The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1893-07-07


preceding buckets and not particularly
anxious in the first few minutes to look
down or around or anywhere else ex-
cept above me, began to realize that
the twenty minutes necessary for the
journey were going to be mighty long
ones.
On and on we went and up and up until
there came in sight yawning under me
a terrible gorge, crossed by single
span of the cable over 1,400 feet in
length and 400 feet above the ground.
Even this would not be so bad were it |
not that the next tower in front of me
was $50 feet higher than the spot from
which was getting my first view.
There ahead of me were the two
buckets containing Mansfield and
Green, and as pulled myself together,
determined to take every advantage of
the glorious view which now opened
up, the thought came to me that never
had been in position of such utter
helplessness and dependence. Lest
the figures given above should fail to
convey the exact idea, let me suggest &
comparison which occurred to me
while crossing this span.
The Pulitzer building in New York is
just about one mile from the Battery,
and the height from the ground to the
foot of the flagstaff is, if my memory
serves, $50 feet. Now pile six Pulitzer
buildings one atop the other and start
from the battery in little bucket,
smaller than an ordinary clothes
hamper, and go to the top of that mass
suspended on single rope, and if you
as man will not recognize your insig-
nifcance nothing will ever bring you to
that realizing sense.
By this time / had entered into the
full grandeur of the scene and all ner-
vousness disappeared, strange to say,
right at the most dangerous part of the
journey. Four hundred feet below me
/ could see q train of those most abused
and yet invaluable little burros slow
ly and painfully climbing the mar
row trail laden with supplies and tim
bers for neighboring mine Two miles
down the valley lay Telluride, looking
like child's plaything, and still fur
ther away miles and miles of dazzling
mountain peaks against the blue sky
of Colorado-bluer than Italy ever
dreamed of, and about me the most
unique and picturesque colorings peep
ing out from the uncovered patches of
the mountains
The day was absolutely perfect, the
sun warm, and, despite the constant
danger of loaded buckets breaking
away and dashing all of us to the abyss
below and needless of the possibility of
many things which might happen, I
thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful
view. / am free to confess, however,
to feeling as though an intense strain
had been removed when l finally
crossed that gigantic tower and found
myself only hundred feet or so from
terra frma, and only then did l discov-
er that my hands had been clutched on
that bucket with deathlike grip and
were wet with perspiration, while with
nv feet had been eXerting tremen-
dous pressure against the front end.
We soon came in sight of the upper
terminal, and upon arrival there
found the men had decided to remain,
accepting the slight reduction, and
there would be no party to reward me
for my trip-if indeed any reward other
than the trip itself were necessary.
Let me add, however, that the mouth
of the mine was still mile and hall
further up the mountain, and that the
ore is brought from the mine to the tor
of the tram by burros, each carrying
two sacks weighing one hundred anc
twenty-five pounds each Well, my
mission being fruitless, we reentereC
our buckets on the down trip. fee
perfectly sure that had the order beer
reversed and the down trip come first
would have backed out at any cost, bu
my p-iourney gave me confidence, anC
it was with considerable equanimity
that gazed down to the tiny termina
two thousand feet below.
AS Mr.. Green entered his bucket / re
. marked to the man who fastened it il
place: ''Get that good and tight, m.
boy"
] He answered: 81 am thousan
times more anxious about this thin
than You, and will not breathe freel
till you're down"
then learned from him that sine
he opened the tram twenty-five thor
: sand buckets had passed o given point
! with only three runaways. ! did nc
I then go into the detail of the damag
: done, but climbed into my bucket ono
! more, figuring the number of time
three goes into twenty-five Thousand
J Arriving at the high tower again, an
entering upon the fourteen-hundret
! foot span, a horrible swaying of tn
!, bucket commenced, and finally it cam
to dead stop right at the worst place o
y the line. The stoppage was but mo
: mentary, and was done purposely
give me the full benefit.
{ There, on the same span, were th