Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-03-04
. ,iiA.hF- A NILE A MINUTE.
A Rapid and Periious Descent ON snov
Shoes.

n Rapid and Perifoas Descent ON snow
shoes.
The Leadville (Col. Chronicle gives
the following account of the perflous
Journey of Mr.. +. G.. McCandless. who
made the trip from Ute City, in the
Roaring Fork district, to Leadville on
snow shoes, ninety miles, i'm four days
and half: The first eighteen miles oc-
cupied three days of hard labor. and
brought him TO Independence Camp.
Two days out of this three he was with
out food, having taken but one davis
supply on starting. The difficulties i'm
the road were appalling. Heavy, wet
shows had laden the trees in the canon
and soaked them full of water. Cold
weather froze them solid and strong
winds cracked them off their stumps
like so many matches. This caused the
narrow gulch TO be completely, filled
with dense brush or thicket Of their
snow-laden branches. The hieb. per-
pendicular and heavily-timbered walls
OF the canon forbade any attempt to
scale them. and to pass this all but in
surmountabie obstruction McCandless
saw that he must cut his way through
or return. He chose the former course.
A light "squaw axe" was his only tool,
and was almost useless, from the fact
that the wood was almost equal to rock
in hardness. lie had calculated on
making Independence Camp the first
night. His provision was gone, and
there was nothing to do but toll on or
lie down and die. Night came en-, dark
and cold. No wolves howied to keep
him company, nor was the roar of the
mountain lion heard. Nothing broke
the death-like silence save the sharp
thud OF his little axe, as he cut away,
inch by inch and foot by foot, through
the gloomy defile. So passed the night,
the day, the second day, and late in the
afternoon McCandless, haggard, pale.
starving and completely worn cut,
dependence Camp. He was warmly
welcomed and tenderly cared for, so
that on the next morning he felt like
pursuing his way.
After hearty breakfast he started
again, reaching the foot of the range at
the head of Independence gulch at half
past nine Tuesday morning. Another
hour took him to the summit. He had
draw knife with him, and he stopped
TO fix his snow-shoes. The edges were
shaved down, and the pole was sharp
enod. Then securing everything about
his person carefully, and bracing him
sell for the perilous descent, he made the
start. The crust on the STOW was like
ice, and neither shoes nor pole made
any impression upon il. This rendered
any attempt at steering or slowing up
useless, and an idea of the rapidity with
which that descent was made may be
had when we state that il was lust ten
O'Clock when he left the summit, and
four miles below, where he passed n
cabin, he pulled out his watch and it
marked seven minutes past, showing a
speed OF over n mile in two minutes
1t was while on this descent. and at the
highest speed attained. that McCandless
passed through the most imminent peril
Of the whole trip. As he drew near TO
the timber line tall and sturdy pine.
fully three feet in diameter, loomed up
directly in his course. His hair stood
on end, "a every effort TO swerve to-one
side OF 1t proved vain until when. within
a few feet of the tree, the snow had be-
come little softened by the sun. and a
slight grip was taken by tie shoes and
pole. Expecting instant death. and with
the mentally uttered prayer Of Good
by, Mac" the man threw himself over
until his shoulder tonehOd tho surfaoe
oil the snow. A sharp zip" and the
tree was passed in safety. On down
through the timber flew the slider, and
soon the foot of the range was reached
in safety. From there on he used his
legs with such good effect that the Twin
lakes were reached at hve O'Clock in the
afternoon Of Sunday, McCandless hav-
ing made thirty-eight miles that day.
Monday morning at half-past ten he left
the lakes, and at half-past twelve. two
hours later. he was eating dinner Mt the
Grand hotel in this city.
The snow-shocs on which this trip
was made are worthy of mention. Nc
Candless hewed them out himself at his
cabin. Their length Is thirteen feet
nine inches each. while the guiding pole
is thirteen feet long. MeCandless Is an
expert in their use. having Travelled.
perhaps. thousands of miles upon them
In addition TO his travels in all the
noteworthy mining regions of America.
he has visited and mined in the gold
fields of Australia, the diamond beds of
Africa and other notable foreign mining
countries. He unreservedly declares,
however, that his last trip, as detailed
above, is by far tie hardest and most
perilous he has ever made.