Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-02-09
CONEY ISLANDERS.
BOW TO ROCKIES
Worlds Leading Amusement
1hriNers Now In Mountains.
CLERGYMAN STARTS CRAZE.

Pushes Railroad to Top Of Mount Me-
cIeIIan, In Colorado, and intends
Reaching Gray's Peak--ore Buckets
Utilized For Passengers by One
Thrifty Mine Owner.
Those enterprising individuals who
have devised SO many mechanical de-
vices whereby the public is given thrills
at summer amusement parks seem to
have been Outdone by western railroad
men.
Recognizing the appeal Of daring en-.
cheering feats to the average mind,
these railroad men are taking advan.
tage Of the natural opportunities at.
forded by the Rocky mountains and
are endeavOring to Guido each other in
the construction of railroads and trans
that will give the tourist a mingled
sensation Of wonder and fear.
Amusement purveyors of this sort
even have their eyes fixed gloatlngly
on the farfamed Royal gorge in the
Canon Of the Arkansas. A trolley
line from Canon City, Colo, to the top
Of this gorge is planned. A bridge will
span this cleft in the rocks, which is
almost as narrow at the top as at the
bottom, where the railroad could not
find room to build its track on solid
footing and had to suspend bridge
between the granite walls. When the
trolley cars spin across the chasm and
the tourist looks down on the trans
continental trains crawling hundreds
Of feet below new sensation will be
provided for the tireless American
thrill hunter.
Clergyman Starts ThriiIers.
The man who started the work Of
turning the Rocky mountains into a
sort of Coney Island is the Rev. r. J.
Wilcox, who stepped from the minis
try to mine promoting and from min
ing to a new form of railroading. Mr..
Wilcox was interested in a mine not
far from Silver Plume, Colo. A tiny
narrow gauge railroad had been built
from Silver Plume to the mine. Mr..
Wilcox was enchanted with the view
unfolded on his first trip over the line,
which was used solely for the trans
portati0n of ore.
Mr.. Wilcox realized at once the ad.
vantage Of extending the rails on to
the very crest Of Mount Mcclellan,
which is a shoulder of Gray's peak,
and which is only 200 or 300 feet low
or than that mighty mountain. Rail-
road experts shook their heads, but the
enthusiastic promoter raised the mon
ey for extending the line in a series
Of switchbacks to the altitude of H..
600 feet. Today the line ends on the
very summit of Mount Mcclellan.
It is the highest regularly equipped
and operated railroad in the world.
There is higher line in South Amer
ioa, which is not used for passenger
service and which is not operated reg
ularly, but this Colorado line to the
top of mountain peak is used for
mail as we'll as passenger service and
10 In every respect a genuine railroad.
To Reach Gray's Peak.
It is intended to pile one thrill On
another. however, by extending this
line still farther. From Mount Nc
Clellan it is intended to extend the
line along the rocky ridge extending to
Gray's peak itself. Gray's peak is one
Of the highest mountains in the Rocky
mountain range, and years ago was
used az a weather station by the Unit
ed States government. The peak 10
considerably higher than Pixies peak.
The utilization Of the mine railroad
for passenger traffic suggested an idea
to other mine owners on Mount Me.
Clellan who transported their ere IN
trans. One Of these concerns, whose
steel cable stretched a mile or more
up the steep side Of Mount Mcclellan.
began carrying passengers up in the
ore buckets. Here was a new thrill
with a vengeance, and the mine own.
or soon began reaping more profits
from human freight than from his ore.
Now he does a big business all sum-
mer long, swinging people up and