Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-11-01
FIELDS OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

Bicyclist Hair-Raising Ride Down n
Steep Hill With Seven Turns-Awful
Experience of Maine Ouarryman Who
Wears Mask-He Choked IL Leopard.
Charles f. Cole, Brooklyn cyclist,
"took" the big hill on the Mount Ar
lington road near Hopatcong, N. j.,
distance of one and quarter miles,
with seven turns in its distance and
a drop of 511 feet. The New York
Times thus tells the story:
Wednesday afternoon at three
o'clock found Mr.. Cole wheeling to-
ward town. A few minutes before a
native, in answer to query, told
him that the big hill was as much
as half mile further on. Instead of
the hill being half mile away, few
more turns of his pedals brought him
right on the descent. A few more
turns, and the wheel was racing like
streak of creased lightning, for the
pneumatic brake had refused to work.
The wheelman's hair rose. Bringing
his feet into play, he tried the old
method of pressing the sole of his
right foot against the tire.
The sole was torn off in iiffy by
the frightful speed the wheel had
attained. Fences, trees and telegraph
poles flew by, and Cole took fresh
grip on the handle bars, with the sim
gle thought of keeping the machine
upright. Then he tried to catch the
pedals, but the first attempt tore the
hanl Of oh Tn L., f,,x Il,
he was nearly unseated.
To make matters worse, just ahead
of him was carriage proceeding
slowly down the hill. Instinctively
Cole swerved to the right and shot
past like bullet. AS he was going
by he heard some one shout and
caught the words, "* be
killed" Cole knew that to jump of
would be certain death, but it re-
quired all the nerve at his command
to keep from jumping.
Fortunately the turns down the
grade on either side were slight, but
even the slight swerving nearly un-
seated him. Around the turns and
then down the tangents the wheel
flew, gathering speed at every revolu-
ton. The wind scorched his face,
and perspiration oozed from every
pore.
Finally the luckless rider approached
the last turn. 1t was sharper than
the others, and at the bottom of the
hill his passage seemed to be blocked
by stone wall. Cole saw but one
chance for salvation, and, leaning far
to the right as he struck the bend, he
drew his wheel down so that the in-
side pedal dug into the earth and the
outside one barely grazed the wall.
Just ahead was stretch of sand and
gravel roadway. His speed slackened
with a jerk as the wheel plowed
through it, scattering the sand like
waves on either side and throwing him
ten feet or more. Over the handle
bars he went like O shot from a cata-
pult, sprawlIng into the gravel more
dead than alive, but having lived in
those few seconds of descent century
or two.
The people in the carriage reached
the spot few seconds later, expecting
to find parts of Cole scattered along
the roadway. But they were pleasant
ly disappointed. When the bewildered
wheelman took account of his injuries
few brusies on his hip and a severed
small artery made up the sum total.
The artery was closed by an i'm
promptu tourniquet, and Cole sought
doctor and then limped painfully to
the train. He had had enough of
wheeling for one day.