AUg. 
A  VISION  OF  A  HOT  DAY. 
I  SAW  a  tutor  take  liis  tube 
The  comet's  course  to  spy ; 
I  heard  a  scruatu — Oio  gathered  rays 
Had  stewed  thn  tutor's  eye. 
I  saw  a  fort— tile  soldiiirs  all 
Were  armed  with  ariggles  greeu ; 
Pop !  cracked  the  guns  ,  whiz !  flew  the  balls ; 
Hang!  went  the  magazine. 
• 
I  saw  a  poet  dip  a  scroU 
Each  momonl  in  a  tub ; 
I  read  upon  the  warping  back 
"  The  clreaiu  of  Beelzebub.” 
Ho  could  not  see  his  verses  biirn, 
Although  his  brain  was  fried, 
And  ever  and  an<m  ho  went 
To  wet  them  as  they  dried. 
I  saw  the  scalding  plU-.h  roll  down 
The  crackling,  sweating  pines, 
And  streaiQB  of  smoke  like  water  spouts 
Burst  through  the  rumbling  mines ; 
I  asked  the  firemen  why  they  made 
Such  noine  about  the  town ; 
They  answered  not,  nut  all  the  time 
The  brakes  went  up  and  down. 
I  saw  a  roawting  piUlci  sit 
Upon  a  baking  egg ; 
I  saw  a  cripple  scorch  his  hand 
Extinguishing  his  leg ; 
I  saw  nine  gi'cse  njion  thn  wing 
Towards  the  frozcji  pole. 
And  every  mother’s  leosling  fell 
Crisped  to  a  crackling  coal. 
I  saw  the  ox  that  brow8<!d  the  grass 
Writhe  in  the  Wittering  rays ; 
The  herbage  in  his  shrinkijig  Jaws 
Was  all  a  flerj  blaze ; 
I  saw  huge  flahes,  boiled  to  rags, 
Bob  through  the  bubbling  brine, 
And  thoughts  of  supper  crossed  my  soul ; 
I  had  been  rash  at  mine. 
Strange  sights  !  atrango  sounds  !  O  fearful  dream 
Its  memory  haunts  me  still ; 
The  steaming  sun.  the  crimson  glare 
That  wreathed  ciwh  wooded  hill. 
Stranger,  if  through  thy  rceliug  brain 
Such  midnight  visions  sweep, 
Spare,  s]>are,  O  spare  thine  evening  meal. 
And  sweet  shall  be  thy  sleoii. 
[Oliver  IfendeH  Tioimes. 
OUR  COUNTRY; 
ITS  ACQUISITIOS  AND  DIVISION. 
BY  LESTER  A.  ROBERTS. 
(Continued  from  page  125.) 
Vermont.— Thn  tcrrluiry  now  known  as  t,l; 
8tat43  of  Vermont,  olTerod  lltUe  InductMaent  fr 
early  settlement  The  inounlulns  were  cllmbu 
and  the  valleys  crosswl  by  New  ICiiKlaud  me 
flnrlug  the  wars  with  the  Canadian  French,  t 
which  time  iho  French,  the  Imllans  and  the  Er 
gUsh  occupied  It  In  turn,  or  as  was  sometimes  tli 
case,  logether.  Mussaehnsetts  laid  claim  to  som 
portion  or  the  territory  and  In  I  Tie  made  soui 
grants.  In  ITz-i  a  few  setHers  took  possession  an 
made  the  llrsl  seiUemetu  on  the  Coriiicctlcu 
river,  buiiillug  Foi  t  Dummer,  where  Is  now  th 
south-eiust  corner  of  Hraltlchoro.  Their  exampl 
was  not  largely  followed,  on  the  estabU-shmen 
Of  the  boil nd.ary  Hue  between  Massachusetts  an 
New  Hampshire,  it  wasdcelarecl  to  run  due  wes 
until  It  met  ills  -Majesty’s  other  government.'; 
This  loft  Fort  Hummer  outside  the  Jurisdiction  o 
