The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-27
THREE MINUTES OF TERROR.
THE SLIGHTEST ACCIDENT MEANT
DEATH-NoT THE LEAST HOPE
OF RESCUE.
EHE RIDE Always FRreHTENs.
Still the View Is of Such Magnifi-
cenee That Hundreds Endure the
Shock Rather Than Miss 1t.
Special to the Globe.

| most appropriately named place L ever
saw, for it gives one the most hendish
sensation of horror, in fact absolute
terror, that you can imagine. It only
takes three minutes to make. the as
cent, but in those three minutes one
seems to live hours.
This remarkable creation Of nature is
six miles to the northwest of Brighton.
the famous summer place for every
body. and where everybody goes. You
may see that it is rather narrowing
task to take the trip I took by the
fact that not over 10 per cent Of
Brighton's summer population ever
made the trip; and, what is more, they
express no anxiety to do so. The dyke
is remarkable chasm, having on one
side tableland over 700 feet above sea
level from which a splendid panoramic
view is obtainable. On its southern
side this tableland is easy of access,
but the approach from the north is
! barred by a forbidding escarpment,
and up to a short time ago-that is. a
year-could only be achieved in
roundabout way, though fairly safe
fashion
Some genius, whose name have for
| gotten, conceived the idea that if this
roundabout way could be shortened,
and the time necessary to make the as
cent reduced to a very few minutes,
all the Brighton visitors would take
| advantage of the new route. So he
| gathered the remainder of his wits to-
| gether, this genius and thought out
plan for a railway of the most novel
character. 1t was over this railway that
1 took the trip spoken of in the begin
ming of my story. And let me confess
| it right here-I never want to make
such trip again nor anything which
approaches it,
The new railroad extends directly
from the top of the tableland to the
plain below. at a point about quarter
of mile from the village of Poynings.
1t is only $40 feet long, but every one
who rides on it is delighted that it is
no longer. Double the distance travers.
ed under the same circumstances would
have made an incurable luna1ic of me-
Two cars are used for the service of
ascending this height, one going down
while the other goes up. The cars ara
open and are fitted with four sets of
steel jaw brakes, possessing, it is said
Suttlc1ent grip to stop and hold the car
steady at any point on the line Of
course, this assurance is delightful, but
if it should not happen that way. there
would be absolutely no escape from q
death so dreadful that you do not care
to think about it on. the trip--that is,
if you can help it. Il couldn't
! You enter the car as 1 did at the foot
OF the escarpment, and wonder what
your state of mind and body will be
when next you are away from it, The
conductor sees to it that you are Sc
! curely fenced in and then gives the
Wcrd and the huge steel cable begins
to move. Up, up, up. "Will it hold %
you think, Heavens. What if it should
break! Still you go up, and at no lag
| CARDS pace. Things on the ground YOU
have just left get small, just as they
seem to those who have made ascents
| in balloons and lived to tell US about
| it
You look at your fellow passengers.
for misery loves company dearly when
| danger knocks at the door, There is
| 70 consolation in that direction, for
the chances are that there is a perfect
! equality as regards fears and tremors
| The conductor is your rock of Gibral-
tar. No danger" he says. OF course
not. You never supposed there was.
| before the top is reached. The man in
blue smiles Wearily and says, I'VE are
almost there" Almost Will it ever
| be any more?
! 1t is very long ways to the place
from which you started and it is al
most, you think, straight down from
where you are looking. You begin to
| wonder if it is true that what Sir Isaac
| Newton said about the attraction is
correct. Then the thought strikes you
that if that cable breaks you would
be made an example of that truth,
| though not a living one. Something
| whirls by you. Graciousi Some one
has fallen from the top You are sure
of it,
| Then the conductor smiles YEARLY,
and says, very briefly, "Other car"
Oh, yes. The other of course How
foolish not to think of it yourself, and
then you fall to wishing that you
couldn't think. for in that case you
would never have thought of taking
this frightful journey. You feel thrills.
I Not pleasant thrills, such as when Pad
I erewski plays or when you saw Calve
in Carmen"
| A woman near you says, ''Oh, [ am
going to faint" and then lapses into
unconSciouSness How you envy her
What a blessed privilege it is to be
able to faint at such a time as this
One man near by mutters something
under his breath, and you have a faint
suspicion that it is akin to the favorite
expression of Mr.. Mantallini You think
so yourself.
Then the thought comes to you that
some one said this railroad was $40
feet long and you wonder if he was
right. You were told that the trip was
so short you would hardly know you
had started before the top was reached.
How can people tell such untruths, just
to encourage trusting young persons to
do what they never should attempt.
Then some one says: "Oh, thank
heaven?" You wonder what for, or if
the individual has said it because he
expects to go to heaven or some other
place at once What is that? Joy of
joys. You hear the conductor say: "All
out. Top Of hill.
Once more you breathe. How coed it
feels to be on the ground. The con-
ductor smiles and says: Game up
quick, miss. Just two minutes and
forty seconds Great heavenSi Now
I know what Nanki Poo means when
he tells Yum Yum in the 'tMikado"
that, they will make every second
nlinut every minute an hour, every
hour day The view is simply per-
feet from the top of the tableland. AS
I look out over the Atlantic it almost
seems to me that 1 can see dear old
America. And the longing comes over
me to go back home so that | am the
NEST homesick person you ever saw.
make up my mind then and there
to get back as soon as possible. But |
also resolve that I win walk down the
easy side of the tableland. I really
believe l would rather stay in England
than to endure my cable road expert
ence again.