Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-12-19
a story of the First Railway.

Ga. 1t was the year when South Caro-.
lima proposed to nullify the revenue laws
of the United States, "peaceably if she
could forcibly if she must, " always pro.
vided that Georgia would join in the act.
In February the annual race meeting
was to be held in Charleston. and this
usually brought the leading men of the
other slave States to that city, where the
scheme was to be laid before them. a
party of Augusta gentlemen We're going
down to these races on horseback, and
was invited to join them.
At that time there was an excellent
breed of saddle horses in Georgia, called
the Cherokee pony" being raised in the
upper country, then occupied by the
Cherokee Indians. 1t is now thickIv
settled region, with Atlanta for its chief
city but the Indians have long since dis.
appeared, along with their ponies.
owned one of these ponies. a very hand.
some animal about II hands high, a com,
pactly built bay, with long tail manc
and foretop, very easy in all gaits, gentle
and spirited. had ridden him in fox
chases, and he could generally keep up
with field of big horses, and would
Jump any common fence. | have ridden
many horses in many lands. but | think
Little John" was the best saddle horse
ever rode.
The distance from Augusta to Charles
ton is 14O miles; there We're no railroads
then, although one had been begun from
Charleston toward Augusta, and it WIS
the first railroad in the United State,
which was operated by steam power
On a fine morning in the latter part OF
February we started, six in number.
with change of clothing in our saddle.
bags, down south through the great tract
of pine forest which lies between Angus
Ia and the coast, thinly settled with
roads only suitable for horsemen. We
made about 30 miles a day. and ate
and slept usually in some log cabin by
the roadside There were few villages or
laverns, but almost any planter CT
farmer would take us in for the night.
One day as we approached Charleston
suddenly there appeared on the road an
elephant, coming slowly toward us flap,
ping his great ears. This apparition was
more than our horses could stand, and
they all bolted into the woods with their
riders, and refused to be comforted until
the monster passed. A few hundred
yards further we met the caravan of wild
beasts to which the elephant belonged
as the wagons We're drawn by the famiia,
mule our horses passed quietly, but as We
got abreast of them from one of the
wagons came the roar of lion, with tho
growls of other beasts. The boiling
process was renewed ami off went our
horses in panic.
Hardly had their nerves become quetel
again when we saw in the distance the
new railroad. finished some 10 or II milcs
out of Charleston: it was builtupon piles
longer or shorter, according to the
nature of the ground: sometimes in
crossing ravine the rails We're 90
feet from the surface. Our tracks ran
near the l. road. and soon horrid shrek
rs from 90 panthers was heard in the
woods. By this time we We're nervous.
Elephants and lions we had heard of,
and some of us had seen them, but what
monster was this whose screams we
heard! Presently 1t came IN sight, fly
ing aloft through the air, and breathing
fire and smoke, and again our frightened
steeds became unmanageable. And in
fact | think that some of our party were
as badly frightened as their horses. If
any of my readers are old enough to re.
member the introduction of locomotives,
and how they felt at first sight of them,
they will perhaps understand our sensa.
tions that day in the pine woods.
A mile or two further on we came to a
broken wagon by the side of the road,
md near it sat Georgia cracker smoking
his pipe. On being asked what was his
trouble, well, stranger, was the reply,
i've often hearn tell of notification,
and now reckon I've saw it for true "
Forest and Stream.