Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-12-17
The Old Staging Days.

In Major Horace Bells "Remin-
iscepces OF Rangern we find the
following notes OF the pioneer
staging experiment between Los
Angeles and Fort TETON:
The first chapter of this history
was in part devoted to staging be-
tween San Pedro and the Angel
City. Banning was unceremoni-
ously presented to the reader there.
in with far less ceremony than his
great Importance demanded 1t is
true that in subsequent chapter
this pioneer hero was brought to
the front of our Fourth of July
Phalanx in the memorable aud
patriotic celebration at San Pedro
in '53, and was designated as Cen
eral, although at that time Ban
ming was not q Generai, unless,
peichance, like Phil Sheridan and
Napoleon Bonaparte Forest, he
was born with two stars on each of
his shoulders, the truth of which |
am willing to asseverate aud
maintain to the bitter end. Ban
ming, in early times, could ride
farther with less fatigue than any
man 1 ever knew, notwithstapd-
lug he was never light weight.
He could also drive etage, skim
hand, faster and over rougher
roads and over places where no
roads existed, than any driver who
ever cracked whip or pulled the
ribboDs. When Fort TETON was
established the firm of Alexander
& Banning wished to run six
horse stage over an old Mexican
pack-trAil, and when the whole
country declared the impossibility
of such an enterprise. and when
no driver could be found
of sufficient bardihood to
assume such responsibility, Ban-
ming willed the thing to be done,
and mounted the box in person
and drove the first stage that ever
went out OF the Valley of the An
gels to astonish the aborigines in
the mountain Businesses beyond.
At that ime the trail & ,ing over
the San Fernando Pass was a rocky
activity, difficult of ascent by
even u pack-mule, and descending
to the valley beyond with de-
scent OF equal abruptness. Stand
ing on the summit and looking
north ward u precipice of many
hundred feet lay before you. BY
facing about, you dizzily marvel at
how you reached the rocky sum-
nit.
In December, '54, Phiueas Ban
ming sat on the bog Of his Concord
stage, to which were harnesaed a
half dozen well fed, painting and
foamipg mustangs. He had sue
ceeded IN reaching the summit of
the San Fernando, and tue ques-
tion among his nine wondering
passengers who had toiled up the
mountain on foot was how that
stage could ever descend, all de-
claripg it an act OF madness TO at
tempt it, Banning laughingly as
sured them that it wss all right;
that o man who couldn't drive
stage safely down that hill was no
driver at all, and should confine
himself to oX-teaming in the wall
ley. Now he cracks his whip,
tightens his lines, whistles to his
tr5m bling mustangs, and urges
them to the brink OF the precipice.
In moment they are going down!
down! down! - rackety, clatter,
bang! Sometimes the stage ahead
of the horses, and sometimes the
horses ahead of the stage-all,
however, going down! down! with
q crash! Finally the congIomera-
ton Of ehains, harness, coach, har-
ness, mustangs and Banning were
found by the pursuing passengers
in an inextr cable mass of confu.
sion--eantusions, scratches, bat
tiers, bruises, cracks and breaks,-
forming general smash and pile
up in thicke5 OF chaparral at the
foot of the mountain.
"Didn't tell you so," said Ban
ming; "a beautiful descent - far
less III fhcult than anticipated. l
intended that staging to Fort Te-
jon aud Kern river should be q sue
cess. Gentlemen, you see my
Judgment is goodo
HVWeFeTt ohHHlHS 5SbI path
courier In hot haste, urging Don
David to send fifty men immedi-
ately to repair parts OF the road
that he in his descent had Knocked
out of joint. Twenty-Five years
thereafter the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company cleared away
the thieket In which Banning
made his fret stage stand, In ex-
cavating their wonderful San Fer
nando tunnel. This reckless dem
oDstration of the practicability OF
staging out of the valley 30 stimu-
lated our angel merchants that
they raised fund of several thous-
and dollars and employed such q
force of men on the San Fernando
that in February following Don
David Alexander and the writer
hereof passed over with train of
heavy ten-mule teams, which was
the first train going north. We
had a terrible time OF it, however,
aud ia the San Frapcisquite canon
were caught in q snow storm and
were three days in going one mile,
building orr road as we advanced.