THE MAD DOCTOR'S DRIVE.

As told by Ralph Nading Hill '39. Brattleboro,Vt.: Stephen Greene Press, 1964. 39 pp.Illustrated. $3.50 (paperback $1.50).

This slender volume's subtitle, "being an account of the Ist Auto Trip across the U.S.A. San Francisco to New York, 1903 or sixty-three days on a Winton Motor Carriage," gives you the "plot" in a nutshell. What it doesn't say is that this is a delightful retelling of a daring Vermonter's trials and tribulations by the only type of fellow fully equipped to do the story justice, another Vermonter.

It all began in San Francisco where a certain Dr. H. Nelson Jackson, far from his home in Vermont, stoutly contended that the automobile, which others were describing as worthless, could bridge the continent. A bet was placed; a Vermonter's honor was challenged; a memorable journey was born.

The 31-year-old physician fortunately had the money and the time - and the good luck to find a good young mechanic named Sewell Crocker to accompany him. He bought a new (1903) Winton touring car, christened it the "Vermont," loaded on enough supplies for every possible situation he could think of (many were to come up that he didn't think of, however), and off they "sped." The "Vermont" took the northern route through Oregon, mountain passes, Idaho, mud holes, Wyoming, bridgeless streams, Nebraska, a red-headed woman on a white horse who sent them on long detour past her house so that her family could see an automobile, and on to Chicago. Equipment had to be repaired or replaced and often the obstacles seemed impossible to overcome, but "the mad doctor" made it — 6,000 miles in 63 days (taking three weeks out for resting, repairing, and waiting for parts).

But let's let veteran Vermont historian Ralph Nading Hill do the complete telling. There's even a five-page "Technical Notes" section for auto buffs who want to know more about the Winton itself