The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-08-10

elevation Of many thousands OF feet
above the level of the sea. The
shadows of night were just sinking
from the mountain tops and the
scene was one of grandeur.
"Above us to the left rose single
peak clad in snow, and which, catch
ing the earlier rays from the eastern
horizon, stood in the clear atmos-
phere clean cut, massive and gilt
tering with a resplendent opales-
cence. Just below us extended a
cloud formed ocean, still dark and
with the shadows of night, which
was as level as a floor, and which ex-
tended to the distant horizon. The
high peak, with it's brightness,
seemed huge dome of light, as if a
giant to illuminate the cloudland
below. AS we descended we entered
the ocean of clouds, which receded
little way from us, making itseem
as if we were dropping down into
an enormous well. Through the
walls of this cloud shaft we could
see distorted objects. Pines assumed
fantastic shapes and great fragments
of fallen rocks became hideous mon
sters. The composition of this ocean
was something wonderful. 1t was
of two colors, a feecy white and a
blue. These two colors were not
intermingled except in large masses.
There was clearly a defined stratum
of one and then the other overlying
it. They were like faciB of the
blue and white, all exhibiting a
superb striation.
"Suddenly we passed through the
cloud masses, which left open the
view below. The hollow into which
we began to descend had sunk rapid
" to fathomless ravine, and We
were seen to be crawling along a
narrow shelf blasted out from the
side of the mountains and which
was but few inches wider than the
space required for the wheels of the
coach. We were between what
seemed to be two parallel noun
tains. / glanced up. 1t was like
looking out of a deep slit in the
earth. Hooked down to the right
and withdrew my eyes with dizzy
feeling of horror. It was on the
very edge of the precipice that we
were moving, and SO close was its
outer edge that it seemed that with
my extended hand could have
dropped a pebble directly into the
abyss. In the momentary glance l
had caught sight of border of pines
so far down that they seemed like
hothouse plants strewn along the
walls of the chasm. Not a sound
was heard, save the querulous creak-
ing of the leathern hinges and
springs of the coach and the dull
grating Of the brakes on the wheels.
Even though the latter were SO fas-
tened that the hind wheels no longer
revolved, they were not sufficient to
control the speed of the coach, and
the wheel horses, almost on their
launches, were tugging at their pole
straps till they were apparently
about to be carried from their feet.
I glanced along the road in our front
with the hope that there might be
some visible termination of the ap-
palling situation.
'sAt this moment we entered on
comparatively straight line of road,
which appeared to run till it was
cut off long distance down by
spur of the mountain, which ex-
tended across to the track and at
which the road seemed to end. We
were descending at an angle of not
less than 80 degrees, and at each
step it looked as if the horses would
be carried off their feet by the tre-
mendous pressure Of the coach. The
wheels at one moment would sink
into the soft wash from the noun
tain side and the next strike de-
tached fragment of rock, sending
the vehicle now to the walls on the
left, then over to the right, till the
abyss yawned beneath like the raw
enous jaws of hell
I'VE had descended a short dis
tance down this straight piece of
road, when in the midst of lurch
from which there seemed no possi-
BILE recovery there rang out sharp
crack, like a musket shot There
was sudden cessation of the grind
ing noise on the breaks, the heavy
coach plunged forward like an ava
lanche, there was fierce confusion,
a clatter of whifletrees as the coach
appeared about to roll over the
horses, and then came the convic
ton like binding fash that the
brakes had given way.
God in heaven, jumpl' was
shrieked by some one behind me.
Then / rose to my feet as l waited
for the driver to detach the plung-
ing mass of horses from the coach
and stood ready to spring. For the