The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-01
Mr.. OTIS WILD RIDE.
Topeka Preacher Has Exciting.
Experience in Colorado.

The Boulder Herald. of Boulder. Col.
gives the following graphic account of
the experience of Rev. e A. OFT and
Topeka, on July %:
Rev. H. A. OFT and wife. Mrs. Young
and two children. and Mrs Thomas,
while visiting Bald Mountain and the
snow banks yesterday. failed to return
to Ward in time for the last excursion
train and found themselves at Francis
With the prospects of spending the
night there and Mr.. OFT unable to fill
MS chalk talk engagements.
he wired for consent for push car
to bring his party down to Boulder.
Mr.. Clark, the agent at Ward, manipu-
lated the brake and Mr.. OFT describes
the wild trip of 25 miles as thrilling.
and interrupted as it was with dangers
from collisions and one jump off the
track, it was a ride they will not eaon
forget. They wired the section men to
meet them at the Four Mile stretch of
level track. and the trip was made in
two hours.
Below Sunset at dusk on rounding a
curve they ran into small homemade
push-car which some boys were showing
up the mountain for ride down. The
ladies sitting with feet trailing over the
front of the car first saw the obstruc-
ton and set I'D wild Shrek. Mr..
Clark piled the brake to the utmost of
his strength; still the car shot down
ward. The boys leaped off their frail
W
grade SO as to decrease the shock of
the coming collision. In a second the
two trucks met. The lad was hurled
into the bank at the side of the track
The smaller truck was knocked off the
rails and dragged ten rods down the
grade. smashing it and littering the
track with broken wheels. At no mo-
ment was there any let up of cries and
shrieks. The company's truck when
brought to standstill was off the
ny-Ir fnr oxxyfi
was impossible to tell who was hurt.
However, 1T was soon discovered that
the boy who tried to push his truck
down the hill was only slightly shocked.
ance, running down the track and on
seeing the wheels of his own frail con-
Germ scattered along the way. exclaim-
ed:
ed, just SO nobody is hurt Nobody was
hurt and again placing their truck on the
tracks the Chautauquans We're shooting
down the grade lanternless. with every
rock and tree by the roadside resolving
itself into another car, a man or a cow,
or some other danger-lurking object
After running six miles more assurance
came again when on rounding another
curve suddenly Cow on the track" was
the shout from several threats in a chorus.
Mr.. OFT declares that the cow looked as
big. as an elephant in the gloom Of the
slant and the danger Of another collision
was imminent. The ladies pulled in their
feet and the whole crowd of six people
punched themselves in the center of the
and awaited the shock. However the
COW seemed suddenly badly scared as
were the tourists and struck a tremendous
gait down the tracks with the car within
a foot of her heels and soon got out of the
way. All began to feel free again and on
the car came. plunging into the darkness
at every curve, when suddenly again in
the near distance could be seen dark OBJ
jects on the track. All yelled and the
brake was applied in time to just miss two
calves which scampered off the track down
the brink, Mr.. Clark muttering: Guess
we would have gotten over the calves all
right after running over one truck and
nearly killing a cow le
The party landed in the upper yards at
Boulder at 9:15, none the worse for the ex-
citing trip and are the heroes Of the camp
today. t|