, 1873-09-14
THRILLING ADVENTURE.
Tho First Accident ON tho Mountain
Hallway

AAO klF4E ACC1NCNk VM SaAo 1'A~A""sH"@
Ekull1yny.
Tho White lroul,tain Railway, which ia about
three milos long, with grades as ytenp ns 1,uoo
foot to tho mills. would bo Just tho place for
frghtfnl Incident, but Until 1aBt wook mono OF
any consequence has happened upon y. As
storm laat Tuesday nIght, in ordsr to witness
tho sun rise from the top noxtmornltlg, an ncci-
dent occurred, which is thus ro!atdd iu tho
Springfield Republican by ono who wnB tlero
jacobs Ladder. The little car brought noaror
to perpendicular position by tho acuso inc'ina-
tion Of tho road, Hoe;ns ready to fail baokWArds
upon Tho engine aud hurl ilson into tho abyss
below. PoiBca In nlid-air, thousands OF feot
from tho bottom Of tho mountain, in tho vory
clouds themselves, D storm raging. without
cover, with perfect aoa OF darknoYs, our only
shelter d frail bark. which, for oil We know, tho
slightest mishap may cauBo to bo dashed into
atoms On the rock helo" snd WIG e.s Ti i,,s. won
littlo Of foar7 hut onward .wo wont,
steadily onward aud upwald. whom, just
as No wors oongratu!atlng ourselves that
the worst Of tho Journey mnas be over, thetee
orash' ' like thuntorboat shot from . oloudleaa
sky, 80 sudden and unexpected was it. Ihon
there was an lnata,ltnnoous atoppngc of mncllfn..
cry, 4 palpablc and terrifying hitting, or upward
movement Of tIo chr, accompanied BY violent
lcaP away from the track Into the depths below.
then sudden settling to plaoo ngatn, and then
ALI was still Was there pAnio ? No. Did
| anybody soroam, or faint, or try to jump over
board 7 No far from, it. It all was 80 sudden,
so appalling, 80 overpowering, that the effect
was qnite the reverse. .... ...
"The main cccontrio ahaft Of the engine was
broken short of, doranglug all tho machinery.
aud rendering further progress by rail, either Up
course there was hurried aud anxious consult
| alton As to what had better bo done. but thore
waa ono thing settfcd OIL tho instant, and that
| WIS to leave tho car, whatsoever might como
thoro any longer. It wan raining In torrents,
blowing gale, and blaoker than Egyptian
darkness, but that Was nothing to tho dread uh-
certainty Of what possibly might haPpon If ne
romatned Theto We wero; and 90, Eatherlng up
into the rain, iuto the gallo, into tho night, aud
| chung to tile timbcra, to tho car, and whatever
elso could be lnid hold Of ~ bost VIC could, like
| no n1Any drowning rats.
When lights Were brought and our position
| determined, 1t was found that tho accident had
occurred within = fow feet Of the upper end OF
the first section Of the Ladder, where tue great
| troBtle-Work taperS away, and rosts upou 6ort
| Of abutmens formed BY tho projecting ledge,
monta At either end. The road WAS just rs etecp
hore ~ elsewhere, but our hoight aboyo the
rocks was much less, being, 30 to speak,
nearer the shore, which ronderod 'anding
l
currod = few rods either below or above, VIC
must havo romainod all night in tho car OF
olinging to tho trestle.work. As 1t WAS, we
reached the ground with no little difficulty
and danger. Oace landed, 1t WAS one OF three
| things: 10 rsmain wtero We we're, or &C
down the mountain to tho station, or to 60 uI
the mountain to the Summit House. The flrs
proposition meant being chilled through ane
through, aud periahiug without e1ertion; ant
Of tho other two We choae the last. And 80 FL
| atnrted Meantime the brakeman descended X
tho station At 1larshfeld on q 'slido-board,' al
the rlek Of his ltfo, and teloRraphed to the Sum
| nit House for guides and latterug to be Bent tt
conduot MS mp tho mountain. But who shall do
scribe the nnrro1 escapes from pitfalls ant
precpcos, tho heigAte scaled, tho depths OK
storm, We clanbored, torn aud bleeding, oyo
| the Jagged rocks, up tho steep sides Of tht
bleak mountain7 Or. how strong men brokt
down and gave ont In utter despair how veal
and sick1y women had to bs almost carried along
by main strength how othors repeatedly faint
cd and fell. overcome by tho terrible exposure
and excrtion, until life itself seemed gone ou
forovor7
"All wo could do Was to koop as nearly az pos
sib!e to the general bearing Of the railroad, ant
tainH high. Having beeu lott for some timo, III
finally struck the railroad and followed it up K
email ahanty near the top OF the mountain, uc
oupiod by tho workmeu on tho road, whore VI
arrived entirely exhausted and worn out. Til
guides sont down to find uB, after having hunto'
several hours in yain, had taken shelter her
from tho storm to await evantB. We waro thol
conducted In safety to the Summit House, wher
wo bad a memorable reception.
''An hour ago our little company wore gath
cred together for tue last time; and, sa we stoo
around tho piano in the great parlor, and sang
PRAISE God, from whom all blessings how,' th
words had deeper Significance thnn ever be
FORE"