, 1890-04-08

nootinr Down = Mountain Road Behind
Fleeing Cow and a Weak Brake.

shooting Down n Mountain Road Behind
= Fleeing Cow and a Weak Brake.
aDid 1 ever have a lively ridei l
think / am safe in saying yes, al
though i cannot say that / travelled at
the rate of sixty or seventy miles, per-
haps not more than forty. But we
went fast enough, and few of us in
the car were SURF enough of being
alive the next day to put off thinking
Of those things that a man will dwell
on when he believes his life in danger.
know that the people on the car were
glad when it stopped, although we
were out of all danger when it did
stop.
III you ever travel to Alta, a min
ing camp high in the Wahsatch
mountains, in Utah territory, you will
make part of the trip on a horse tram
way, for no railroad could climb the
mountains to the head of Little Cot
tonwood canyon, where Alta sits up
among the clouds. The tramway is
extremely narrow and hangs by lodges
and crags and peaks, as itseems, wind
ing its way till you are at the very
head of the canyon. From first TO last
you are in a snowshed, the roof of
which inclines at an angle with the
mountains side, and over this snow
shed and down its steep pitched roof
flash snow slides and masses of ice,
which leap far out when they leave
the shed and go diving TO the bot
tom of the canyon, down SO far below
that when you look at a man follow
ing the trail down there on his broncho
he looks like a doll on the back of q
small dog. In the sides of the shed
there are little square holes which let
in light enough to enable you to see the
string Of mules stretched out before
you in single line Juggling away at
your narrow car.
But while mules pull your light
car on the upward trip you come down
with a rush. The mules are Sent down
the canon to Wahsatch station. When
you are nicely tucked in the car the
man sitting in the front seat gently
loosens a couple of brakes and the car
is off with an easy roll. In a moment
you are spinning along, the light car
swinging swiftly around the sharp
curves and bits of white flashing past
you where the holes are cut for light.
The brakeman has gone over the road
in this way s often that he can tell by
the resistance on the brakes how fast
the a is going. His deft hand les
sens or tightens its grip as the grade
rises or falls, and so uniform is the
rate of speed that at any time he can
tell you the exact minute of the hour
by the distance he has travelled.
I'VE were rolling swiftly down the
narrow, i'll lighted snowshed one sum
mer when in a streak of light from
one of the holes ahead we saw stand
ing a COW. Instantly there was a
grating sound Of the brakes, followed
by the shock of decreased speed. But
there came a loud snap and the car
bounded away. / sat behind the
brakeman and could see his face. l
have often thought since that he was
more frightened than i, but he seemed
as o as a veteran soldier under fire.
He released one brake entirely, the
one which had snapped, and pressed
all his force on the other. He gave
out a loud yell, which frightened the
COW and started il on a run. The fast
er the COW ran the louder and wilder
he cried until the mad COW went
%plunging ahead like a mad engine.
Racing after the terrified animal, we
rapidly drew near it. Once l caught
sight through an opening of the green
grass far below in the canon, and even
wondered if a man. could live till he
reached the bottom. 1t seemed that
we caught the coA-with one long leap
after that. 1t was just at ono Of the
windows that we struck her. The ter
rife shock drove her crashing through
the side of the shed over the side of
the mountain, but the car kept the
track and went spinning along, the
wheels swapping loudly, and the one
remaining brake grinding away until
we raced out TO the open grade, and
the speed slackened on the level
stretch as we rolled into the little
station. As l recall the experience,
not one word was spoken after the COW
was hurled through the side of the
shed. New York Tribune.