Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-16
Coasting In Colorado.
An Accident WhIcn Befen a Party
 Twenty Years Ago.

the settlement of Colorado, and which prt b In 1865 there had developed considerable population in Central, Black Hawk. and Ne vada, three mining centers in Colorado. some 30 or 40 miles from Denver, above the CIeal Greek Forks, in Galpin county. These towni were distinct, so far as local government went, but overIapped each other, so closely were they crowded in the gulch, and dowr which they struggled, private residences stores, saloons, quartz mills, and reduction
 works thrown in helter skelter. From Ne vada, a mining camp in Nevada GuIch, tc
 Black Hawk, via Central City, there was bu one main roadway, up and down which every day in the year there were two intending pro sessions of quartz wagons bringing dowr auriferous ores to the mills and toilipg ul and back to the mines for fresh cords of thu precious rock. It was something like foul miles from Nevada to the lower part of BlacE Hawk by this road, which formed, of course the main street in each of these industrious towns, and along which, in the busiest DOT tions, was centered the business population
 1t was nearly straight line from Nevada to Central along the road, but at the poin'
 where the Teller House was subsequenti, erected the thoroughfare fected to the right acutelv, and passing on down and over Clear Greek entered Black Hawk on ths right hand of that stream. The grade descends in thi, down journey perhaps 250 feet to the mile and at some points is perilously steep fo,
 vehicles, while at others for short distance there may be a comparatively level stretch only to be broken again by a sudden fallins away of the rocks Ofcourse the necessitie, of the time had developed very fair road
 bed so far as it's surface was concerned.
 The population of these towns, in those easy going days, was energetic and untram
 meled by conventionalities. Female socie' }
 wss by no means plentiful Every thing Wal in that embryonic stsge so characteristic o new mining centers in the far west. Ther,
 was good deal of unbridled hurrah to every thing that was undertaken, and W hen any tbins actually toney was announced-fr from prlVet reception to public ball-it WAS no sighi sssk to scrape together enough 'eminently ladies to even up the sex requi sites and give the necessary ''go" to the affair
 There never was any trouble finding enougf women who were lower down in the socia scale; mining camps somehow attract the vicious of both sexes.
 In winter in that high mountain regioI snow generally comes early and stays long
 The winter of 1865 was of this description. Snow fell in October, passed off, came again,
 
 were that there would be long ana drearH winter. By holiday times the roads, whiet were constantly used, had become frml packed down with snow, which was as smooth and glassy as it was possible to make it. The ores from the mines above were hauled op sleds, and this had beaten down the ttack un til the grooves worn by the runners were lik. the polished steel that formed them. Onct started in them at Nevada 8 sled, unchecked Au fr O time to say ''good-day' to any acquailtsnce he might pass in Central. It was like beine shot out of catapault or dropped down an elevator shaft.
 It was just after New Years in 1S65-6 that ! party was made up to ride over this course The nights were resplendent with the light 1f full moon, and the great mountains on =ither side of the gulch, lowered far above soldly magnificent in their immediate cover nRs. The night chcsen for the great coast ing party was very cold, the thermometer showing a registry of zero. but this gave 8 ,rispness to the snow, and lent an e1hllara- ton to the light air that sent the blood danc- ing through the veins. The managers of the ,oasting party-the event had been looked forward to with great deal of interest = hao arranged by conference with teamsters and others to have the road clear about 12 o'clock that night, which was easily accomplished, there being but little traffic at that hour. An
 immense ''pung" had been secured-a rough sleigh, or runners, rather, about 12 feet long, Wkich it was calcplated would hold full, twenty-five people For the purpose of di. rectfng the course of this sleigh, 0 steering was placed in the rear, and thl-, it was believed, would enable tfe occupants to turn the angle in the road, in Central, where the stretch to Black Hawk began. l. was not found difficult to secure enou3h to otzon Ina fSva I1HI hraV Iy, if not foolhardiiy. insisted upon being counted in. At the time agreed upon all had at Nevada and were soon crowd ed upon the pung, and, a stout fellow at the tiIIer, the send-o of was given. The first half miis WAS a comparati7els light grade, the sleigh sped along at 6 splendld rate, and all on board were joyous in the prospect of a successful run to the bottom of the long hill.
 The sleigh soon showed signs Of increasing speed as the grads increased, and those whu were at all inclined to manifest timidity 6rasped the side of the puSg or hung closely to one another There b:iug danger of too grs at speed, peculiar lever like brake had been provided It reached under the pnng ard easily worked With this to check the mad career of the sleigh it ~as believed no danger could arise that could not be promptly met Down ths hill they New, Once, as Central was neared, colil- sion with belated miners team seemed iu.- aJinent but vociferous earnings enabled them to pass in safety Down, down, they flew. and Centrals main street was entered. This thorong ghfare scarcely wide enough for two teams to pass each other, and which in day time presented 8 busy and noisy scene, was now deserted by vehicles but the sidewalks were thronged with people who had congre- gated 10 witness the great coasting event of the season As the sleigh rushed down in it's wild course a loud, long shout went up, in which the pleasure party joined. By this time the sleigh WAS sweeping on as most ter rife speed, which fairly took away the breath of those who stood by gazing at the strange spectacle. It seemed as though the sleigh had no sooner appeared upon the scene than 1t had shot out of tight and into space; it was one sudden dash aud then gone
 AS the bend in the road was reached, those who had the management of the segh bent all their energies to the evolution that wRs to carry them past all obstacles. Tho slightest, might prove fatal; moments delay might jeopardizs their lives; failure Of their brake or steering apparatus might send them all to heaven.
 One of the participants in that awful ride said sfterward that pone app ared to realize the danger tkat beeet them until tho turn in the road WAS apps cached. The sled had gathered such momentum that 1t seemed i'm possible to stop it, and the steadiest head and the strongest hand appeared to be of little avail. The shouts of merriment instan ly died ont All was still as death. Men clutchsd each other in frantic grasp. and the ladies, so brave before, looked despairiDgly for help. At the turn on the lower or right hand side was drug store. Like nearly all the buiiaines of those day s, 1t was construct ed of light material. It stood close to the sidewalk which wss slightly higher than its floor, The rear of the store was, perhaps, twenty five feet from the ground Of rocks, and was supported there by large timbers. The SuIch fell away precipitously from the road on the right-hand side on the way to Black Hawk.
 AS the sled approached this corner an effort was made to check and turn 1t. but for some reason the brake refused to perform it's work, and, the ''rudder," defiecting the front end, caused it to turn with a suddenness that threw four of the occupants far out to the opposite side of the road. Like flash of lightning the sled bounded across the side walk and struck the drug store with such forcs that it cleaved it's way through like an sxe through a muslin sheet. There was 8 sudden crash, a loud cry, a fall, and the Text instant all was quiet save the groaus of the ipiured ones The people who had been standing on the street at this point to witness he flashing by of the party immediately hur- ried over The pung had passed through the store, demolishing its conte nts. ana had fallen upon the rocks and snow, where 1t lay wrecked. Here and there, far and wide, were the pleasure party who had made the fearful plunge. Six of them-two ladies'
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