The herald., 1897-10-03
A TUMBL|NG RACE.
Singular Mishap That Befell
a Boy and a Horse on
the T0wpath.

1T was good many years ago."
said the veteran contractor. when
was lad of only ten, that I met with
the narrowest escape from death in my
entire experience. The United States
government was at that time building
a couple Of very long piers at a harbor
on one of the great lakes. AS I had to
earn my living, even then, got place
about the works. The stone for the
piers was obtained from quarries To-
Gated some seven or eight miles up the
river whose mouth formed the harbor,
and my duty was to drive the horse
used to tow the stone down to the
port, rough tow path having been
constructed along one bank of the river
for that purpose.
'The country was new then; there
were plenty of stumps along the riv-
er's edge, and in some places the tow
path was twenty or thirty feet above
the surface of the water. In order that
the tow line might clear the stumps,
and also that there might be slack
enough to reach the high parts Of the
tow path, the line was not attached to
the body of the boat, but to a mast
some eight feet high or thereabouts
stepped near the centre of the boat.
There were lots of snakes in that
vicinity then, not only the common
striped variety but poisonous ones, al
so: copperheads, rattle snakes, puff ad-
ders, etc. went barefooted with my
trousers rolled up to my knees most of
the time, like nearly all the boys of my
age. For safety from the snakes, as
well as because it was easier, almost
always rode the tow horse; I could
then snap my fingers at the reptiles.
and with the long whip which carried
could drive them away if they ap-
preached too near the tow horse.
MY danger and my escape came one
day when was perched aloft on the
tow horses broad back; SO, Of course,
the snakes had nothing to do with
either. 1t was part of my duty to see
to it that the tow line never touched
the stumps. and this made it necessary
to look out for a slack or sagging rope.
On the day in question, just as I was
passing the highest point on the tow
path, the man on the stone barge. who
fully as I did, called out to me to Jog
the old horse along I looked and saw
that the line was in danger of striking
a tall Stub and Immediately whipped
up the horse.
Then an entirely unexpected thing
happened. The horse, always quick to
respond, sprang forward at once. but
as the tow line frightened he choked,
fell back on his launches, and then,
losing his footing, toppled over the
high bank. OF course I went with him
or rather ahead of him-down the
bank AS he fell he turned complete
somersault, and so did I, and it was
race between us which should get to
the water first. Some of the time l
was in advance and some Of the time 1t
was the horse that led. The man on
the barge said he expected every mo-
ment to see me crushed, but fortunate
ly it was not so bad as that. Eventu-
ally I reached the water ahead of the
horse. AS the river was comparative
ly deep just there, I suffered nothing
worse than a great fright thorough
shaking up, and complete ducking-
though it is quite likely that If the
horse and I had struck the water at
the same spot would have been bad
ly hurt. The bargeman said both
horse and boy struck the bank two or
three times in the descent, each con-
tact being followed by a lively bound
into space. The horse bounded fur
ther thar I and for that reason the
animal fell several feet further out into
the stream.
"Of course there was an investiga-
ton into the cause of the accident and
It was found that the trouble was all
caused by careless stable man. The
boss had two tow horses, one a big,
tall beast, with a very thick neck, the
other a smaller animal with a thin
sort Of goose-neck. 1 was driving
the big horse that day. but in