The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-05

A True Tale of the ola West.
From The overland Monthly.


From the Overland Monthly.
In May 1851 John Matbewson. a pioneer
in hydraulic mining. TO whom belongs the
credit OF building the first water der
rick in California, had both legs broken
while erecting a derrick at Washington,
on the north fork of the Yuba river,
twenty-five miles north of Nevada City.
He was taken out from the ruins of
his derrick and word sent to Nevada
city for an ambulance
O. S. Olin was the driver of the daily
stage between Washington and Nevada
city and he at once placed bed IN
Concord coach and drove over from Ne
Vada City. Next morning the injured
man was teuderly placed in the coach
and made as comfortable as possible
At the Cold Spring house. six miles
from town. Olin pulled up to water his
horses, winding the ribbons around the
brake before leaving the box.
A dog ran a drove of hogs under the
horses feet, and in a flash the spirited
animals were tearing down the ridge
Some one at Nevada City happened to
be scanning the road with field glass,
and suddenly shouted, The stage is
coming he'll bent for lection an DIN
amt on the boxl"
The news spread through the town like
wildfre, and in an incredibly short time
the whole town turned out and all who
had field glasses were anxiously watch
ing tho swaying stage in its mad career
along the ridge toward the steep grade
leading into town. 1t was still some
four miles distant.
The excitement was intense. Every
one knew that Mathewson, helpless and
weak lay inside, at the mercy of the
four blooded animals. The wheelers es-
pecially We're "a splendid pair of mettle-
some stations, and the leaders carefully
selected. No power on earth could have
stopped them on that ridge. Down the
grade they plunged. The speed was ter
rife. Strong men turned away in hor-
ror expecting from moment to moment
that the stage would go crashing into
the canyon below.
Half the distance toward town had
been accomplished in safety when
hoarse cry broke from the watching null
titude. The stump the bowlder"
| Three miles from town the stage road
| led between a stump on the lower side
and a bowlder on the upper side of the
grade
With long plunglng strides the animals
approached this danger point
/ The crowd was too Mortified to shout.
| Only a stihed groan, more eloquent than
words, could have been heard.
"A few rods more and God help poor
/ Mathewson," reverently murmured
/ grizzled miner, as the tears flowed down
his wrinkled face. Many a Unlocking
/ but tender-hearted man around him muir
/ INJURED Amen"
Gaining increased momentum at every
/ bound, the stage ran into a cloud of dust
! Just before reaching the stump and bowl
! der Awed pallid. upturned faces gazed
with fascinated intentness at that little
cloud of dust
They've done IT," whispered a man in
/ front with eyes still GUIDED to his glass
with only fourteen inches to spare on
either side of the stage it had passed
through it safely. But the danger was
not yet over The steepest and toughest
part Of the road was yet to come.
! As
! gave way on either side none dreaming
! of trying to stop the foam-covered stall
! lions in their wild run.
Along Coyote street they whirled, then
/ making a fat-iron turn entered Main;
/ still on they dashed, wheeling into Com
mercial, then up into Pine and still at
! full speed to Broad, heading for the des-
! tination of the stage in front of the Ma
| tional or Persons hotel, in the middle Of
/ the block.
Arthur Hagadorn, the owner of the
stage line, was standing, pale with ex-
/ citement, close to where the stage MS
4 ually refined in. None can ever know how
/ It came about, but at the sight Of the ia
/ miliar figure the four intelligent animals
/ slowed up and came to a stop within a
/ foot of where they would have been driv
4 en- had Olin been on the box
Stepping up to the lead horse. Hagadorn
I stroked his wet neck and said: Noble
! fellow, you've done your last days work"
MatheWson was unhurt and feebly
/ thanked friends and acquaintanees who
/ crowded around the stage TO congratulate
/ him on his miraculous escape.
Such is the record of one of the widest
! stage rides ever taken by man.
/ One of the wheelers on this stage was
/ the stallion St. Clair, the sire of Senator
4 Stanford's famous Occident 1t is not
4 generally known that the late senator de-
serves much OF the credit of helping to
/ perfect the instantaneous process in pho
/ Biography.
Oceident was said to have the finest
ford spent two years and 100000 before he
/ hnally succeeded in obtaining a salts
/ factory photograph of Occident at his
best by means of the instantaneous pro-
! cess.