Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-05-06
PONY SCALES SHASTA
LITTLE BRONCO ooNouERsa1Ax1
CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN.
Feat Never Before Accomplished By
an Equine-Two Days Consumsd
in Making the Difficult /
journey.

A pony has climbed Mount Shasta,
the giant Of the coast range For the
first time q horse has stood upon the
summit, 14.444 feet above the lsvel Of
the sea. The animal that made the
long climb is q muscular Indian pony.
1t was in charge of Tom Watson. an
old Shasta guide.
All but overcome with fatigue, the
little broncho not only made it, way up
the steep inclines and over the treaeh-
erous passes. but he carried upon His
rounded back little woman, Miss An
ma Cousins Only for stretch OF ESQ
feet. up the shifting ground OF Tho
Slide" did the straining cayuse make
his way without this burden. And when
his hoofs touched the rocks OF the sum.
NIT. worn out, detected and apparently
not at all elated over the successful
outcome Of his difficult task, he posed
there for his photographs.
In the trip In which the old guide &C.
complished the feat Of getting the 6rst
and only horse to the very top Of the
mountain two days were required from
Dunsmuir. Cal. The start was made q
day-break In surrey. An 18-nils 5oR
along q fairly good mountain roaA
brought them to McCloud. whore they
stopped for luncheon. Tho rig WAS
then left behind and the procession
went ahead on horseback. Tho Timber
line, % miles from Dunsmuir. was
reached before nightfall and camp waa
struck for the night
The second days start was made at
three o'clock in the morning, before
even few faint streaks OF dawn were
to be seen. Watson knows every step
OF his route so well that he could have
made the whole Of 1t at night Up they
toiled, now riding the horses. now get
ting OF and climbing up themselves.
helping their hard-worked animals
along. Shortly before II o'clock they
reached Lunch Rock" the termination
OF the journey made on horseback By
tourists, Just half a mile from the top.
The worst OF the journey was yet to
come. The last half mile. which no
horse ever traversed before, is not only
continuous succession of hard as.
cents, but it is attended by dangers.
A snow chute 80 feet deep and 300yards
wide, the feeder Of the south glacier,
had first to be crossed. and 1t was slip
perry, icy work for the horse.
THE Slide" has been the obstacle
| which has prevented all e previous
climbers from getting 4 horse to the
top. Two attempts were made IN 1897
by mountain climber named Brenner.
and both horses were lost ID trying "a
get up the $50 feet of Tho Slide" ( s.
-Four and half hours were required
to get the animal over those dangerous
$50 feet. Jump Up did not belle His
name. Progress could be made only Il
jumps. Resting his knees In the loosa
dirt, sQuatting on his launches. Il
went forward In long lunges-quite an
out-of-the-ordinary means Of iocomo-
ton for a horse. These lunges were
punctured by long periods Of rest. Then
there would come more coaxing words
from Watson. q few encouraging pulls
on the rope attached to halter around
the animals neck. and Jump Up would
make another plunge
1t was tired animal that Watson
and the others had to work with. but
he made up in willingness what he had
lost in strength. At $3.50 o'clock IN the
afternoon the party Of four and horss
rested on the very top Of uneoaousr.
able Shasta, 14.444 feet above the level
OF the sea. It was the drst time horse
had ever stood there.