White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-01-28
|STAGE COACH
! TALES
The Race With Mail
by E.. C.. TAYLO

| w coach driver or the National
road days, lived until recently at
Fairfield, Iowa. Nearing eighty years
of age, he said he felt like jumping
up and cracking his heels together
men and events on the old National
road" and wished he were back there
again.
He was the son Of James Beck,
of the noted bridge building firm of
the early decades of the United States,
and started driving stage coach be-
fore he was of age. He was born in
Uniontown, Pa. in 1919 and went
to Iowa to live in 1S47, year after
be left the road.
In 1916 he was driving for the "Old
Line" the National Road Stage COM
pany. Both the "Old Line" and the
"Good Intent" line carried 'the United
States mail at that time.
The mail was Of two classes the
flock mail" in leather pouches that
was to be speeded west as fast as
possible, and the canvas mall" In
canvas bags, which was carried on a
slower schedule. The latter was fire.
quently called the second mall" as
1t contained what is now second class
mail matter.
In December, 1916, the "Old Line"
carried the lock MALL and the Good
Intent" line the canvas mall" Beck
was driving the mail coach for the
"Old Line" out Of Cumberland, Md,
and Jacob Crouch drove the mail
stage for the rival company.
Great rivalry existed between the
two companies and their drivers over
carrying the mail, and races were
frequent. On this particular day,
Crouch loaded the canvas mail"
aboard his coach Immediately after
the train arrived at Cumberland, and
started off at full speed toward the
west.
The clock mail" was handed to
Beck, who had to take it to the post
office, where it was overhauled be-
fore he could start on his trip, caus-
ing him considerable delay. While
waiting in front of the Cumberland
post office for the mail to be sorted,
Jack Shuck and other "Good Intent"
line drivers chided Beck with the
fact that the canvas mail" had such
good start that Beck could not get
near it.
II made up my mind" said Beck
later, that if it was in the hides of
my two teams I would catch and pass
him."
1t was after nightfall when Beck
got under way. and in crossing a wa
terway in the Cumberland mountains,
his stage coach lamps went out. But
what Beck thought was calamity
turned out to be an advantage.
AS soon as he had crossed the Wills
'reek bridge, he put his teams to a
full run and never pulled up until
be reached Rock Hill, seven miles
out of Cumberland.
At that point the road was wind
Ing, and he espied the lights of his
rivals coach. Crouch. because of the
going out of Beck's coach lamps, could
not see Beck approaching, although
on the long stretches of the road he
had kept a careful lookout.
Crouch was very much surprised
when Beck pulled up along side of
him, and the two raced side by side
Into Frostburg, Md, flashing their
teams at every jump.
Grooms at Frostburg had Beck's
second teams hitched to the coach
by the time Beck had fairly stopped
friendly driver ran with the flock
mali to the Frostburg post office,
while another lit the lamps. Beck did
not leave his seat.
The reins on the fresh teams were
thrown up to him and he was off
again in full run. The way mail bag
was thrown onto the coach as he
dashed past the post office.
Crouch, carrying the canvas mail"
had not had to stop, and had gone
on ahead. At Sand Spring, at the
foot Of Big Savage, Beck passed
Crouch. Thereafter he held the lead,
trotting his team every inch Of the
road to Piney Grove, the end Of the
mail route.
Beck had covered the % miles in
2 hours and 10 minutes. Fourteen
miles Of the way had been up hill,
but he pulled into Piney Grove %
minutes ahead Of his rival
20. 1881. Western Newspaper Union,