-Massachusetts;  hut  the  then  Governor  of  Nev 
Hampshire,  Bk.v.vino  Wentworth,  assumed  tha 
the  Jurisdiction  of  hta  .State  o.xtended  as  far  wes 
as  did  that  of  .Massachusetts— f.  e.,  to  within  twen 
ty  mllos  of  the  Hudson  river;  and  acting  on  thl; 
assumption,  he  granted  to  some  friends  a  tract  o 
land.  Including  the  present  town  of  Hennlngton 
named  lu  his  honor.  He  afterward  made  furthe: 
grants,  t-o  friends  and  others,  for  a  consideration 
and  as  he  always  reserved  from  each  township 
be.side  a  lot  for  the  church,  .sno  acres  for  himself 
together  with  certain  foes  and  oUicr  emoluments 
It  Is  Buppo.sed  he  made  a  very  good  thl  ng  of  It, 
After  the  peace  of  ITOO  and  the  abandonment  bj 
the  French  of  all  lijo  Mont  v^erd  region.  Immigra¬ 
tion  commenced  and  before  iTiW  tas  townships  hai 
been  located  and  settleiL  The  whole  country  al 
that  time  was  known  as  the  Now  Hampshire 
grants. 
As  early  as  1T63  New  York  began  to  look  upon 
the  territory  wlUi  a  covepius  eye,  and  hunting  up 
musty  records  found  that  by  charters  of  On  arlef 
II.  In  10154-74,  New  York  extended  from  lue  west 
bank  of  the  Comecllout  river  to  thoDdawnro. 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  had  never  res* 
pected  this  charter,  as  previous  ones  gave  them 
territory  much  further  west.  Proclamations  wero 
made  by  the  Governors  of  New  York  and  New 
Hamp.shlre  respectively,  which  resulted  in  noth¬ 
ing,  as  do  procbiinationsu-sually.  New  York  ap¬ 
pealed  to  the  King  and,  it  Is  said,  foruned  the 
appeal  by  forging  the  names  of  the  principal  set¬ 
tlers  to  a  petition,  and  in  iTOi  ni.s  Majesty  de¬ 
clared  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut  Tn  be  the 
boundary  line  between  the  two  States. 
Then  arose  a  quarrel  a-s  to  what  to  be  me.ant. 
I^ew  York  claimed  It  was  the  same  as  always  has 
been,  and  declared  the  grams  made  by  New 
Hampshire  Invalid,  claiming  not  only  Jurisdiction 
but  absolute  lee  of  the  laud,  and  ooinme.ac.:‘d  siiim 
of  dlsposweeslon  and  ejoctment  agaliLst  the  set- 
tiers. 
At  this  point  New  Hampshire  retired  from  the 
game,  leaving  the  settlers  to  play  it  alone,  and 
MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
they  were  equal  to  the  task.  They  had  among 
them  some  representuHve  men  as  Seth  Warner 
of  KevoluMnnary  renown,  Ethan  .Vli.kn,  of  ''The 
Great  -fEaov.iH  and  cuntlneiital  Congress”  mem¬ 
ory,  and  others  of  the  same  stamp— hold,  daring, 
fearless:  believing  Implicitly  in  ihc  right,  earing 
notidng  for  Mm  majesty  of  the  taw  when  they  be¬ 
lieved  the  law  unjust,  .anil  depending  on  Miem- 
solves  and  the  triitli  against  tlie  world. 
