The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-07-04
PERILOUS JOURNEY.

One Hundred and Forty Miles I'm Two
Hours - Miraculous Escape Of Two
Boys.
Clear Greek is miniature river that
runs through the canon of the same
name. 1t descends upon down grade
OF 400 feet per mile, with here and there
fall over rocky precipice fifteen or
twenty feet in height. Large boulders,
forty and fifty feet in diameter, and
weighing thousands of tons, impede it's
dashing progress every two or three
hundred yards, while its curves are SO
sharp and so frequent that the stream
can nowhere be seen for distance of q
thousand feet. Granite cliffs two and
three miles high project over it on either
side, and give frightful, romantic, and
dangerous appearance to the rushing
torrent beneath.
Just below Black Hawk, on the side
of the stream, small reservoir has been
constructed, in which is kept an ordinary
skiff. Last Sunday two little sons of
Martin f. Walker, aged respectively 10
and II years, got into the boat and were
splashing the water with stick, when
the fastenings gave way and the boat
went drifting toward the rapidly-running
current. The little boys soon discovered
their danger, but were powerless to
avert it; they clutched hold of the sides
of the boat, and, with pallid counten-
ances awaited their doom. Soon the
boat was caught by the current, and
began descending at fearful rate. On
she went, the boys hats blew off, and
their hair stood straight up; over Black
Hawk Rapids they went like an arrow,
clearing distance of sixty feet at
single dash. Lighting again on the tor
rent surface the boat seemed to have
gained new impetus, and shot by the
boulders and around the rocky points
with the celebrity of sunbeam. At
distance of about six miles below the
starting point, Conductor Gibbons, who
was standing on the rear platform of the
down Colorado Central train, saw the
boat coming, and Immediately stopped
the train. All hands repaired to the
water edge, and did everything in their
power to assist the flying boat, but past
them she went like bullet from rifle,
and was out of sight in moment. The
conductor ordered the engineer to put on
full head of steam and follow as rapidly
as possible, which he did, constantly
sounding the alarm of danger. He did
not get another glimpse of the boat, but
the alarm brought the employees at
Beaver Greek Station to the lookout,
and quickly making n slip-noose sought
to throw it over the bow of the boat as
she came under the bridge. This they
succeeded in doing, but could no moro
hold it than they could have held
thunder-bolt, and over Beaver Creek
Falls she went with the speed of the
lightning. The falls are about thirty
feet high, and at the foot are q number
of large boulders, but the velocity of the
boat was such that it cleared them easily,
and struck the water some twenty feet
beyond. From here no mortal eye saw
the boat or its living freight until it had
reached a point 100 miles below Denver.
Through Golden into the Platte river,
and under the Denver bridges she went,
unnoticed, nor slackened her pace until
she lodged in a drift at the distance
below Denver above mentioned. The
Platte does not run very rapidly, but
the boat had acquired such wonderful
speed in its descent from the mountains
that it far outrode the current. A Mr..
Walsh, who lives on a farm near the
drift where the boat lodged, discovered
the boys still in the boat, which was
nearly full of water, and took them to
his home. They were restored to their
overjoyed parents the following evening,
after having accomplished the most peril
Gus journey, in the quickest time ever
made by any human being who escaped
alive. The distance travelled was 40
miles in two hours but how it was ever
done, or how the boat escaped being
dashed upon some of the huge boulders
or rocky cliffs which everywhere inter-
cept the course of Clear Creek is moth
ing short of providential miracle.
Probably not again in thousand years
could the journey be made with the best
appliances and by the most skillful mari
ners. -Central city (COt.) Coach.