Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-06-26
THE GAZETTE.
ATer.rihlc Boat Ride.
THURSDAY EVENING. JUNE 26.

Clear Creek is miniature river that runs
through the canon of the same name. 1t de-
sends upon down grade Of four hundred feet
ncr mile. with here and there fall over q
rocky precipice fifteen or twenty feet in height.
Large boulders, forty and fifty feet 10 diane
ter, and weighing thousands OF tons, impede It's
daShing' progress every two or three hundaco
yards, while its curves are so sharp and so ire
unent that the stream can nowhere be seen lot
distance of thousand feet. Granite cliffs
two and three miles high project over it on
either side, and give trightful, romantic aud
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 Sun
day two little sons of Martin /. Walker, aged
respectively ten and twelve years, got into the
boat, aud we're 'splashing the water with stick
when the fastenings gave way and the boat
went drifting towards the rapidly running cur
rent. The little boys soon discovered their
danger, but were poweress to avert 1t; so they
clutched hold Of the side Of the boat and with
pal'id countenauces 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 dis
lance of sixty feet at single dash. Lighting
again on the torrent surface the boat seemed to
have gained new impetus. and shot by the
boulders and around the rocky points with the
celebrity of sunbeam.
Alta distance of about six miles below the
starting point conductor Gibbons, who was
standing on the rear platform Of the down Z.
G. train, saw the boat coming, and immediate
" stopped the train. All hands repaired to the
waters edge, and did everything in their
mower to arrest 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 u full head of steam and follow as rap
idly as possible, which he did, constantly sound
ing. the alarm of danger. lie did not, get
another glimpse of the boat, but the alarm
brought the employees at Beaver Greek Sta
ton to the lookout, and quickly making slip
moose 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 thunder
BOLT, 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 number
of large boulde.s, but the velocity eff 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 a point Que hundred
miles below Denver. Through Golden into
the Platte river, and under the Denver bridges
she went unnoticed, DOR slackened her pace until
she lodged in drittat the distance below Denver
above mentioned The Platte does not run
very rapidly, but the boat had acquired such
wonderful speed in its descent trom the noun
tains that it far outrode the current. A Mr.
Walsh, who lives on 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 even
ing, after having accomplished the most peril
Gus 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 escaped 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
providcntia miracle. Probably pot again in a
thousand years could the journey be made with
the best appliances, and by the most skilful
mariners. = Central City, (Coh) Coach.