CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1902-09-25

4 y
to use, as / had by no means exhaust
ed the resources OF my own strength
and agility. There was u fissure here
and there. slight Jutting ledge now
and then, In the sandstone above me,
and went TO work and pulled myself
up from one point to another with
great care and prodigious exertion, the
result being that in an hour or so had
risen 200 feet farther and was ut an ell
ovation OF 100 feet above the lake.
1t was now high time that | should
| put into play the apparatus fashioned
for me by the FlOrentlne artisan. l
took from Il leather pouch, which was
sluDg at my SIDE, a hammer and five
| eighths inch octagon rock dSll or
about ten inches in length. and, reach
| Ing up about six feet from the ledge
where stood, drilled hole some
three inches deep and with n down
ward slant OF perhaps 80 degrees into
the rock then took from the same
receptacle a stout steel hook, having
n round shank hve-cighths OF an inch
| In diameter and three inches long, TO
which hook were attached two straps,
one two and the other three feet in
| length. each having at its end good
sized steel stirrup. Placing the shank
| OF the hook into the hole which had
made with both hands / hung my
weight upon IT, and, putting my left
foot into the long stirrup. / drew my
self up and put my right foot into the
| short stirrup. The hook was now on n
level with my waist To my belt was
fastened n large harness snap. ! i'm
mediately snapped this upon the hook,
and my arms and hands were now free
TO recommeuce operations with anoth-
cr set Of hook and stIrrups, which /
still had IN my bag. The shape and
inclination OF the hook Itself as well as
the way my weight hung upon it pre-
vented IL from having disposition to
work out OF It's socket while the down.
ward bend OF II next TO the shank kept
II from turning around. With this
same contriyance ! had assembled the
Mesa Encantada Of New Mexico. The
| porous red sandstone with which /
now had 10 do was much easier 10
work than the granite OF the mesa.
and / had no doubt OF the success OF
| my enterprise had 800 feet TO climb.
each operation using up about five
minutes and advancing me about four
| feet. II would therefore take me ten
hours 10 get 10 the top OF the rock.
A very agreeable surprise awaited
me. however. I had been bard NJ work
| for about quarter OF an hour and was
busiiy engaged In picking away nj my
fourth hole when. suddenly and with
out warning. felt some object strike
me on the back OF the head natural
iy dcsisted from my work and looked
about me and was NOT little surprised
TO ind an inch rope OF good Italian
hemp. with u moose NJ The end OF u.
dangling just before my nose. which
rope hung down from the top OF the
elm, rising 500 feet above my head.
I saw that the moose was being low.
cred slowly past me, and caught hold
OF IL and gave II good stout pull At
once fl came TO q siundstlll. aud pres
entity | felt an answering tug from
above The moose was now about ON
n level with my knees placed one
foot within It and bore with most OF
my weight upon the rope. In mo
mcnt was conscious OF being lifted.
| 1 detached my apparatus from the
rocks and gage myself up with all the
confidence I'm the world 10 the delight
| Iul lksitlANtt WHICH ho
ly come to me.
In 1--WE minutes had gone up fully
| 800 feet and was consequently thou
sand feet above the surface OF the lake.
| was not bothered with any apprchen'
sion that my friends above might let
me drop, for the reason that ! never
allow my thoughts 10 dwell upon any.
thing disagrecnblc. | was about TO win
my bet with the count, / had made
the interesting discovery that the top
| OF the mesa was Inhabited, and as |
! was upon the point OF crowning and
surprising all my previous achieve
mcnts I'm the way OF climbing | was
| supremcly triumphant and happy,
/ When l had still about 100 feet 10 go.
l passed cavellkc hole In the face
| OF the rock. hole about two and
| half feet in diameter aud running In
ward to such depth that | could not
| see the end of II. II seemed OF small
| Importance to me Mt the time. but art
erward had good reason TO remember
| 1t.
Very soon could hear creaking as
| OF a windlass upon which the cable
| was being wound. and ] could now see
| that the latter ran upon pulley.
1 which was mortised into the end OF
| stout timber projecting some three feet
| over the edge of the cllrr When ! was
| within fifteen feet of the top, the wind
lass suddenly stopped working. and
remained stationary. The faos OF an
old man. a broad and iovial face. with
| watery gray eyes, Roman nose ana
white. stubby beard looked down on
| me over the parapet. and | heard my
| self thus accostcd:
| MARRY. fair sir, but are thou Tim
othy?"