The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-02-26


ninety miles in four days and half:
The first eighteen miles occupied
three days OF hard labor, and
brought him to Independent Camp.
Two days out of three he was with
out food, havirg g taken but one days
supply on starting. The difficult
ties in the road were appalling.
Heavy, wet snow 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
matches. This caused the narrow
gulch to be completely filed with a
dense brush or thicket of their
swow-laden branches. The high,
perpendicular, and heavily timbered
wall of the canon forbade any at
tempt to scale them, and to pass
this all but insurmountable obstruc-
tion McCanless 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 equal to rocks in
hardness. He had calculated on
making Independent Camp the first
Eight. His provision was gone,
and there was nothing to do
but toll on, or lie down and
die. Night came on dark and
cold. No wolves howled to
keep him company, nor was the
roar of the noun tain lion heard.
Nothing broke the death like 81
lence, save the sharp thud of the lit
tie axe, as he cut his way inch by
inch, and foot by foot, through the
gloomy defile. So passed the night,
the day, the second, and late in the
afternoon, McCanless, haggard, pale
starving, and completely worn out
crawled up to the door of a cabin
in Independent Camp. He was
warmly welcomed, and tenderly
cared Tor, so that on the next morn
ing he felt like pursuing his way.
after a hearty breakfast he
started again, reaching the foot of
independence Gulch at $50 o'clock
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 we're shaved down, and the
pole sharpened. Then securing
everything about his person care
fully; and bracing 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 rem
dered any attempt at steering or
slowing up useless, and an idea OF
the rapidity with which the descent
was made may be had when we
state that it was just 10 O'Clock
when he left the summit, and four
miles below, where he passed cab
in, he pulled out his watch, and it
marked seven minutes past, show
ing speed of over a mile in two
minutes. 1t was while on this de-
scent and at the highest speed at
tanned that McCanless passed
through the most imminent peril of
GnS hHOlO Illp. AS uS uItW near
to the timber line, tall and surly
pine fully three feet in diameter,
loometl up directly in his course.
His hair stood on end, as every eff
fort to swerve to one side of it
proved vain until when within a
few feet of the tree, the snow had
become a little softened by the sun
and slight grip was taken by the
shoes and pole. Expecting instant
death, and with the mentally uttered
prayer of "Good- bye, Mac" the man
threw himself over until his shoul-
der touched the surface of 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 5
o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday,
McCanless having made thirty eight
miles that day. Monday morning
at 1920 he left the lake, and at
1890, two hours later, he was eat
ing dinner at theGrand Hotel in this
city.