Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-03-09
NUMBER 35.
TERRIFIC COASTING.
rwo Miners Shoot Down n Mountain
Side on Pan and shovel.


1t Is difficult to imagine a more dare
devil and thrilling adventure than that
Of two men sliding down a steep. ice
crusted mountain. one In prospectors
pan and the other on miners shovel
Yet such q hazardous undertaking was
accomplished the other day by Pete
McGoff and Yankee BilP' Murphy.
miners and prospectors In the sierra
Madre mountains, when they few Ike
the wind down one side Of the treeless
Quartzite mountain a distance OF two
miles. with a descent Of about 80 de-
grees. and landed in % feet OF snow
drift In the 40 foot chasm OF Cow
creek. a few miles west Of this place.
Pete and Yankee Bill's" love Of ad-
venture will brook perls Of any kind
and al any time for the pure love OF
sport-perils al which the tendertoot
would stand aghast. Both are known
for the chances they take with their
lives. The greater the danger the more
ready they are 10 enter into II. Pecul-
lar "cusses" these two rough miners.
and 1t was in jestlng wager that they
raced down this mountain. Pete in the
pan and Yankee BIZ squatting on
the shovel both finishing with a record
breaker and what might have been
neck breaker.
They climbed to the top Of the peak
over two feet of snow on the day OF the
adventure TO wash out a decomposed
Quartzite. which showed rusty iron ore
and which led them to believe would
carry gold. In the afternoon 1t turned
off cold and froze q crust on the snow,
so that the surface Of the mountain re-
sembled glass. 1t was near sundown
when the two men finished prospecting
and started to retrace their way down
the mountain. The slippery iced snow
impeded their progress. making the
Journey slow and dangerous at best.
Less than 100 feet down Pete testing
" proposed to Yankee BIZ that they
slide down on the pan and shovel
"I'll beat you down." cried Pete, suit
ing the action to the word by getting
into the pan.
"You can't beat me-" replied Yankee
Bill" at the same time squattlng down
on his shovel. unmindful OF the possl-
BILE danger ahead.
At first both slid along in a jerky
fashion. for they were obliged to push
themselves along at times. Suddenly.
however, the descent became much
more abrupt. and the two men launch
ed into ozone and shoe down with ac-
celebrating speed like comets through
space. The sensation they felt can nei-
ther be described nor imagined. They
tore down the mountain side like an
avalanche. each holding on to his metal
sled with n viseIke grip. A mile was
covered In apparently an instant. when
a ridge formation turned them off their
course, and they flew still faster at an
acute angle. The 40 foot chasm Of
Cow creek was inevitable. and before
they had time to realize the danger
they had leaped over its edge. cleared
Cow creek and. as II human drills. bor-
ed the snowdrift 25 feet.
When dug out. Pete and Yankee
Bilr' did not exactly need the coroner,
but there were not enough plasters and
linIment in camp to soothe their bruises.
They came up smiling, however, each
stoutly maintaining victory. The shov-
ell and pan will be exhumed next spring
by nature.-Grand Encampment (Wy)
Letter In Louisville Courier-Journal.