402 



HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



" Decidedly the most novel feature to chronicle in connection with the 

 mountain was the ascent made on Sunday by Joe Simons and Chas. Fish- 

 beck, in carts of their own invention and manufacture, and designed especi- 

 ally for the trip. The journey was made thus for the reason that Joe's 

 avoirdupois makes it well nigh impossible for him to make the ascent on 

 foot or mounted. Hence he set his inventive genius to work, and the result 

 was a two- wheeled cart, the wheels being but a trifle over two feet apart and 

 the seat resting on the axle so that the driver could conveniently step to the 

 ground along the narrow places of the trail. The odd-looking pair of 

 vehicles left the foot of the new trail at five o'clock Sunday morning, and 

 made the ascent without any mishap in a little over four hours. The day 

 was spent at Martin & L,ynch's camp, where photographs were taken of the 

 outfits and several attendants who went along to assist in case of emergency. 

 The return trip was made the same day. Messrs. Simons & Fishbeck enjoy 

 the distinction of having first traversed the new trail on a wheeled vehicle." 



The Star of Saturday, July i8, described the carts, which were made 

 by Stephen Helen, who was to ride one of them, and it said: "They are 

 very narrow — twenty-eight inches — and are provided with mowing machine 

 seats. Joe's 270 pounds of constitution forbids him to either ride horseback 

 or walk up the trail, so he tries the cart." The fact seems to be, that 

 Messrs. Helen and Fishbeck took turns riding their queer thing. 



The Pasadena Evening News of June 12, 1895, said : 



"At a recent meeting of the Mt. Wilson Toll Road Co., the following 

 officers were elected : C. S. Martin, president ; Wm. Morgan, vice-presi- 

 dent ; W. R. Staats, secretary and treasurer ; R. T. Vandevort, manager." 



Telescope point. 



Wilson s pedk 



Lin 1 £ Sunshuu August Is 



MARTIN'S CAMP, AT MOUNT HARVARD NECK. 



Then, in reply to my inquiries for latest data before printing this chap- 

 ter, the secretary wrote me July 16, 1895 : 



"The mountain wagon road will be twelve feet wide, and a length of 

 nine miles to the summit. On the summit will be laid out ten to fifteen 

 miles of bridle roads leading to different points of interest, and through the 



