Gunnison news-champion., 1908-08-14


Of riding thrillers there Is the usual
the vehicle to prevent 1t from leaving
the scheduled pathway. Persons pos
sessing weak hearts are forbiddeA the
thrills and few accept the chance 10
test that organ when In bad condition.
Ihere are also straps. chains. guards.
etc, TO hold the patron In the car ana
II he or she falls out II is little short
season are accidents reported, -
carefully % the amusemest manager
guard the lives Of thOse Who prOvtAe =
method VI bread winning.
Perhaps the scenic railway 10 known
more generally to those who would
line their interiors With mOmentary
thrills. This ride consists of . series
OF cars strung together. There are
brakes between each car and the
levers are manned by strong armed
boys from the railway yards. To them
there are no thrills. It's monOtonOus
as driving the cows home from pasture
for them. Even catching . pair spoon
ing while the train Is running through
the blsckness Of . mimic Canadian
forest. can't make them feel weary. II
hapFons on every trip.
The average scenic railway runs up
q %5-degree incline or rather 10 hauled
up by chain and YOU are ready for
the first dip. The brakemen release
their levers and down the cars 20
faster than the New York Chicago IS
hour limited. lf the uninitiated puts
his head between his knees he is apt
to kick himself in the face on the
journey up the hill which follows
every dip. Therefore II YOU haven't
yet been bounced around in this man.
ner. hang to the iron guard. stick your
hat under your arm, grit your teeth
and make up your mind not to care II
your hair does get mussed
After the train has completed the
first series of dips there is usually a
journey through dark recess. tragi-
cally known as the cavern" this
being installed to give the spooners a
| chance to gloat over their nerve. The
rest in repetition. generally.
Next in line as a death defying con.
| trivance is the coaster. There are
fewer cars and not 40 many seats in
each vehicle. Then, too. the coaster
needs no hauling up a second incline
for there Is only one. the difference be.
ing noticeable in the length of the de.
scents. In some parks in both east
and west there has been a tendency of
late to turn the coaster into a semi.
1Oop-the-loOp. that is to say. the cars
drop on the top of the runway onto a de
scent at an angle of about 20 degrees
dropping about so feet, and then star,
up the ascent at an angle which is not
quite so abrupt. Some coasters have
only one Of these terrifying dips. while
others have about 20-it seems to the
FIRST tnighter. Well, one isn't SO bad.
but about the third jump you begin to
calculate that the seat must have
slipped out the bottom of the car
you're so high in the air most of the
time.
Passing on to another part Of the
resort you strike the hgure-eisht
Every hamlet has its fgure-eiehts
these days. That contrivance i. fash.
ioned like an IS" and much resemble.
the coaster. except that the cars follow
the lines Of the hgure. the dips are
smaller anA you naturally don. get
20 fussed up. lt's tanner in fact, and
for that reason graduation from the
figure eight entities you to prestige
which should carry you fearlessiy over
the jumps which the coaster takes and
allow you to blandly hand the second