Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-10-14
From me 81. LOUIS RsreHie
TEN MINUTES ON AN LINED
PLANE

whether MINIATURE or art, perhaps NO place
presents more attraction than the coal region
IN the vicinity OF AIsuch Chunk. Pcnnsy!ya.
MA. The Wild aod rapid Lehigh. partly sub
dued To the uses OF maii ler the purpose OF ca.
nal navigation wings It's way Tor miles through
ranges OF lofty mountains, PRESENT. To the
eye oi the travelled. with every turn of The
stream, rudey magnificent aud never. firing
panorama, replete with savage grandeur aud
Wild sublimity. Stated with the beauty oi
Coils works the curious observer may crafty
himself with the works of man. aud contem-
plate, with pride aud astoui-hmrni. the con-
trleunccs designed by intellect to overcome
the difficulties which, for time, embarrassed
,he LehiSh Company in pOuIing forth iu pro-
fusion To the tag of denlzcns OF the ciiy aul
Hamlet, the anthracite treasures Whose genial
glow gladden. in winters blasts, the proud a.
bode oi the ucl, or the humble dwelling OF the
poor.
The Summit Mines. the most extensive
ly-woTked coal hdsin of the Lehgh Company.
are situated nine miles from Miuch Chunk.
ana lh order To transport the black diamonds
to the Lehigh, gentle inclined plane, or
grdde, was made from he mines "a the shaie
on the canal, down which the loaded cars
were suffered 10 descend by their own gravity.
governed only by the brake: ond with each
'rain went, as passengers. la The cars proyid-
en lor ihem, agOolly number of muics which
having arrived at the end OF "a liz pleasure
mp were employed 10 haul blck a., empty
cars. This Arrangement produced much de.
lay and hindT0 - hnu ii was discovered that
a mountain cslledMount Pi>uah: in the Vi.
0inI'y was higher than the Summit Mines and
accordingly, grade by which To return the
empty cars was established from Pisgah's top
TO TIE summit. la orlcr however. 10 place
Them upon the grade, il was necessary that
ihcy sDonid b. conveyed to the summit OF
ilssah, anu 10 tins, one of the most wonderful
aho steep inclined planes has been made that
can BE- found IN this country. or prrhap, in
The world. in length of NNcuty-threr hun.
drcd feet IL rises over six hundred feet, and.
To The eye OF an observer al Us foot, appears
tn ascend with steepncss pcrpcndicular. \
stationary engine at the top hlula up The emp.
" cdrs, by mea1s at iron baud, welded to-
selher' aud the plane, being ion many place
odilt on en@nkmeOis rcnltrs the ascent cx-
cllns aud Interesting,
IL was on a brigh, summer afternoon about
eighteen mlntks since, thlt Bridget O'Con.
nor lbe wife OF miner al thc Summit, arriv-
81 at iie loot 4 the PisySh plane with two ol
her children, enc an 5Ouuf OF tender YEAR,
lnd the other q boy ofhbou, three wears ofagc.
Family mcressiiits ihG caused her To visit
Nauch ChunCk, and sbundlc which She car
ned with her contained grocery articles Tor
domestic us,. There was no m.lns ct con.
'eyance To her home bar by the empty cars.
ind, placing herself an children IN one nt
llese she was peporcd for thr ascent of the
plane, The Jerking motion OF the binds
commenced and slowly tha train was drawn
up ihe mounlaid Although sh. h often
'scended IA safety, thc miner wife could not
Dl "A LOT "A 4
ul prtciplces Oh each 81 ul th track; and
- her eye drank IN, occasionally the Wild
sfandeas OF tlc mauniail rinL.~. rising like
IrTaecs far oil ia ,lfe blue distance. her wo.
nan ; heart would ,liatier, ash, ais, marx.
a AT ihe batiom OF The plane. aud ia tn Tar
Iu aOySsss oil tha rocks that shattered irag-
W ,n'S OF cars winch Mere dsshe OF a., ro,l
ia consequence OF ihe breaking ol ia banda,.
,ached 10 Them.
o.tcu Ind snch accidents. al times, TOO. when
lhe ascending triins carried men ~ pas,sn.
gers. bnI Ties hllalways, b. mans uf suns.
TioS sSillty managed al IA, risk ul limb To
save lie b, lejping from 10, cars, ere ih.Y hal
acquired tch lgppfls; BAT 81. Wi. acoin,n-
med wiihtwo helpless ci,ildr.a boxed ,p in
a car TO The h,iglIt 6t five feet, aud sie ,els a
roman. CpNdrihnl onward ths slow tliin
vas drdggc los the siaiwart power ot steam.
still onWar 49, untit spaCo of about TWEEN
tylivc feet remained to the ton. Ter, her
Frightening hope sunk, for she knew that this
was IN part OF The sscentat which was lie
greatest strain upon IN, b1nls-lerA bg irgt.
TIE cars were dawn Violently iorNanl-ten-
h'leen ieeI were passed, aud again hope ros.
onoyam, when sudden sharp crack proclaim.
ca Disaster, anu th disconnected lraiu paused
ioi a nom no, as u gathering strength ior IN,
rapid decent. With vi ld anu iedru, shii,k
the asonlkri mother lied hef ode,, ch.lI
aud Threw o. out upon the side Ol iht track
where it landed sitcly, bat yaia was her .t
lprl 10 save the ot'tI-thc rdpis momentum
acquired 100 thls short instance y,as 80 qr..t
that nmadlIlc d.ath would have been the
consequence. Unable To- save herself ,r child
she wa, compelled TO remain in thetIls!iup
if1lh, Whna1 riwjity became ever, mom,ut
more fearful Downward, with the speed of
lightning, II few, and the horror stuch sler.
'atofs could only distinguish the form ct The
mptlirf huspng close her infant Downward
sht' downward llli nothing could be- sacubnt a
hiihs mass OF blaCkuess--uow 10 b1unI.d on.
tlr rails. and, pluuEiug, rushing. took a,nilep
Infn OF pcclWca aud shattgnng into thou-
saals OF pieces, covered the rocks unl ,b.
sloping sides oi Do, mountain Search WAS
lmmedia'cy made Tor ,h, mother and child
and IN chusm, where they had been hurled
were found thcf mauglcd bDlies--ih. child
Rugged close TO as mothers beast. and ar1uuI
u were immovtbiy locked the arms OF .li. un.
happy parent
Tbs terrible accident was The los, ,ll, han.
prnrd upon ANY planes OF the commu, lr,',
similar cduse A cog-tail running between
'he two tracks was invented. over whirb. NJ.
lao'Ir' 10 safety elldes safety latch. *
" break occurs in the binds. the latch iu,rua.
dmtely catches iu the coz rail, the Gao, rrr.le
one lnch, ani arc there held securely by al.
oduuible Cuntuyaucc Tie ascent oi tbe
pi7sdh plane IS now mil, with certain s,lefy
qnl oluimcs the stranger i, seen to slm lter
rs during ihe ascent. some brakeman relate.
t'ie ieahu. story OF the miHer rJt.
THE PRICE OF 4 SHOT The Pam
correspondent at the Courier DIES Flats ,o
tells good story of a duel in Paris b-iweci
as bngiislmn uIa Prussiau. They b,,
gmf"'lrd over gambling table ch5llcpe.