Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-01-31
The Professor in Shafts.

practice was furnished by vener-
ated professor--a most distinguished
mathematician. whose works are still
used as textbooks in many of our
institutions-and occurred within the
compass of our own experience.
"He went to Bethel on his return
he spent the Sabbath at Lewiston.
Monday morning he was told the
horse was sick. Nevertheless, he
started. The horse went few. rods,
fell down, and broke both thills. He
then sent his wife home, and also sent
to Brunswick for another horse and
carriage to take him and the broken
chaise home. When the driver came
they lashed the two vehicles togeth-
er and started. All went well till
they came to the first long steep hill
between Lewiston and Brunswick /;
on its summit they held a consulta-
ton. The Professor had an exagger-
ated idea of his strength, and said :
"Mr. Chandler, it is too much for
the horse to hold these two carriages
on this steep descent; take the horse
out l will get into the shafts.
Professor, replied Chandler, the
breeching is strong and SO is the arm
girth.'
"'But the horse, Mr.. Chandler
it is too much for the horse. Besides,
being the stronger, I know how to
take advantage of the descent, and
manage it much better than the
horse
"'If the horse can't hold it, you
can't
"'Do you, sir, intend 10 place me,
in point of intelligence and knowl-
edge of mechanical forces below a
horse? I have made mathematics the
study of lifetime
"'I have no intention to be disre-
spectful, sir, but l know that horse
understands his own business-which
is handling load on hill-better
than all the professors in the United
States. I was sent up here by my
employer who confdes in me, to take
charge of his property; if you will
take the business out of my hands,
and be horse yourself, you must be
answerable for the consequences
The Professor had habit, when
little excited, of giving nervous
twitch at the lapel Of his coat with
his right hand.
"'I,' he replied, with a most en-
phatic twitch assume all responsible
ty.'
"The driver, in reality nothing 10th
to witness the operation, took out the
horse and held him by the bride !;
and the Professor getting into the
shafts took hold of them at the ends.
The forward carriage was just de-
scending the hill and the hinder one
a little over the summit, when the
Professor trod upon rolling stone
which caused him to plunge forward
and increased the velocity of his load
so much that he was forced to wal k
faster than he desired and exchange
the slanting position-with his
shoulders thrown we'll back and feet
we'll braced which he had first Adopt
ed-for a perpendicular one. At
length he was pushed into run ; the
carriages were going at a fearful rate.
At the bottom of the hill was brook ;
on each side precipitous banks. The
professor was between Scylla and
Charybdis, going nine feet at a leap.
In order to cramp the forward wheel,
he turned suddenly to the right. The
shafts of the forward carriage went
1
two feet into the bank, breaking them
both short off; the lashings of the
hinder one slipped; it ran into the
forward one breaking the fender, and
both vehicles turned over down hill
with tremendous crash, the learned
gentleman described a parabola-one
of the favorite fgures-and landing
some rods away. He rose from the
earth dirtier and wiser man, knees
skinned, pantaloons torn, piece Of
skin knocked off his forehead, and
his best hat as flat as pancake un-
derneath the hind carriage and look
ing round, he exclaimed;
"'Is it possible I could have been
SO much deceived az to the momen-
tum? 1t was prodigiouar
at don't know anything about mo-
mentum, replied Chandler, but I
L,o,r rootb;no ahout h1raaa.