The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-12-12

In the steepest places tust where J was
sure We would roll backwards and eff INTO
space. the horse stopped, Danting ly,
and when she had rested. she would 20 on
herself. when Wa we're almost up the
trail. $50 heard ahoutlng ahead and with
unm!stakable gestures, the drivers cl some
coal Wagons told us to drive upon Fat
table rock ahead Of US which hung Oh: tn
the air. and let them pass. Ne did and
! am stil alive and we'll.
4 FORBIDDEN RIDE IN nfD-AIR.
The spot In which We found upstS'yes at
the end OF tho trail WAS basin ahout witch
this snow covered mountains rose abiui thy
aud to great height Not . tree, 10 life
only great, awful silence and i.ol5iion.
Under the brow OF the clin, n,sled, with
Il ftw lniners cabins, he concentrating
mill OF the Iowa Gold Mining AMI Milling
company.
Our destination was the Iowa and silver
| Lake mines far above this, when could be
| reached In two ways. The trail Tor htIse-
| back, which Was snow coy sr4I. stten aud
| so narrow that the least ilisstep would send
| horse and rider rolling Town tho uacdl0ain
side and whore you might at any time be
Knocked of the trail by a srowNtiAe frcm
| above. Then there vas the tramwPy. A
| tram is series of buckets swung on a
cable. which is suspended from high towers
these towers being planted IL the sides
| OF the mountains
The tram Is used fer tlanspor,r & ore
from the mines to the mill below. II ccsts
about 10 cents a ton % bring thc CT, down
! from the minds by he tram, where ioim-
| criy. when packed by burrus 1t cost 81
| ton. There are two abb %, the one vi 'eh
moves and carries along tho huclleiH, and
ono which Is stationary and witch levers
for track on which the wheels q the
, bucket runs. These cables each ale 800
feet In length and tinro are twenty TO -
towers.
The cable moves by the force OF gravity,
Tho heavily laden buckets coming down
pull the empty buckets up and the line
runs very smoothly. The buckets that are
hlled with ore weigh from 200 to son pounds
and the empty buckets going up weigh one
fourth ms much. II takes ten of tht SO iron
buckets each way to run the cable and the
day that we saw 1t there were twenty
seven buckets, one full coming In at the
lower terminus; an empty one leaving 1t;
one always at the upper terminus, and
twenty-four on the road.
We decided to so up on the tram. not
withsianding the sign, which read.
This company charges nothing and as
sumes no risk in transporting any person
over IT'S uamway line; every person riding
on IT does so entirely at his own risk At
any time the cable may break. Il car get
loose and collide with other oars or fail
to the ground the tramway refuse TO work
or some other accident occur. resulting la
great bodily injury and even death TO a
person riding upon the tranway.'
one who rides must have special per-
mission from the company and must sign
paper TO the effect that he Is taking his
own life In his hands and knows II. Then
ne is tucked into bucket which holds
nm very comfortably II he doesn't mind
sning tailor fashion and he Is off. The
irlshman who dumps the buckets at the
ln"ef terminus, telephones up to the mjne
tnat NO "a Is loaded and they are On thn
lookout for you. ' '''
TO tho first two towers. which are M,
steep, II Is great spor, and YOU enjnv Tho
} novelty But soon the Incline becomes
irishuui the wind blows and hclween The
towers your car sways IND and dawn sovrra,
feet and YOU are flying, soaring; your hesa
, pesins 10 swim and you grow faint. when
me incline is steep. indeed. 10 all appeir-
ahces YOU are climbing a pernendic,ln,
haf below are the Jagged rocks snow nnd
Ice. Between thu towers the cable on ths
opposite side sways out OF its line for
.nlry teet and 1t cracks and SNAPS against
, the other rope and YOU expect TO h. dasbai
against the towers. which the car bu, ,us,
, eseants IN passing. At last the upner
terminus ia reached and you are askss "a
supper with the 200 men who have COWS
rom the cold. gloomy. reeklng wet mins
tor their evening meal In the long eatinp
sneu' The clocks in the mine and mill arr
SCI twenty-five minutes ahead OF standard
time TO mako longer daylight for the work.
ing hours. which are ten hours for ths
, cav shirt and nine for the night
. we ran across lake Of ice and SNOW
70 the Silver Lake mine and after our husi
ness WIS done We started down the tram
agMn The ride down was frightful, for the
MIND blew strong and cold: but we sanr
hown In our buckets and burying ourselves
, IN blankets tried to forget that we wers
peins dropped 1000 feet In midair. hanging
py very slender thread.
A CONCENTRATING MILL.
sack again at the mill We founa much
70 interest us. The man who unlosdea us
from the tram. after sscertainins that wa
We're safe and sound, said: "whin OF was
up thir wan day OF thought It moisht ba !.
5000 place for thm ciiff climbers to prsc-
! The ore y dumped from the tram carr