Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-07-11
One Hundred and Forty Miles III IWv
Hours.


CLEAR CREEK is a miniature river
that runs through the canon of the same
name. 1t descends upon a down grade
of 400 feet per mile, with here and there
a fall over a rocky precipice fifteen or
twenty feet in height. Large bOulders,
forty and fifty feet in diameter and
weighing thousands of tons, impede its
dashing progress every two or three hun
dred yards, while its curves are so sharp
and so frequent that the stream can no
where be seen for a distance of a thou
sand feet Granite cliffs two and three
miles high project over it on either side,
and give frightful, romantic and danger
Gus appearance to the rushing torrent be-
meath.
Just below Black Hawk, on the side of
the stream, "A small reservoir has been
constructed, in which is kept an ordinary
skiff. Last Sunday two little sons of Mar
tin f. Walker, aged respectively ten and
twelve years, got into the boat and were
splashing the water with a stick, when
the fastenings gave way and the boat went
drifting toward the rapidly-running cur
rent. 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 countenances, await
ed their doom. Soon the boat was caught
by the current, and began descending at
a fearful rate. On she went, the boys
hats blew off, and their hair stood straight
up; over Black Hawks 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 a
new impetus, and shot by the boulders
and around the rocky points with the
celebrity of a sunbeam. AT a distance OF
about six miles below the starting point,
Conductor Gibbons, who was standing on
the rear platform of the down @. @. train,
saw the boat coming, and Immediately
stopped the train. All hands repaired to
the waters edge, and did everything in
their power to assist the flying boat, but
past them she went like bullet from a
rifle, and was out of sight in moment
The conductor then ordered the engineer
to put on full head of steam and follow
as rapidly as possible, which he did, con
stantly 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 quickly making sllp-noose sough
to throw it over the bow of the boat al
she came under the bridge, This they
succeeded in doing, but could no more
: hold it than they could have held thun
, er-bolt, and over Beaver Creek Falls sh'
went with the speed of the lightning
! The falls are about thirty feet high, and a
} the foot are number of large boulders
, but the velocity of the boat was such tina
it cleared them easily, and struck tn,
} water some twenty feet beyond. From
. here no mortal eye saw the boa
8 or its living freight until it haC
l reached a point one hundred mile
+ below Denver. Through Golden into tn,
: Platte River, and under the Denve
/. bridges she went, unnoticed, nor slacken
/ ed her pace until she lodged in drift a
1 the distance below Denver above men
s toned The Platte does not run yer,
a rapidly, but the boat had acquired such
!. wonderful speed in its descent from tn
r mountains that It far outrode the current
# A Mr.. Walsh, who lives on a farm nea
the drift where the boat had lodged, dis
k covered the boys still in the boat, whicl
IS was nearly full of water and took then
# to his home. They were restored to thei
It overjoyed parents the following evening
y after having accomplished the most peri
/, Gus journey, in the quickest time eve
= made by any human being who escape
Y alive, The distance travelled was IA
e miles in two hours; but how it was eve
II done, or how the boat escaped bein
" dashed upon some of the huge boulder
d or rocky cliffs which everywhere inte
10 cept the course of Clear Creek is nothin
n short of providential miracle. Probabl
'e not again in a thousand years could Il
j." journey be made with the best applianc'
4. and by the most skillful mariners.-Oe
le trdL Oity (O0k) Coach.