Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1882-02-23
JEHU's STORY.
Driving Coach in the Rocky Mountain"

Driving a aCOachint the Rocky Me""
"Did you ever meet with an upset
on these mountain roads" :,
"No; but had terribly close c.''i
ner Grand Canyon q year ago 'n'
10th of August"
Here Frank grasped the butt Oh ne
whip and curved the tip OF the i',"
over the leaders heads. The hanole
of the whip was highly ornamen'e''
On the broad band at the butt there
was an inscription of several lines.
II seldom handle this whip without
thinking of that ride" said Frank.
Seeing that was interested, he COLI
tinued:
"We had load of nineteen passeii-
gers inside and outside the coach,aiio
ten heavy trunks in the boot. we
were going from Silver Cliff to Cah-
on City. / had the best siS-horse
outfit on the line, and felt q pride III
driving, although | knew the load was
too heavy for the coach in some
places. At my side sat pretty little
lady, and on the end of the seat was
the wife of one of our directors. 1he
director sat behind his wife. All went
well until we came to the top OF Green
horn Range. The drive down the
range for two miles and half is one
of the most perilous in the Rockies.
In places there is scarcely six inches
to spare to keep you from going over
the precipice, and on the other slde
in wall of rock. About half way
down is point called Cape Horn.
The road has been built out around
this rocky point, and the turn is so
sharp that when the leaders of SIN
horse team have rounded rock they
are out of the drivers sight. This
place is the dread of all the drivers
on the road. The descent is about
260 feet to the mile. and when once
you start there is no stopping until
you reach the bottom.
''Of course. felt a little anxious
when the leaders went over the brow
of the range but my wheelers were
powerful and game. and trained to
obey every word of command and
touch of the whip. while the Others
were steady and fast enough to keep
me out of harms way. As the coach
began the descent, / placed my fcot
on the brake with firm hold. The
heavy load required extra pressure.
and gave it steadily. We hadn't
got more than twenty yards when the
brake broke. In an instant the coach
was VII tlt NltSieiS, anu tlley WciS
on their launches. snorting and using
their fore-iegs like plows. 1t was no
use. The leaders went i'm the air like
wild horses. and to save themselves
from being crushed the wheelers
sprang to their feet and joined in the
race. One yell came from the men
on the coach, pierced by simultane-
Gus shrek from the women. After
that they remained still as death.
The little woman grasped me round
the waist at the first jump of the
horses, holding my arms as if in a
wise. For Gods sake, womaIi!' l
exclaimed. let 60 of me and take
hold of the rods by your side. Our
only hope of safety lies in my -heing
able to guide the horses She un-
wound her arms, and l handled the
reins as best | could. sE q
Down we plunged, the c,aaaas
swinging and rocking like ,grs
There wasn't place wide ;nzr A d.
zigZag or break the velocity II me
descent. l turned my head or "a
instant toward the director. Hisvak
had tainted, and he had all he ca
attend to in holding her in - r,u..x
There were places where 6a1u1
edge of the roadway had hes1 p -
off, and, in hugging the MI
wheelers nearly caused -.
several times, fairly boundna a,lI
balancing the stage ON twt
At last the horses dashed saronbn,l
Cape Horn, and there I gave ,up the
stage as lost. These stages. are 50
built that when they overturn 4 ,;,,
drops out that connects the pole and
horses to the coach, and the sd,;vo,
has chance to save himself I'm l,a;,,o
drawn off by the horses. Wle.: ths
leaders were out of sight ard1ls.a ar.
rock it flashed through me- 4hat !
might save the little womas., :. 81 !,
took firmer grasp on; the Enee .,;,,,
my right hand, and was srea,lv :
swing my left around her.b0ly. The
stage swirled and actually maAe ~.
turn on the two outside wheels. Them
thank God, she settled doSn acs:.
and went on bouncing down tAa ranoa
7 1t seemed an age before wa re.<.ho,
the level, where the horses ran tw,
or three hundred yards befoS. i co,,,,
, stop them. When Ibid finally ue, .
their heads to caress and Az dncn,,,o, Z !,
them for bringing MS dow, saf.,,,
, the perspiration was pourins, oo,,,t !
| every pore of my body, ala,ouoh I;
{ was cold day in the mounfsins
"When the director got II and :
, lated the incident of the rid ", sofbs
members of the company tIev iasrad
what shall we do for Frank, s-;r
L u