396 HIS'rORY OF PASADKNA. 



great adventure to go up the Wilson Trail, and stay on the summit overnight. 

 And on June 23-24-25, 1885, the largest party that had at that time ever 

 made the ascent, spent three days on the trip, having a right jolly time of 

 it. This historic company consisted of the following persons : 



"Mrs. S. E. Merritt, Mrs S. P. Jewett, Mrs, Charles A. Gardner, 

 Misses Olive Eaton, Carrie D. Hill, Maria B. Vischer, Helen Hill, Una 

 Robinson, Flora Conger, lyUcille Robinson, Di;. O. H. Conger, Prof. E. T. 

 Pierce, George W. Howard, Charles L. Turner, Howard W. Conger, 

 George Eaton, George Frost, Edward Mosher, William Watson, Hubert 

 Winston, Ro}^ Lanterman, Lester Lippincott, Frank Warner, Master Frank 

 Ogden, Charles A. Gardner, seven burros, and one Mexican. At dark they 

 lighted the usual signal fire, and had the pleasure of seeing it responded 

 to from Pasadena." 



THE TELESCOPE EPISODE. 



The most important historic event connected with this Trail in all 

 the years was that of conveying the Harvard telescope up over its nar- 

 row line to the summit, in April, 1889. The task was undertaken by 

 the Pasadena Board of Trade, with Judge Eaton as manager-in-chief. 

 [See page 326.] He found it necessary at some points to widen the 

 trail, and at some points to change its line and make a totally new 

 path. The entire material was over three tons weight, to be trans- 

 ported about eight miles from nearest railroad station, making in that 

 distance an ascent of over 4,000 feet along a winding or zigzag don- 

 key path mostly from six to twelve inches in width, on the steep mount- 

 ain sides. Of course some of the stuff could be put into detached par- 

 cels and packed on the backs of mules or burros ; but a large iron frame 

 of nearly half a ton weight must go up solid. To meet this contingency^ 

 Judge Eaton devised a trundle-car that was made strictly on Scripture prin- 

 ciples, for it was not a graven image, nor a "likeness of anything in heaven 

 above, nor the earth beneath, nor the waters under the earth." It was a 

 heavy-framed wooden platform two and one-half feet wide and three feet 

 long, with a vSolid cast-iron roller seven inches in diameter and two feet one 

 inch long serving as the front wheel, and being axeled a little forward of 

 the middle of the platform ; while at the rear there was a castor-wheel with 

 a tail-bar or lever to steer the vehicle. Across the front was a stout iron 

 bail, to which one or two mules could be attached in Indian file fashion for 

 pulling ahead. On each side at the corners were heavy iron rings by which 

 the freight was lashed with ropes or chains to the car platform, so that if 

 the car should go off the track down a slope or over a precipice the load 

 would still stay on it. At some points where there was a sharp angle in the 

 trail, they had to pick and drill and blast out rock to widen it before they 

 could make the turn safely ; and at some places where there were a series of 

 sharp angles constituting a zig-zag traverse, they had to drill into the 

 mountain side for a secure anchorage at the upper lap of the traverse, and 



