National Republican., 1883-06-01
A LIGHTNING BICYCLE RIDE.
Down Mountain Grade Which Fol-
Three Hundred Feet 60 the Mile.


Three Hundred Feet 60 the MILE.
Our mine, the Spondulix, of Colorado, was
the highest on tho range. 1t was 2,67O feet
above Silver Brick station, and 8 miles dis
tant from the village. From the works up
to the mines there was a broad hard, smooth
road, used for carting ore down from the
mines and hauling supplies up. The average
grade down the mountain was 300 feet to the
mile; in some places it was sleeper, and at
intervals almost level
BY constant practice / managed at last 70
ride my fifty-two.inch University" road
ster up the whole slope to the spondulix, Of
course resting at levels, but my chief delight
was the coasting down again; it requires
skill, a good deal of nerve, and firm grasp
of the brake. Uf
One evening an accident occurred to one
OF tho men engaged at the mine. l instantly
got out my bicycle, explaining that could
go swifter than horse down the slope. In
few minutes 1 had on my riding suit and
was of. IL
The night air was clear and crisp the full
moon, except in few curves, shone directly
into the gulch, lighting up the road. Lean
ing we'll back with my legs over the handles,
and q firm finger on the brake, allowed the
wheel TO glide down the first long slope at q
speed which had never dared to venture
before. t1nulnR Ln9 InOl1On saIc, Il AllOWtu buo
machine to run faster, and still faster. Over the
first level / shot like an arrow. Down thenext
slope seemed to glide on the rushing wind.
Then turned curve and ran into the
shadow of the mountain upon the next level.
Knowing every inch of the road, however, !
did not slacken speed, except very slightly.
As flew over the top OF tho next slope, q
steep plunge of nearly half mile, another
curve completely shut out the moon, making
the road almost as dark as pocket. Here
put down the brake hard, and checked my
speed materially. Still, l knew the road SO
well that had no fear. But just as l was
upon the steepest plunge of the slope
Clinkl
Something few from the machine like a
bullet. Instantly the wheel darted forward
like the rush of frightened bird, while tho
break leaver came homo to the steering bar
under my finger.
The brake had broken short of in the
elbow
There was nothing to check the machine,
which was running away with me, with over
FIVE miles of mountain grade before me, and
the chance of meeting team any moment in
the dark. might have leaped backward off
the machine at the instant Of the break, but
| five seconds afterward IL was too late. To
attempt dismount would be certain death.
There was nothing TO do but stick to the
saddle and take my chances.
| When the accident happened to the brakel
| was lust entering dark curve in the shadow
of the mountain. The wall on my right ap-
peared dark, almost invisible, brown, while
tho chasm on my left was of an inky black.
ness As / rounded the hollow of the curve
could see the moonlight shining far ahead or
the point Of the elbow which l must turr
| where the road was channeled into the wall
| As approached 1t had the sense and nerve
| to run on the outer side OF the road, close Il
| Nha nd Af tha giving
broad a turn as.possible. l found by the trach
of the wheel afterward that at the sharpes
turn had actually ridden within three inches
of the extreme edge for several rods, where, /
1 had been going at less fearful speed, thu
wheel would certainly have slipped over thu
edge and carried me down fall OF one thou
sand feet
Safely past this, the worst point, the re
naming curves were easy. Thus far Their
had been no time to think. My actions wer,
more instructive than reasoning. My niint
was Wild confused whirl of sensations an,
fears. u-
But now, as 1 shot down the last steep in
cline, suddenly experienced terrible men
tai shock. 1t was caused by hearing the tin
kle of bell far below, and seeing the sparl
of lantern such as the mine teamsters carr,
in front of their wagons. There was team
perhaps train of teams, coming up the road
In a few seconds should be upon them. Th
shock made me think, and that clearly.
the teamster was walking beside his team, h
would be on the inside, next to the mountaii
wall, and the team would be in the middle 0
the road. If he was riding, the team woul
be kept near the mountain wall, and at saf
distance from the outer edge of the track
Either way my best chance was to pass on tn
outside. As Iapproached, therefore, ran clos
to the outside edge of the track, and flew b
In safety. hearing the teamster shout as di
so. Here it was lucky that l was going a
such great speed, for the teamster saw tho ret
light Of my lantern when / was nearly a mil
distant, and, recognizing it, he started hi
team toward the outer edge of the road, SO a
to give me the safest passage on the inside
but ! was upon and passed him before tn
team could be driven over, otherwise shoul
have surely run into them.
And now the wheel ran along the level a
the bottom of the mountain; still my fright
full velocity did not perceptibly diminish.
ran on past the works, and into and along til
village street. Luckily the street was GOV
cred thinly with sand-not enough to max
it bad riding, but sufficient to gradually sto
coasting wheel. My speed slackened pei
ceptibly. Still ran nearly through the wi
lage, and then managed to turn broad col
ner and up the slope Of a side street, whic
finally checked my speed SO that venture
to drop my feet cautiously and take the ped
ais after touching them as they came up fo
number of revolutions, to help to check th
machine
And so finally stopped and leaped to tn
ground exactly in front Of DIR. Cameron
house.
On mounting at the mine house 1 ha
looked at my watch, after a habit had an
a now, from the same habit, looked at
again. was not astonished to find that
had made the nine miles from the mine I
the doctors in o few seconds less than thil
teen minutes Allowing six and quartz
for the first two miles, before the brake CAV
way, and / must have made the last seve
miles in less than six and three-quarter mir
utes. firmly believe that 1 covered seve
| miles in less than six and a half minutes. In