Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1873-07-17
One He undred and Forty Miles in two
HOurs-Over Falls and Along the
Border

BOf0efs
From the Central City (Col) Coach.
Clear Greek is miniature river that runs
through the canon of the same name 1t de-
scends upon down grade of 400 feet per
mile, with here and there fall over a rocky
precipice fifteen or twenty feet in height.
Large boulders, forty and fifty feet in diane
ter, 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 nowhere be
seen for distance of a thousand feet.
Granite cliffs two and three miles high pro-
ject over it on either side. and give ight-
full. romantic, and dangerous appearance to
the rushing torrent beneath.
Just below Black Hawk, on the side of
the stream small reservoir had been con-
sructed, in which is kept an ordinary skiff.
Last Sunday two little sons of Martin F.
Walker, aged respectively ten and twelve
years, got into the boat and we're splashing
the water with stick, when the fastening
gave way and the boat went drifting toward
the rapidly running current, The little boys
soon discovered their danger, but were pow
erless to avert it, they clutched hold of the
sides OF the boat, and, with pallid counten-
ance, awaited their doom. Soon the boa.
was caught by the current, and began de-
scending at fearful rate On she went,
the bcys' 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 torrent surface the boat seemed to
have gained new impetus, and shot by the
borders and around the rocky points with
the celebrity of sunbeam. AT a distance of
about six miles below the starting point, con-
ductor Gibbons, was standing on the rear
platform of the down G. G. 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 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,
constantly sounding the alarm of danger.
He did not get another glimpse of the boat,
but the alarm brought the employees at Beav-
er Creek Station to the look out, and quickly
making slip moose 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 Creek
Falls she went with the speed of the light
ming. The falls are about thirty feet high,
and at the foot are number of large bowld-
ers, hut 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 it's living freight
until it re/ned a point 100 miles below
Denver. & through Gold into the Platte River.
and under the Denver bridges she went,
unotced, E'r slackened her pace until she
lodged in a drift at IL 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 accomplish
ed 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 escaped being dashed upon some of the
huge powders or rocky cliffs which every
where intercept the course of Clear Creek,
is nothing short Of providential miracle.
Probably not again in a thousand years could
the journey be made with the best appliances,
and by the most skillful mariners.