Year: 1873

Along the Border.


From the Central City (Col.) Coach


Clear Creek is miniature river that
runs through the canyon of the same
name. 1t descends upon down grade
of 400 feet per mile, with here and there
a fall over rocky precipice Is or 20 feet
in height. Large boulders, 40 and 30
feet in diameter, and weighing thousands
of tons, impede its dashing progress
every two or three hunirei yards, while
its curves are SO sharp and frequent that
the stream can nowhere be seen for the
distance of a thousand feet Granite
cliffs two and three miles high project
over il 80 either side, and give fright
fnl, romsn.ic, and dangerous appearance
to the rushing torrent beneath.


just below Black Hawk, on the side of
the stream, small reservoir has been
constructed,in which is kept an ordinary
skif. Recently, two little sons of Mar
tin F. Walker, aged respectively 10 and
IL years, got into the boat and were
splashing the water with stick, when
the fastenings gave way and the boat
went drifting toward the rapidly running
current. The little boys soon discovered
their danger, but being powerless to avert
it, they clutehed hold of the sides of tie
boat, and. with pallid countenances
awaited their doom. Soon the boat was
caught by the current,and began descen
ding at fearful rate On she went, the
boys hats blew off, and their hair stood
straight up lover Black Hawk rapids they
went like an arrow clearing distance of
60 feet at single dash. Lighting again
on the torrent surface the boat seemed to
have gained new impetus, and shot by
the powders and around the rocky
points with the celerity of n sunbeam.-
At distance of about six miles below
the starting point, conductor Gibbons.
who was standing on the rear platform
of the down G. c train, saw the boat
coming, and Immediately stopped the
train. All hands repaired to the waters
edge, and did everything in their power
to arrest the flying boat, but past them
ouC Nclib lthO " Diiicb lIOtii u iuS,dHu Was
out Of sight in moment. The conduc-
tor then ordered the engineer to put on
full head of steam and follow as rap
idly as possible, which he did, constantly
sounding the alarm of danger. He did
not get another glimpse of the boat, but
the alarm brought the employees at Bea-
yer Creek station TO the lookout, and
quickly making slip-noose sought to
throw it over the bow of the boat as she
came under the bridge. This they sue.
ceeded in doing, but could no more hold
it than they could have held a thunder
bolt, and over Beaver Creek Falls she
went with the speed of the lightning Tie
falls are about 80 feet high, and at the
foot are q numbar of large bowders, but
the vstocffsy of tile 5DpaL wsasss tls:stzrr
5fesr cd thrTn eusity, and struck the water
some 20 feet beyond. From here no
mortal eye saw the boat or its living
freight until it reached apoint 100 miles
below Denver. Through Golden into
the Platte River and under the Denver
bridges she went unnoticed, nor slack
ened her pace until she lodged in drift
at the distance below Denver above men-
toned The Platte does not run very
rapidly, but the boat had acquired such
wonderful speed in its descent from the
mountains that it far outrode the cur
rent. A Mr.. Walsh, h,who lives on farm
near the drift where the boat lodged,d
covered the boys still in the boat, which
was nearly full of water, and took them
to his home They were restored to
their overjoyed parents the following
evening, after having accomplished the
most perilous journey in the quickest
time ever made by any human being es,
capped alive. The distance Travelled was
l40 miles in two hours, but how it was
done, or how the boat escaped b.ing
dashed upon some of the huge powders
Or rocky cliffs which everywhere inter
cept the course of Clear Creek, is moth
ing short of providential miracle
Probably not again in thousand years
could the journey be made with the same
appliances, and by the most skillful mar
iners.