The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-12-01
LIS e C0VERLY

Last year four trains, each consisting of
car and locomotive, running twice each
day, could not begin to carry those who
wished to go; $40 dollars being offered
as bonus to any one who would give up
his ticket; the fare, round trip, is $500.
This year one train morning and after
noon could do all the business with ease.
Pixies Peak, at first sight, is rather dis
appointing; you say to yourself, that
does not look to be $4,000 feet high, for
getting you are already 6,000 feet above
the sea. There is a little hill couple of
hundred feet high in Colorado Springs
which is called Mt. Washington, because
it is exactly the height above sea level Of
that we'll known peak. The train went
climbing higher and higher, and the
view brOadened out before our eyes, un-
til finally the great surrounding peaks
which from below looked to be almost
as high as the main peak, dropped away
and we locked over their tops to
the country beyond, while yet the main
dome was far above; then one begins to
realize the height, and also what ma
iestic mountain it is. The railway starts
up through the canon, the tremendous
walls of rock rearing themselves hun
dreds of feet above; the way almost
have fallen from the cliffs, COM
pletely hiding the little stream: many of
these great rocks are as large as houses,
with an occasional one as big as a good
sized church. Strange shapes appear in
the rocks; Cog and Magog, the two great
boulders perched on their pedestals high
above Manitou, are samples of these.
The train climbed slowly upward with
much groaning and putting; stopping
frequently tn water the iron horse, when
suddenly we came up ont of the canon
and looked over its rocky sides, and all
exclaimed at the wonderful view to the
northward, with the Garden of the
Gods in the foreground. Still upward
and onward the train toiled, hating at
the half way house, little hotel where
the passengers had an opportunity to
purchase some of the beautiful wild flow
ers so abundant on the mountain. BY
and by the peaks, which had hidden this
outlook from us fell away and the whole
enhancing scene burst on our view.
Here we were above the timber line, no
thing to be seen but the rough surface of
the peak, around the side of which the
train slowly wound; the great gulf far
below us constantly deepening, as we
climbed higher, until finally we stopped
on the level top of the great dome. close
to the stone buildings erected by the
government for weather station. just
at the foot of the peak some adventurous
spirits had left the train and taken to
their railway bicycles; little things
rudely constructed, and Weighing only
few pounds, on which they rode down
the mountains, often travelling more than
mile minute. The little centre piece
grips the cog rail, and the outriggers
slide along the outer rails: tits extreme
ly risky work, though very exciting. for
these men had scarcely started before
they were a mile away, SO rapidly did
they slip down the grade. They pass in
few minutes over distance that the
train takes more than an hour for.
These men went down safely, but few
weeks later three more attempting the
same thing ran off at a curve and were
thrown many feet onto the rough bould-
ers: all were expected TO die.
.eH -H A. G. SHERRY.