The Republican., 1925-06-25

otLS Win runaway teams, O1 mail rob-
bers, of noted politicians and scenes
Of love, hatred and despair, all acted
within your mountain ships, which
you so gallantly piloted to your jour
ney's end.
I'VE have reached the top Of Side
ling Hill, and for a moment enjoy
the exquisite view spread beneath US,
then dashing downward with tight
2ned traces, Charley suddenly turned
his horses to the right, hauled up in
front Of Capt. Mann's, one Of the eel
cbrated mountain taverns of that day.
Here we stop but a few minutes, and
Dandy J. now mounts the box, and,
catching excitement, makes the ride
very interesting, and | soon was roll
ing through the streets of Hagers-
town, looking at the beautiful ladies
who were attracted to the doors and
windows by the yells of Dandy J. and
bring up in front of the old Globe
ribbons, and, following the example of
the other drivers, makes the road
very level indeed, and before | could
realize the fact | found myself dash
'ng through the streets of Frederick
WIN llluNll llOI fl DlOWl lIlS anu lOuG
cheers, three hours ahead of time,
the agent, Mr.. r., and the loungers
about the hotel, imagined that some
great event had occurred or that the
Postmaster General was on board,
but when they saw the condition of
the driver and learned the name of
the passengers, it was all explained.
A.IIp,a Tho +t-.,o, Io,,,,-
had gained in viewing the town and
its beautiful surroundings. Right
royalty did many of the old families
n and out Of Frederick live in that
day, and dispense their hospitality
/ with a lavish hand. | am warned
that the cars will leave in a few min
utes, and now all the romantic and
poetical tales about the railroad will
be realized. But when | arrived at
the depot, to my Acknowledgment found
car in the shape of large coach,
capable of carrying 20 passengers,
with only two horses attached to it
| instead Of steam. The mails were
! placed under the feet of the driver,
Billy Ferguson, and taking a seat be-
| side him, he gave a blast with his
horn and off we started, and if in luck
| NOllt iSLlGll DdlJGIlOIG III SEVEN HOuIS.
| The road was macadamized between
the rails and had certain places to
| tuln out to let the coming trains pass.
The horses were changed every ten
| miles, and Ferguson improved the
hours by relating to me the wonders
Of the railroad and the steam engine,
! and appeared to dwell with great sat
| isfaction on the fact that several per-
| h-j +1n;,, +,l- !,
putting them cut Of the car windows
and coming in contact with the pro-
! iecting rocks. He also said that the
rails, which were half an inch thick,
would bend up and breaking through
| the bottom Of the car. run the un-
| fortunate passenger through the body
and split him like pig; that the bur
| Gen cars ascended PARIS Ridge were
! apt to break their couplings, and, run
/ ming back upon the next train, would
| dash it into atoms, and that only a
| few days since, car ascending loaded
with flour, broke loose and started
| down with fearful velocity, but fortu-
nately jumped the track and went
| crashing down the side Of the noun
tain just before it reached car filled
with passengers, and looking me full
| in the eye, he said, you could not find
! flour enough to bake a cracker This
only served to stimulate my already
! excited curiosity, and in the midst Of
! this excitement suddenly a strange
and singular sound, different from
| anything | had ever heard, greeted
| my ear, and directly | saw what ap-
| peared to be huge serpent approach
| ing round curve and flashing by was
| soon out of sight. Attached to it were
| two passenger cars, double deckers,
| the upper deck without a covering.
which most Of the passengers seemed
| to prefer. The boiler of this engine
was long and slim, only a small plat
form without covering for the engi-
neer and fireman. This engine l be-
lleVe was failure, and was succeeded
| by others better adapted to the num-
erous curves of the road, They were
called grasshoppers running back
wards with a June bug standing on
the back. PARIS Ridge reused me
from my surprise, and our coach COM
menced the ascent, when, to my hor-
ror, halfway up | caugh sight of a
train loaded with flour. Immediately
every pore was opened and | felt as
if | had passed through a May show
er. | Immediately suggested getting
down and walking, but Billy said he
could not stop, so as a compromise
crept back and hung on to the hind
part of the coach with my hands and
my feet dangling down while l watch
ed with trembling eagerness the train
ascending before US, and expecting
every moment to see it break loose,
come down upon us ard crush us to
atoms. At last the summit was
reached, the burden train turned out
to let the great U. S. mail pass, and
| scrambled back to my seat beside
Billy, who had enjoyed my discom-
future and tried to make me belive
that he was rather surprised that he
had not another tale of horror to add
to his budget. Billy, putting the whip
to the horses, we soon reached the
bottom of the ridge. Here we saw
the engine that had brought the pas
sengers from Baltimore . the bot
tom of the ridge, and waited there
for the arrival of those coming from
the West. PARIS Ridge was an in
cllned plane over which the cars had
to be hauled by horses, as it was
thought impossible in those days to
construct an engine that would be
capable of making an ascent of any
magnitude. Hitching fresh horses
we soon struck the granite sleepers.