The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-23
A TERRIBLE RIDE
a sleet Covered Hill on the National
r. Y. ~. Ilond. @

- ...
Down n sieet Covered Hill on the Natlona
Ilond.
To the Editor OF he %Inlelipeneu. .
/ SlR:-The reference in one OF your Int
issues to the National Road and It's con
ditlon serves to bring to mind a ride {
party Of us took over 1t in February, 1850
Whether tho fact Is worth repeating mn,
BIO questioned, but this much Is certain
tho occurrence would not BE- likely to beal
m encore without n catastrophe. The
weather for quito n number Of days before
had been very pleasant, in character,
more like that Of Autumn than midwin.
ter, but on the morning OF tho start gave
indications OF n change. We had no,
been on tho road m hour before n driz.
cling rain set in and continued most oftle
day. Before noon the wind which was
blowing moderately ut tho start freshened
and turned cold. Tho cold rapidly 1T.
creased and soon tho rain began 10 freeze
rs 1t fell, and before night tho road was
covered with n sheet OF leo, hard and
smooth as glass, making tho travelling hard
OH tho horses owing TO the smoothness Of
their shoes. This was not 80 noticeable
rs long as they were kept at the swinging
trot with which their ordinary time was
made, but when weireached the mountain,
and the pace reduced toa walk, the trouble
begun, hardly a rod being covered with.
out one or moro ofthe horses being down,
and sometimes NIL down at once.
As o o rs the first horse fell We all got
out and n OF the passengers who had
procured n stone with which to chalk tho
wheels, on finding It would not hold on tho
ice wrapped 1t in Il blanket which met the
case exactly, and so used It whenever Il
horse lost his feet. AftcrA long struggle
the top OF the mountain wa reached,
During this time tho clouds had blown
away ind tho moon was flooding the land
scape with n light that turned the whole
into FURNISHED silver. At the commence
ment Of the descent, which was rs steep as
Fulton Hill, the stage was stopped to let
us get in, but none wero disposed to do it,
as all could sec that to do so would be to
venture Ms much rs our nccks were worth.
But on being informed by the driver that
rs he had his time 10 make no would be
forced to leave us in case we were not ut
the bottom rs soon rs he. We took our
withtheexceptiono fonegentleman,
who climbed into the box whit driver.
Tho length Of the team had not been made
in the downward movement before the
coach showed an evident intentionto reach
the bottom by q much shorter route than
tho road, il it had to take horses and load
along with it. This movement created a
general scramble to get out, but before the
loot could DO opened, snap, snap, crack,
snap, went tho drivers whip, and every
horse felt its sting and the coach fairly
Ierked from under us, sending those that
belonged on the back seat to their places,
and those OF the front against these OF the
middle with n velocity that made their
heads come together like battering rams.
1t was my fortune to occupy the end Of
the middle seat next to the precipice.
One glance from tho window in the door
which l had thrust my head,
to show a descent OF 500 feet (steep
rs Chaplinc hill at the Whitaker MILL
md a stake and rider fence ut the bottom.
With but this single glance my eyes be-
fascinated with the upper edge OF
declivfty, along which the hinder
were often in terribly close
proximity, and twice as we rounded sharp
curves were swung entirely clear OF it,
where Tor an instant they hung in mid
mir, then struck the 'ed.e with q thump
that nearly pitched me out the window.
While my eyes were thus fixed my ears
took in the constant crack, crack
the whip with. which the driver never
ceasedto belabor the horses from the time
he struck the first blow until We had
reached the bottom and been carried some
distance up the next ACTIVITY, where the
team was stopped and the gentleman on
the box jumped to the ground and came
and opened the door, saying at the time:
"Get out, get out; I want to sec how
much you are worth, for three minutes ago
| would not have given five cents for the
What was the length OF tho drive or
how long it tookto make It I have no idea,
but II measured by my feelings at the
time it was-well, | will say LoSa.
Wheeling, Dec. 90.