New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-09-16

ing or fatigue Is TO be shared with his host 30 walked
tho mountain and through brush In blazing sun.
hot and dusty for nearly three miles, and the horses
were sent down by tho regular road.
RIDE IN THE FLUME.
Upon my return found that Mr.. Flood and Mr.. Fair
had arranged for q ride the furne, and challenged
TO go with them. Indeed the proposition put In this
way-they dared me to go. I thought II men
worth S25 900 900 $50 100000 apiece could afford To
risk their could AFFORD to risk mine which Isn't
worth half much. So accepted the challenge, and
two bOats" were ordered. These nothing more
than pgtroughs with end knocked out. The "boat"
Is built like the une shaped and fits into the fue
1t composed OF three pieces Of wood-two twonch
planks feet long, and endb0ard which nailed to
the back end The boat Is the size OF the fnme being
about 2ia top The forward end Of the
boat left open, the end being closed by tho
board against which the water to rush 10 pel u.s.
Two boards were placed the boat for seats and
everything was made ready. Mr.. Fair and myself were
to go in the first boat and Mr. Flood and Mr. Hereford
were to follow in the other Mr. Fair thought we had
better tate third man with us who knew something
about the iurne There probably so men from tho
mill standing in the vicinity waiting TO ace us
of, aud when 1t was proposed 10 TAKE
third the question was asked anyoody
was willing to CO. Only man. red faced carpenter
who takes kindly to whisky than to his bench vol
unteered TO go. Finally, everything arranged Two
or three held the boat the iume, and told
Jump II the minute it touched the water. and
to hang on to hats" The signal OF all ready"
given, the boat launched and we jumped into it
az best we could which not very well. and away
went like the wind. One man who helped to launch
the boat fell into 1t Just the water struck H. but he
scampered out the trese, apd whether he hurt
not could not wait to see The grade OF the fme
at the mill very heavy and the water rushe through it
railroad speed The errors OF that ride never be
blotted from the memory of one Of the party To
Tho .har Of haurp
grade simply exharating for you know there wide
track regularly laid upon firm foundation that there
wheels gooved and fitted to the track that there
are trusty men at the brakes. and better than
ali, you know the power that impos ..A train can DO
rendered pOwerless in instant by the drivers guy
touch upon his lever But nume has element Of
safety In the first place the grade cannot be regulated
1t q railroad you cannot go fast or slow ut
pleasure, you wholly at the mercy OF the waters.
You cannot stop; you cannot lessen your speed you
have nothing to hold to you have only 10 sit STILL shut
your eyes, say your prayers, take all the water that
comes-flng your boat wetng your feet, and drench-
ing you like a plunge through the surf-and wait for
eternity 1t is all there is hope for after you
launched in fiume boat. I cannot give the reader
better idea OF fume ride than to compare 1t to riding
down an oldfashoneG eaves-trOugh at angle Of A.
degrees, hanging in midr without support Of roof
house. and extending distance OF Is miles. Al the start
we went at the rate OF about miles hour which
little less than the average speed OF railroad train The
reader have idea OF the speed made until he
compares it a railroad. The average time made
was about 80 miles an honra mile in two minutes for
the entire distance This is greater than the
running time OF railroads.
INCIDENTS OF THE RIDE
The redfaeed carpenter sat in front Of boat the
bottom best he could. Mr. Fair sat seat behind
him. and sat behind Mr.. Fair in the stern and Of
great service to him in keeping the water which broke
over the end-board from his back There was great
deal of shipped the bows OF the hogroueh
Eai brnad alo hon frnfn
many wetting in that memorable trip At the heaviest
grades the in friousy in front that it
impossible TO see where we were going or what was
ahead OF us but when the grade light and We
delightful although it terrible for this II You
are going 3Opace behind trotting horse you become
vou and you hold the lines which your protection In
the ride which would like to describe but which nobody
describe, was perched up III a boat no wider
than chair sometimes 20 feet high, and sometimes 20
feet high When the IVA Mater Would enable t, TO LOOK
miles, small and and apparently fragile
at eT sh only e eO ar Was 70 RUNNING fneE e non
known upon railroads. One circumstance during tho
which we dashed through the fiume than anything else
We had been rushing down at pretty lively rate OF speed
nail lodged stick of wood, substance
which ought not to have been there What was tho
into the lune ten feet ahead. Fair prcciptated
ON Fairs back 1t seems to me- that in S seconds is
Fair himself powerful man, had the carpenter by the
did not know that at this time Far had his fingers
crushed between the boat and the lume But We sped
foro arrived at the worst place in the nue and yet
Hereford tells me Il was less than ten minutes Tho
grees inclination. In looking out before reached t
thought the S1y . wSy to get 4 to the bottom 5 = fall
The wind the steamboat, the railroad never went so
miles an hour, and yet my breath was not taken away
In the tame 1t seemed IN the bad places as though
r
Fair. 1 did not know that would survive the
Journey, but i, wanted to see how fast were
head between his shoulders The coming
his face like the breakers of the ocean, when went
slow the breakers came in on my back, but when tho
heavy grades ay TssSsa a in in oe @
In this particularly bad place allude to my desire WAS
e i1 e st must Be- Spoken Iss really scared ost
out of reas53f, but IL was On the way to eternity
wanted % know exactly now :@@-. @ta 80 mddle1
object PLACED my exc ike e Sd nns
Shadow S' Il Wv" was with difficulty that could get
my breath. l felt that / did not weigh a
hundred pS intellect @h One An1% Ss IN such s
moment that the scales turned at two hundred Mr.
minutes later than We, were close upon us They were
not heavily loaded and they had the full sweep OF tho
finally struck ours with terrible crash Mr. Flood WAS
thrown upon his face and the waters flowed over him,
Hereford know except that when he reached the
terminus Of the fume he was as Wet as any Of us
tance i'm less time than railroad train would ordinarily
make aud portion OF the distance we went faster than
n railroad train went Fair said We went at least
mile minute Flood said we went at the rate OF hun
dred niles an hour, and my deliberate belief is that
went Mt a rate that aInihilared time and space.
We were wet lot when reached the terminus OF the
a,1me Flood said he would not make the trip again for
the whole Consolidated Virginia mine. Fair Said rpat no
should never again place himself 90 an equality with
timber and wood and Hereford said he wac sorry he
built ume. As for myself told the milonaires that
/ had accepted my last challenge. When We left our
boats dead than alive. We had yet sixteen
10 iry IN VIrgiu Hpyy we ed
the reader Will know. asked Flood what was 10
do with my spoiled suit ef English clothes. H. babe
mi wi The M clothes good