They  did  indeed  nuake  ibelr  reiiroHentutlon.s  to 
the  King,  showing  they  had  piirelmscd  and  paid 
for  their  lands  In  good  falMi,  and  tlnally  obtained 
hlH  order  Ui  New  York  fn  dl.scontlmie  proeocdl  ngs; 
but  the  order  was  disregardeil,  and  Now  York 
pnwscd  a  law  making  it  a  criminal  act  punlshohlo 
bydealb,  for  a  settler  to  m.ake  any  opposlllon  to 
hcrclainm.  Allen,  at  the  reque.st  of  Ids  fellow 
settlers  went,  with  a  lawyer  (I  noeksoll  of  tion- 
ncctlcut)and  proofs  of  rmrehase  to  Alban.v,  hoping 
for  a  fair  lio.arliig ;  but  the  case  was  already  do- 
clilud  even  before  Mm  hearing  commenia-d.  Thu 
courts  were  lu  the  Interests  of  speculators  and, 
not  only  defeated  Imt  ridiculed,  .\llkn  Ictt  Mm 
court  exclaiming,  “  The  goa.s  of  thi-  valleys  aro 
not  the  gods  or  the  hills.” 
The  seM.lci'S  saw  notning  w'as  left  for  thorn  but 
to  protset  their  rights  lu  Hielr  own  way.  Thn 
onioei's,  who  wero  soon  sent  tn  dlspossoss  them, 
wore  met  by  Mm  sctller.s.  Those  who  promised 
to  desist  and  return  Iioitio  were  not  h  irined;  but 
those  who  ondoavored  tn  carryout  tho  objects  of 
their  inls^i  iii  were  soundly  tioggoil  with  heecU 
■  swltehcs.  This  was  called  iiiil.x1ng  t  he  beech  seal 
to  the  deeds  of  their  iiroperty.  soon  no  onicer 
dared  show  himself  to  tho  Green  Monntalu  boys, 
and  Mm  Governor  or  New  York  otTeroil  by  proeha- 
matlon  xion  for  the  i:a|iTuro  or  Allen  and  xso 
each  for  several  of  his  chief  support, lu's.  'I'hey 
replied  by  proclamation,  otTcrlng  C5  for  Mio  Attor- 
noy-General  of  New  York,  adding  they  thought 
that  sum  all  ho  was  worth. 
As  the  troubles  liiereaseU  oillcers  were  more 
roughly  handled  and  New  Y'ork  cited  Allen  and 
his  companions  to  aiijicar  tor  trial  and  Informed 
Umin  that,  falling  to  appear,  they  would  be  ad¬ 
judged  giillly  and  aetil,enoe  he  passed  as  If  they 
were  present.  They  replied  with  a  iiol.lce  that  It 
any  olllcor  or  other  person  should  attempt  to  ar¬ 
rest  them,  h'.'  should  snlTer  Immediate  death— 
“  By  anthorlty  of  the  Green  .Monntnla hoys."  Ami 
so  Che  quarrel  conrlniicd  nmii  tim  ureakliig  out  of 
tho  War  of  the  Uovolutlon,  which  gave  to  New 
York  maM,cr.s  more  important  to  attend  to. 
'I'lm  settlers  then  (In  liTii)  pctllloMcd  Congress 
to  be  admitted  to  Mm  t'oiifedcracy,  but  New  Y'ork 
opposing,  the  ailmisslon  wasdetded. 
InlTTt  they  declared  iheniselves  Independent 
of  all  Governments,  arJopfed  a  constltuMon,  and 
claimed  the  torrlt(>ry  bounded  on  the  west  by 
Lake  Champlain  and  the  Hudson  rl  verso  far  south 
as  the  MiLssacluisetth  line.  Not  belonging  to  the 
Confederation,  they  were  not  looked  upon  by  the 
British  Governmeni.  as  a  revolted  eoiony,  and  Mm 
loaders  were  repeatedly  solicited  by  British  0111- 
corslojoln  them.  I’.iit  they  .suiiidlly  refiLsed  all 
offersot  position,  pretermentor  omoliimont.  They 
were  not  to  be  bought. 
in  ITSl  Congress  offenul  Miern  admission  but 
with  bounds  sornewlLit  curtailed.  TheolTer  was 
refused  and  tho  people  reinalncrl  independent 
until  1790,  wlien  New  York  bcgati  to  de.sirc 
a  settlement  and  offeretl  i/i  .surrender  Juris¬ 
diction  and  all  claims  to  land  wlMiln  the  present 
limits  of  the  State  on  receipt  of  Lio.ooo  The fifTcr 
was  accepred  and  in  1791  Mm  state  of  Vermont 
Wits  admltteil  to  Mm  Union.  In  consequence  of 
some  mlsundersiandlng,  the  present  lioundary 
lines  were  not  deiinlLely  llxed  until  iSl't. 
