The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-10-22
What Mothers Love Will Accomplish.

The Denver Tribune, of Oct. 6, contains
the following:
The readers of the Tribune will remem-
Der that messenger was dispatched by
Professor Hayden from his division of geo.
logical survey, which was making inves-
LEGATIONS at the foot of Elk Mountains, in
forming Major Stevenson, in this city, of
the serious illness of the son of Hon. J.
P. G. Shanks, Member of Congress from
Indiana, and directing him to come imme-
diately and devise means for getting the
sick man out of this almost inaccessible
locality. Major Stevenson started at once
and arrived in Fairplay in two days, where
he awaited the arrival of General and Mrs.
Shanks, who had been telegraphed for by
Professor Hayden.
They arrived at Granite few days after.
and Immediately the party started on
horseback for the Elk Mountains. Trans
portatiOn was very limited, and Mrs.
Shanks. with heroic determination, decided
to visit her son with the party. Although
warned of the dangers and difficulties at
tending such journey, she still persisted
in going. Accordingly she was furnished
with a small Indian pony, which she rode
astride-having no stirrups, rude straps
were improvised in which she placed her
feet. In this manner Mrs. Shanks accom-
panied the party, telling them to take their
own gait, and she would surely follow,
which she actually accomplished.
The route was over two ranges of noun
tains, and through country regarded by
Professor Hayden as inaccessible to all eX-
cept mountaineers and the most intrepid
explorers. Deep gorges were crossed,
high, rough, rocky ridges climbed, i'm
mense tracts of fallen timber traversed.
and beside all this, frequent and severe
snow storms were encountered. Yet the
party, in three days from their departure
from Granite, arrived at the camp. Here,
| in an alkaline locality, in a rude hut,
which had been hastily built by the divi-
sion, young Shanks was found just barely
alive. His condition was somewhat i'm
proved from the day before. but still he
was far from being out of danger, yet re-
| cOgniZed with joy his father and mother
and Major Stevenson.
The following day he was moved half a
mile for the purpose of obtaining purer
water and a fresh camp. Here several
days were spent in constructing an appa-
ratus which would be adapted TO the deli
cate condition of the patient and the rough
nature of the country which he must ira
verse. The apparatus consisted of two
| long poles, about thirty feet in length, with
two braces far enough apart TO admit the
body of the sick man in horizontal posi-
ton. Between the braces, cords were
woven. Over the frame, willows were
bent, upon which canvas was placed to
protect the sufferer from storms. To the
! larger end of these poles mule was at
tached, being provided with rude har-
ness. The smaller ends of the poles being
Timber, were left to drag upon the ground
] (This was carriage similar to the one
constructed by Arkansas Billalld in which
he transported jesse Bell to Fort Bridger
after his bear fight, which was described
some time ago in the Tribune. This con
trivanee was found to meet all emergen
cies, and even surpassed the expectations