Year: 1873

I


From the Central City Coach.l -


Clear Creek is miniature river that


runs through the canon of the same


name. 1t desends upon down grade OF


four hundred feet per mile, with. here


and there fall over rocky percipice


fifteen or twenty feet in height. Large


boulders, forty or fifty feet in diametar


and wei ching thousands of tons, impede


its dashihg progress every two or three


hundred yards, while its curves are so


sharp and so frequent so that the streams


can nowhere be seen for a distance of a


thousand feet. Granite cliffs two or


three miles high project over it on eth


er side, and give frightful, romantic,


and dangerous appearance to the rush


ing torrent beneath. 3leiI e.


Just below Black Hawk, on the side


of the streams small reservoir has, been


constructed in which is kept an ordina-


~ skiff. Last Sunday two little sons of


Martin F. Walker, aged respectively


ten and twelve years, got into the boat
and were splashing the water with a
stick, when the fastning gave way, and
the boat went drifting toward the rapid
ly running current. The little boys
soon discovered their danger, but were
powerless to avert it; so they clutched
hold of the sides of the boat, and with


pallid counuenance awaited their doom.
Soon the boat was caught by the cur
rent and began descending at fearful,
rate; over Black Hawk rapids they


went like an arrow, clearing distance
of sixty feet at single dash. Lighting
again on the torrent surface the boat
seemed to have gained a new impetus,
and shot by the powders and around
the rocky points with the celebrity of
sunbeam. .-.l


At distance of about six miles below
the starting point conductor Gibbons,
who was standing on the rear platform
of the down C. c. train, saw the boat
coming and Immediately stopped the
train. All hands repaired to the water
edge and did everything in their power
to arrest the flying boat, but past them
she went like bullet from rifle, and
was out of sight in a moment. The con-
ductor then ordered the engineer to put
on full head of steam and follow as
rapidly as possible, which he did, con-
stantly sounding the alarm of danger.
He did not get another glimpse of the
boat, but the alarm brought the EN-
ployes at the Beaver Greek station to the
and quickly making slip
moose they sought to throw it over the
boat as she came under the bridge. |
This they succeeded in doing, but could |
no more hold it than they could hold
and over Beaver Greek Falls |
she went with the spead of lightning.
The falls are about thirty feet high, and
at the foot are a number of large boul-
iers, but the velocity of the boat was
such that it cleared them easily, and
struck the water some twenty feet be-
yOnd.


From here no one saw the boat or its
living freight until it reached point
Dne hundred miles below Denver.
rbrnurb Goldap ;,,to tba DIat+a Riyar
and under the Denver bridges she went |
not slackening her speed un-
til she lodged in drift at the distance |
below Denver above mentioned. The
Platte does not run very rapidly, but
the boat had acquired such wonderful
speed in its descent from the mountain
that it far outrode the current. A Mr..
Walsh, who lives on a farm near the
lrift where the boat lodged, discovered |
he boys still in the boat, which was
nearly full Of water, and took them to his
home. They were restored to their over
oyed parents the following evening,af-
;er having accomplished the most peril
BUS journey in the quickest time ever
before made by any human being who
escaped alive. The distance travelled |
was one hundred and forty miles in two
hours, but how it was ever done,or how
The boat escaped being dashed to pieces
upon some of the hugh boulders or
rocky cliffs which everywhere intercept
he course of Clear Creek,is nothing
short of providential miracle. Proba-
bly, not again in thousand years could
The journey be made with the best ap-
pliances and by the most skillful mari
ners.