every
jump. never took off the whip during
the whole fifty miles. We were going
down grade, down the Sierras; the road
was pretty rocky, and sometimes | did
Mt skip the chasms, thousand feet deep,
by more than two inches. II makes my
flesh crawl now to think of it, but then
| was Just nerved up TO do anything, and
we come down that grade tiuking
had sent word to Taylor (he is now the
Superintendent of the Coast line) sent
word to him to have his coach and
horses ready, and when he seen me com
ing, if I couldn't pull up my horses tC
follow right after me down the road til
! checked up. So Taylor, he was al
ready, and he was to drive the next fifty
miles, and he seen me a comm. and b,
said he thought of John Gilpin, ant
Jehu, and says he hell to blazes if
don't think Charley's mad says he
'theR horses can't check up till they rur
into the Pacific Ocean, and he start
down the road and me after him, and w
run each other five miles before w
could pull up and change passengers.
was black and blue all over, but I mad
fifty miles in four hours; the times ol
record or / wouldn't tell it. That's thu
fastest time ever made with a stag
coach The California beat by one hou
and twenty minutes the whole distance
The Pioneer gained on US in the bay
Our company owned the ocean steamer
but she couldn't keep up with the hig
pressure North river boat. She WASH
built for shallow water, but for all tha
> we landed our passengers in 'Frisc
: just an heur and twenty minutes befor
: the old Pioneer came steaming in.
"The company gave me this fine gol
watch for the driving l did that day
Says Lent, says he, Charlie, you save
L u.s. says he, and Lent says it Say
he, Il never took such ride. Halfsth
time / didn't know whether | was in c
ont of the coach, and / was bruise
e from head to foot like jelly, but all tn
st time says / to the other boys, 'Charli
i knows what he's about Says he, 'he
" the best whip in these diggins, says h
n Whenever I mean business, send fC
Charlie Crowel, and he'll drive to II
devil If want him to-"
Il "But," said Crowel, after bit,
70 wouldn't take that ride again for all Il
money in this State. l wonder WASH
killed. I can't see what saved me.
e was just full enough to be fool, that
le the truth of it; but for all that I got Il
gold watch, and the reputation of dri
Y ing faster than the devil, and | ha
- pride enough not to go back on my T
" cord.
re 81 have been driving twenty-f
Es years, and never hurt any one nor had
Il accident happen.
wv As specimen of stage travel, thil
Fn this driving of Crowel's is entitled to
Id place beside the time of the ''lightni