Louisiana capitolian., 1880-02-28
HALF A NILE a MINUTE,

HALF A NILE A MINUTE.
The Leadville (Col.) Chronicle
gives the following account Of the
pelilous journey Of MIR. +. G McCand-
less, who made the tripf Ute City
in the Roaring Fork district, to
Leadville on snow shoes, ninety miles,
in four days and q half !:
The first eighteen miles occupied
three days Of hard labor, and brought
him to Independence Camp. Two
days out Of this three hc was without
food, having taken but one days
supply on starting. Tho difficulties
in the road were appalling. Heavy,
wet SHOWS had laden the trees in the
canon and soakcd them full Of water.
Cold weather fiOze them solid, and
strong winds cracked them off their
stumps like 50 many matches.
This caused the narrow gulch to be
completely filled with dense brush
or thicket Of their snow laden branch
es. The high, perpendicular, and
heavily -timbcred walls Of the canon
farbade any attempt to scale them
aud to pass this all but insurmount-
able 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. He had calcul-
ated on making Independent Camp
the first night, His provision was
gone, and there was nothing to do
but toll on, or liz down and die. Night
came on, dark and cold. No wolves
lowled to keep him company, nor
was the roar Of the mountain lion
heard. Nothing broke the death-likc
silence save the sharp tl'ud Of his lit
tie axe, as he cut his way, inch by
inch, and foot, by foot, through the
gloomy detile.
So passed the night, the day, the
second day, and late in the afternoon
McCandlcss, Iaggard, pale, starving,
and completely worn out, craWled up
to the door Of u cabin in independence
Camp. He was warmly welcomed
and tcnderly cared for, so that on the
next morning he felt like pursuing
his way.
After u hearty breakfast he started
again, reaching the foot Of the range
at the head Of independence Gnlch
ut $50 o'clock Tuesday morning,
Another hour took him to the sum-
init. He had u drawknife with him,
and he stopped to fix his snow w-shoes.
The edges were shaved down and the
pole was sIlarpencd. Then securing
everything about his person carefully,
and blacing himself for the perilous
descent, he made the start. The
crust on the snow was like ice, and
neither shoes nor pole made any
impression upon it.
This rendered any attempt at steer
ing or slowing up useless, and an
idea Of the npidity with which that
descent was made may be had when
We state that it was just 10 O'Clock
when lle left the summit, and four
miles below, where he passed cabin
hepulled out his watch, and it marked
seven minutes past, showing u speed
Of over mile in two minutes. 1t was
while on this descent, and at the
highest speed attained, that McCand-
less passed through the most imlni,l-
cnt peril of the whole trip. AS he
drew near to timber line, tall and
sturdy pine, fully there feet in
diameter. loomed up directly in his
course. His hair stood on end, Of
every effort to swcrve to one side as
it proved vain until when within II
few feet of the tree, the snow had
become q little sottencd by the sun,
and ~ slight grip was taken by the
shoes and pole.
Expecting instant death, and with
the mentally uttered prayer of "Good
by Mac the man threw himself over
until his shoulder touched the surface
Of the snow. A sharp zip aud 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
5 o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday,
McCandless having made thirty eight
miles that day. Monday morning at
1890 he left the lakes, and at 1890,
two hours later, he was eating dinner
ut the Grand Hotel in this city. The
snow shoes on which the trip was
made are worthy ofmention. McCand-
less hcwcd them out himself at home.
Their length is l3 feet 6 inches each,
while the guiding pole is l3 feet long.
McCandlcss is an export in their use,
having travelled, perhaps, thousands
of miles upon them. In addition to
his travels in all the noteworthy
mining region of America, no has
visited and mined in the gold fields
of Australia, the diamond beds of
Africa, and other notable foreign
mining countries. He unreservdly
declares, however, that his last trip,
rs detailed above, is by far the
hardest and most peri|ous he has ever
made. IIc will return to Roaring
Forks in u few days by the same
route.
ONIONS FOR INSOMNIA.