KENTUCKY. 
West  of  Virginia  w.is  a  large  territory  known 
to  the  Indians  as  Kentucky— meaning,  In  ihetr 
language,  “The  dark  and  bloody  ground."  Of 
this  region  but  little  was  known  previous  to 
17C9.  JUtlek,  In  hlH  history  of  Kentucky,  says : 
“In  Mmir  frequent  peregrlnnUon.s  and  trading 
expeditions  through  Mm  vast  territory  between 
Mm  Ohio  and  Tennes-see  rivers.  Mm  first  traders, 
hunters  and  explorers  never  found  within  that 
extent  of  country  a  single  wigwam  or  modern 
Indl/i  a  vlllag’c.  'I'he  l  ndl,in  settlemetd.s  nearest  to 
the  from  ter  border  oi  the  Curolinah  and  of  south- 
we.sl  Virginia  were  on  the  isclota  and  .Miami  lu  the 
north  and  on  tho  waters  of  tho  little  Tennessee 
In  the  .south.  From  these  poinis  the  various  war 
or  hunting  piirtles  Issued  to  engage  in  the  one  or 
the  other  pursuit,  as  the  passion  or  tho  opiwrtu- 
nlUesot  their  expedition  might  lead.  Here  the 
Chocta5vs,  Chleka-satvs  or  Chcrokceaof  the  south 
used  to  engage  with  Mm  various  tribes  of  the 
Mlamrs  Confederacy  Of  thoNorfh;  here  they  In¬ 
dulged  their  passion  for  hunting  In  the  prolu-slon 
Of  game  afTorded  by  Kentucky  and  Temmsseo. 
That  part  of  ttiese  two  Ktatc-s  einbr^yed  within 
the  bound-arlr-s  inentloned  wa.s  one  groat  park, 
where  the  skill  of  the  uneivllizotl  hunter  was  prac¬ 
ticed  In  a  wmtral  theater  upon  which  the  desper¬ 
ate  conflicts  of  savage  warfare  and  bloody  rivalry 
wero  perpotrated. 
“By  common  Hgrccmeni  this  whole  eountiy 
seems  to  have,  been  re.served  tor  these  purpo-ses 
from  permanent  occupancy,  and  so  much  was  it 
exempted  from  settlement  that  south  of  the  Ohio 
and  north  and  east  of  the  Tbunessec  it  is  not 
known  that  a  single  village  was  settled  by  the 
Indians.  Y’et  no  situations  have  generally  de¬ 
lighted  .savage  tribes  so  much  as  the  margins  of 
water  course.s,  the  opportunlilcs  of  n.avlgatlon 
and  01  fishing  imlUng  to  altr.Ti't  ihcrn  to  such 
Hpots.  Some  known  and  uckiiowledgcd  lijhlbiuou 
nnLst  have,  therefore,  prevented  aetMeiuent  and 
possession  of  Mils  great  Stesopotanda.  What  was 
If?  On  this  subject  tradition  and  history  are 
alike  unsatisfactory.” 
Although  some  iioi  lions  of  Keulucky  had  imen  | 
r 
visited  by  white  people  previous  to  iTco,  no  at¬ 
tempt  at  any  systematic  explaiiiitlon  had  been 
madcunUl  that  year,  when  Haniki.  Boone— and 
a  year  filter  Col.  ,iA.MEs  Kno.x— entered  Mm  terri¬ 
tory.  Tlie  former  with  a  party  traviTsed  the 
north  and  middle  regions,  and  Knox  wIMi  his 
'  compunlona,  visited  the  middle  and  souMiorn  part. 
