Jamestown alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1882, 1879-06-19
EDWARD v. FOSTER, toI1oR. !
An AWFUL PERIL.
a,has. Mays Sensations While Cling
ing by His Han to the Edge OF q
Precipice One Thousand Feet
Above the Arkansas Rapids.

Above the Arkansas Rapids.
Denver Tribune. ~s7 #~@ g.,
Charles May and his brother Robert.
in the; spring 0f 1870, offered to pass co.
coo railroad ties down the Arkansas from
tile mountain source. He says: "Our
ntfer ~as accepted, when We started into
tue upper entrance OF the canon with a
large skiff provided with SIX days pro.
VISIONS and 200 feet Of rope, with winch,
by taking a running turn around some
firmly planted object, we could lower our
boat u hundred fctt ut q time. In this
way, al the end OF three days, having set
adrift mrny hundred ties, We reat b d Il Q
entrance to the Royal Gorge. here We
discovered that an attempt to descend the
first waterfall with two in the beat was
certain destruction, and t" return was i'm.
possible. Accordingly, I determined to
lower my brother down the fails in tie
tout, distance Of two hundred feet, give
him tho rope and let him take the chance
of the canon Oife seemed more certain in
that tdirect,on), while l would risk my
physical ability to climb the canon wall.
which WAS about :wo thousand feet high.
About 10 o'clock in the morning l
shook hands with my brother. lowered
him in the boat safely to the toot Of the
fall, gave him the rope and saw him no
merc. THIN throwing aside my coat, hat
md boots. and stripping the srcks from
my feet, l commenced my climbing way,
often reaching the height Of one or two
hundred feet, only I" be compelled to
return to try some other way. At length,
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, reached
Il height upon the smooth canon ot about
y Thousand feet Here my further pro-
xress was arrested by shelving ledge Of
rocks that jutted OUT from the canon side
I foot or more. To advance was without
hope; to return, certain death. Reaching
upward and outward, l grasped the nm of
the ledge with one hand and then the
other, my feet slipped from the smooth
side Of the canon, and my body hung
suspended in the air \ thousand feet above
the roaring waters of the Arkansas
AT that moment l looked downward
to measure the distance I would have t.
tall when the strength Of my arms gave
out A stingiDg sensation crept through b
my hair as my eye caught the strong root
of cedar bush that projected cut over
the ledge, little beyond my reach. My
grasp upon the rim Of the ledge vas fast
yielding to the weight Of my person
Then determined to make my best effort
to raise my body aud throw it sideways
toward the root 90 as to bring it within
my grasp. At the moment OF commenc"
,ng the effort saw my mothers f .: 50
:. she leaned out over the ledge, reached
down her hand and caught me by the hair.
Stranger, mother died while yet young
woman, when I and my brother were small
boys, but remember her face. l was
successful in making the side leap If my
arms, when / drew myself upon the ledge
and rested for time From here upward
ny climbing was very )aborious but less
dangerous. reached the top of the canon
just as the sun was sinking down behind
the snowy range, and hastened to our
camp at the mouth of the canon, where
found my brother safe Charley said
he, have you had your head in -four
sack:' 1t was then discovered that my
hair was as white as you see it row"