The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1873-06-28

A TERRIBLE BOAT RIDE-SHooTING RAPIDs-ONE
HUNDRED AND Forty MILES IN Two Hours. Clear
Greek is miniature river that runs through the
canon of the same name. 1t descends upon
down grade of four hundred 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 thous-
ands of TONS impede its dashing progress every
two or three hundred yards, while its curves are
sharp and so frequent that the stream can no.
where be seen for distance OF a thousand feet.
Granite cliffs two and three miles high project
over it on either side, and give frghtful, roman
tic and dangerous appearance to the rushing tor
rent beneath.
Just below Black Hawk, on the side Of the
stream, small reservoir has been constructed in
which is kept an ordinary skif. Last Sunday
two little sons 81 Martin r. Walker, aged resPvv
lively ten and twelve years. got into the boat
and were splashing the water with stick, when
the fastenings gave way and the boat went drift
ing towards the rapidly running current. The
little boys soon discovered their danger, but were
powerless to avert it so they clutched hold OF
the side of the boat and with pallid counteuances
awaited their doom. Soon the boat was caught
by the current and began descending at fearful
rate, over Black Hawk rapids they went like an
arrow, clearing distance of sixty feet at a single
dash. Lighting again on the torrent surface the
boat seemed to have gained new impetus, and
shot by the bouders and around the rocky points
with celebrity of sunbeam.
At distance of about six miles below the start
ing point conductor Gibbons, who was standing
on the rear platform of the down G. @. train, saw
the boat coming, and Immediately stopped the
train. All hands repaired to the waters edge,
and did every thing in their power to arrest the
flying boat, but past them she went like bullet
from rife and was out of sight in q moment.
The conductor then 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 Creek Station to the lookout, and quick
ly making sip-noose they sought to throw it
over the bow of the boat as she came under the
bridge. This they succeeded in doing, but could
no more hold it than they could have held
thunderbolt, and over Beaver Greek Falls she
went with the speed of the lightning. The falls
are about thirty feet high, and at the foot are a
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 one saw the boat, or its living
freight, until it reached point one hundred
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 won
derful speed in its descent from the mountains
that it far outrode the current. A Mr.. Walsh,
who lives on farm near the drift where the boat
lodged, discovered the boys still ia 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 &C.
complished the most perilous journey, in the
quickest time ever before made by any human
being who escaped alive. The distance travelled
was one hundred and forty miles in two hours,
but how it was ever done, or how the boat es-
capped being dashed to pieces upon some of the
huge boulders or rocky cliffs which everywhere
intercept the course of Clear Creek, is nothing
short of a providential miracle. Probably mol
skilful mariners Central City, COLI Coach.