I  Both  companloa  remained  about  two  years  and 
'  returning  spread  such  acconuls  of  tho  ferUliry  of 
tho  soil  through  1  he  ivestern  seMlements  of  Vir¬ 
ginia  and  North  (’arollim.  a.s  to  Incite  others  to 
visit  th.at  country,  particularly  Mmse  who,  having 
served  throughout  the  late  war,  were  entlUod  to 
bounty  lands  that  were  to  be  located  upon  llio 
western  waters. 
In  177-1  Col.  HicuARii  Hknukkron  purchased 
from  the  Indhins  alargo  tract  of  country  south 
and  oast  of  the  Kentucky  river,  embracing  hinds 
which  are-  now  portions  of  Kentucky,  Virginia, 
Tennessee  and  North  Carolina.  Mi!  immediately 
set  about  colonizing  It ;  formed  Mm  Transylvania 
Company  and  by  various  nman.s  ludiumd  Immi¬ 
gration.  Boone  was  employed  ns  surveyor  and 
lu  tTTfi  Boonsboro  was  located  and  foundeifi  in 
Uio  same  year  Boone  5vas  Joined  fiy  his  wife  and 
two  daughters,  who  were  the  first  while  women 
that  ever  stood  on  Uio  .shores  of  tho  Kentucky. 
The  iilTalrsof  the  Tran.sylvaida  Coinpiiny  were 
progressing  happily  when  Mm  Legislatures  of  the 
.States  oi  Virginia  and  North  thirolliia  took  the 
mattcrof  the  purehiwe  Into  conslderatJon  .and  de¬ 
termined  that  the  right  of  JurtsillcMon  audit  imt 
the  fee,  then  certainly  Mm  solo  right  to  purchase 
Indian  territory  vested  In  the  .stale  adjoining,  and 
that  while  Mm  sale  liy  the  Indians  IIenukkson 
extingidshod  l-helr  title,  Itgavc  none  to  him.  Con- 
secineiil-ly,  the  setthirs  who  had  purchiisial  from 
Henderson  or  the  Company,  roiinil  themselves  In 
an  iiiipleiutant  poslUon.  They  h.ad  parted  with 
their  money  but  had  secured  no  land.  After  con¬ 
siderable  negctlutlou,  It  was  determined  that 
whereas  Henderson  had  benefited  Uio  suites  by 
exMngulshlug  tho  Indian  Mile,  the  States  should 
quit  claim  In  the  purehaaei'.s  from  him,  and  he 
should  rculu  l,he  money  he  liad  received. 
'I'hls  arrangement  laivlng  been  made  immigra¬ 
tion,  which  had  for  a  Mmo  nearly  ceased,  again 
commenced,  ft)  iT7(i  Kentucky  County  was  formed. 
In  ITSO  three  couriMea  were  madn  which  were  in 
ITKi  erected  Into  Into  a  .ludlolal  Hlstrlct  with  a 
Civil  ami  nrlmiiinl  court. 
As  population  lncrea.sud  necessity  for  a  govern¬ 
ment  separate  from  Virginia  became  .apparent 
andapoMtlon  for  tho  same  was  pn^sented  to  the 
Virginia  Legl.slal.urc  In  ITST.  But  lltUc  objection 
wiwtnade  and  a  grant  of  .scpamtlim  was  voted, 
dependent  on  the  action  of  a  convention  of  Ken¬ 
tucky  to  be  called  and  the  consent  of  t  he  Federal 
(Congress. 
And  now  arose  much  confusion,  consequent  on 
.Spanish  claims  to  the  navigation  of  the  .Mfis.sls- 
slppl  river  which,  as  It  Involved  Mm  whole  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  will  be  considered  at  longUi  a 
lllMc  further  on. 
,..ideiitucky  for  sfweral  years  was  in  a  curious 
ixindlMon,  Indian  forays,  which  wore  frequoiit, 
were  devastating  her  frontier  sottlomcuts,  and 
Virginia  gave  no  a-islsUmcu  tow'ard  prevenllng 
them — In  fact,  jtald  lltllo  attention  to  the  sotlhu's 
In  any  way.  Several  convonMons  were  called,  but 
for  one  cause  or  another,  adjourned  without  ef¬ 
fecting  any  result ;  but  at  hast  matters  had  roin  h- 
ed  a  point  where  action  couhl  no  longer  be  jiost- 
poned,  and  tho  clghili  convention  w.a.s  ealled  te 
i-yJO  whli.di,  on  Mm  tlh  or  February,  1791,  formally 
accepted  the  termsot  an  act  of  separaMon  Miat  liad 
been  passed  by  Virginia  at  tho  earnest  retiuiist  of 
President  WASUiNdroN,  and  Kentucky  was  iidndt- 
ted  by  Congress  to  bo  a  SteU;  of  tbe  Federal  I  nlon 
on  and  after  tho  ilml  day  of  -June  of  that  year.— 
[To  be  continued. 
o  -o 
A  RIDE  IK  THE  FLUME. 
The  following  account  of  a  ride  In  a  ilumo  by 
Mr.  WififiiAMS,  In  the  “  Paclflo  'rourlst,”  Is  sufii- 
clently  exciting  to  answer  the  requii'cmonte  of 
the  mo.st  exacting  romance.  Wcgive  it  in  hfis 
own  words : 
Tho  flume  is  a  ivonderfid  piece  of  engineering 
work.  It  U  built  wholly  upon  trestle-work  and 
stringers ;  there  Is  not  a  cut  In  the  whole  distance 
and  tho  grade  Is  so  heavy  that  there  Is  little  dan- 
gor  of  a  Jam. 
The  trestle- work  Is  very  substantial  an<i  is  un¬ 
doubtedly  strong  enough  to  support  a  narrow 
gauge  railway.  It  runs  over  foot-hills,  through 
Valleys,  around  moumams  and  across  canons. 
In  one  place  it  is  70  leet  high.  The hlghe.st  point 
of  the  nume  from  the  plain  Is  3,700  foot,  and  on  an 
air  line,  rrom  beginning  p)  end,  the  distance  Is 
eight  miles,  the  course  thus  taking  up  seven  miles 
In  twists  and  turns.  Tim  trestle-work  Ls  thor¬ 
oughly  braced,  longitudinally  and  across,  .so  that 
no  break  can  extend  fartJmr  than  a. single  box, 
wlUch  hi  16  feet;  all  the  main  supports,  which 
are  five  feel  apart,  are  firmly  set  In  ruud-slils,  and 
the  boxes  or  troughs  rest  in  brackets  four  feet 
apart.  These  again  rost  upon  substantial  string¬ 
ers.  The  grade  of  the  flume  la  between  l,ooo  and 
2,000  feet  from  the  top  to  lower  end,  a  distance  of 
15  miles. 
Tim  Sharpest  fall  Is  three  feet  in  sLx.  There  aro 
two  reservoirs  rrom  which  the  tlumo  is  fed.  One 
Is  1,100  fool  long  and  the  other  eon  recL  A  dlU;li 
nearly  two  miles  long,  takes  the  water  to  Mm  first 
reservoir,  whence  it  Is  conveyed  3>^  miles  to  the 
itume  through  a  feeder  capable  of  carrj  lng  4so 
liiche.s  of  water. 
The  whole  flume  wa.s  built  In  ten  weeks.  In 
that  time  all  the  trestle-work,  stringers  and  boxes 
were  pul  In  place.  About  '200  men  were  employed 
oultatoneMme,  boiiig  divided  Into  four  gangs. 
It  rcqulroil  2,000,000  toet  of  lumber,  hut  the  Item 
which  astonished  me  moat  was  that  there  were 
'2N  ions— or  .50,000  pounds— of  mils,  used  In  tho 
construction  of  this  flume. 
To  Mm  lower  mill,  as  tho  road  goes,  It  la  about 
40  miles  from  Virginia  City.  Although  I  had  al- 
re.ady  ridden  this  dfislsuce.  yet  1  mounted  a  horse 
iiiid  rode  liwo  nr  three  tidies  to  ilio  tep  of  Mm 
mountain,  where  I  had  onenrUm  finest  valley 
views  that  come  te  the  lot  of  man.  Miles  and 
miles  below,  Mio  valley  was  spread  oul.  with  spoLs 
and  s(iuarcs  or  green  crops  growing  and  barren 
wastes  of  .sand  and  sage  brash  reaching  In  a  long 
stretch  to  the  base  of  another  Npur  of  the  Slerrii.s. 
The  city  of  llouo  occupied  a  Iittlo  spot  on  the 
plain;  from  my  mountain  It  seenmd  like  u  city  of 
toy  houses  hunt  on  Nature’s  carpet. 
Ifpon  iny  return  I  found  that  Mr.  Flood  and  Mr. 
Fair  had  arranged  for  .a  lido  In  Mm  lliimc,  audi 
was  challenged  to  go  with  them.  Indeed,  Mm 
proposition  was  putlri  Mm  form  of  a  challenge— 
they  dared  me  to  go. 
I  thought  that  If  mtui  vvorMi  $25.noo,i)oo  or  $30,- 
000,000  nplcce,  could  iMTord  to  risk  tlmlr  lives,  1 
could  afford  to  risk  mine,  which  was  not  worth 
half  ii.s  much. 
.So  1  accepted  the  cliallcnge  and  two  boats  wero 
ordered.  These  were  noMilng  more  than  pig- 
troughs,  with  one  end  knocked  out.  Tim  “  boat” 
is  built,  like  Mm  flume,  V-shiipcU,  and  fits  Inte  Mm 
flume.  It  Is  composed  of  Miree  pieces  of  wood- 
two  two-irmh  planks  16  feet  long,  and  an  end- 
board  which  Is  nailed  about  ‘1%  feet  across  (.he 
top. 
Tbe  forward  end  of  the  boat  was  left  open,  the 
rear  end  closed  with  a  hoard— agam.st  which  Wiis 
tecomo  tho  eu rrom  of  water  to  proped  us.  Two 
ntirrow  boards  were  placed  In  Mm  boat  for  scats 
and  everything  was  made  ro.ady,  Mr.  Fair  and 
myself  wero  te  go  In  Uie  first  boat  and  Mr.  Flood 
and  Mr.  Hereford  In  the  other. 
Mr.  Fill!'  thought  wo  liad  better  take  a  third 
man  with  its  who  knew  .soinoMilng  about  the 
flume.  There  were  probably  50  men  from  the 
mill  strndlng  le  the  vMnlly  waiting  to  sco  us  off, 
and  when  It  was  itreposed  to  take  a  third  man  tho 
question  was  asked  of  them  if  anybody  was  will¬ 
ing  te  go. 
Giily  one  man— a  red-faced  carpenter,  who  takes 
more  kindly  te  whisky  than  his  bench— volun¬ 
teered  te  go.  Finally,  everything  wiw  arranged. 
Two  or  three  stout  men  held  the  boat  over  the 
flume  and  told  us  to  Jump  Into  It  the  minute  It 
touched  Mm  water  and  to  “  hang  on  to  our  hats.” 
Tim  signal  of  “all  ready"  was  given,  the  boat 
was  launched  and  wc  Jumped  Into  it  as  he.Ht  wo 
could,  which  was  not  very  well,  and  away  wo 
went  like  tho  wind. 
One  man  who  hclfied  to  launch  thebOiit  tell  into 
It  Just  as  the  w.ater  struck  It;  but  he  ao.ampored 
out  on  the  trestle,  and  whether  he  was  hurt  or 
not  wc  could  not  w.ilt  to  see. 
The  grade  of  the  flume  at  thointll  la  very  heavy 
and  Mm  water  rushes  l.hrough  It  at  r.illryad  speed. 
The  terrors  of  that  ride  can  never  bo  blotted  froni 
the  memory  of  one  of  that  party.  'I’o  rule  upon 
Mm  cow-catehcr  of  an  englno  down  a  steep  grade 
Is  simply  e.xhllaratlDg,  for  you  know  there  Is  a 
wide  track  regularly  laUI  upon  a  firm  foundation, 
that  tlmro  arc  wheels  grooved  and  Oiled  to  the 
track,  tliat;  there  aro  tru.sty  men  at.  the  brakes 
and,  belter  than  all,  you  know  that  the  power 
that  Impels  Mm  train  can  be  rendered  powerless 
In  an  Instant  by  the  driver's  light  teuch  upon  his 
lever.  But  a  flume  has  no  element  of  siifcty.  in 
the  first  place,  the  grado  cannot  bo  regulated  as 
It  can  on  a  railro.ad ;  you  cannot  go  fast  or  slow  ul 
pleasure;  you  arc  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  the 
water.  Vou  cannot  stop ;  yon  cannot  lt!.ssen  your 
speed;  you  have  nothing  te  hold  to;  you  have 
only  to  sit  still,  shut  your  eyes,  say  .your  prayei-s, 
take  all  Mm  wtiter  thtit  comes— tming  your  bo.at, 
wetting  your  feet,  drencliliig  you  like  a  plunge 
Mirough  thn  surf — and  wait  for  eternity,  it  Is  all 
there  Is  to  hope  for  after  you  are  launched  In  a 
llumo-boat.  I  cannot  give  the  reader  a  better 
Idea  of  a  flume  ride  than  to  compare  It  te  riding 
down  an  old-fashioned  eavo-trot|gh  at  an  angle  of 
45“,  hanging  In  inld-alr  without  support  of  roof  or  ^ 
house,  and  Mum  shot  a  dlstanco  of  15  tulles. 
At  Mm  start,  we  went  at  Mie  rate  of  about  20 
miles  an  hour,  which  Is  a  iittlo  Irm  than  Mm  aver¬ 
age  speed  of  a  railro.ad  train.  The  rctuler  can 
have  no  Idea  of  the  speed  we  made  until  he  com¬ 
pares  It  to  a  railroad ,  The  average  time  we  made 
Wiis  so  miles  per  hour -a  mile  in  two  minutes  for 
the  entire  distance.  This  is  greater  than  the  aver¬ 
age  ruoulng  time  of  railroads. 
The  t'cd-faced  carpenter  sat  In  front  of  our  boat 
ou  the  bottom  as  best  Ue  could.  Mr.  Fair  sat  on 
a  seat  behind  him  and  1  sat  behind  .Mr.  Fair  in 
the  stern  and  was  of  groat  service  to  him  tn  keep¬ 
ing  the  water,  which  broke  over  the  end-board 
rrom  his  back.  ’ 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  water  also  shipped  in 
the  hows  of  the  hog-trough,  and  I  know  Mr.  Fair’s 
broad  shoulders  kept  mo  from  many  a  wetting  in 
that  memorable  trip. 
At  tho  heaviest  grade  tho  water  came  In  so  fu¬ 
riously  In  front  that  It  was  Impossible  to  see 
where  wo  wore  going  or  what  was  ahead  of  us ; 
but  when  tjie  grade  was  light  and  we  were  going 
at  a  three  or  four-minute  pace,  tho  .vision  was 
very  delightful,  although  it  was  terrible. 
In  this  ride,  which  falls  me  to  describe,  I  was 
perched  up  in  a  boat  no  wider  than  a  chair,  sotue- 
llmcs '20  feet  high  In  tho  air,  .and  with  the  ever- 
varying  altitude  of  Urn  flume,  often  7o  feet  high. 
When  the  water  would  enable  mo  to  look  ahead^ 
1  would  see  Mils  trestle  here  and  there  tor  miles' 
so  small  and  narrow  and  apparently  so  fragile, 
that  I  could  oiUy  compare  It  to  a  chalk-mark  upon  I 
