We did have a little red wagon at our house. Most kids have had one at some point in their lives. Ours wasn’t pretty, as I recall; What would you expect with two boys at the helm? It had even survived our older brother who had already married and left home. BUT . . . it was very fast ! Especially when propelled by the rubber rope, that is.

Near a culvert at the edge of our driveway was a piece of angle iron which had been driven deep into the ground. The apparent reason for its being there was to alert a driver to the driveway’s edge so as to not ruin a tire on the culvert. However, a much better reason for the angle iron’s existence was to serve as a place to tie the rubber rope.

You see, there was a slight grade running from south to north in front of our house. Tying the rubber rope to the tongue of the wagon, we could affix the other end to the piece of angle iron and "st-r-e-t-ch" our way up the hill. Using all our strength, we could create such tension as to make that wagon achieve speeds up to about MACH 1 even with one of us as a passenger. But to create a proper test of our rubber-rope-powered wagon’s speed potential, we needed a lighter occupant.

Being much younger, our little sister naturally weighed much less than my brother or I so she was chosen for the honor. As I remember, my brother Jerry decided that she should be the next test rider in the rocket wagon. As young as I was, I’m sure it wasn’t me who made such a weighty decision.

The scene was set. Our sister was ready. The rope was taut. Stretched to its maximum length, it reached midway to the next door neighbor’s house. My brother and I strained to prevent a premature release. MACH 1 was near achievement.

Everyday of the year, Elton Chowning came down our street after tending to his hogs at Carl Ray Cavender’s place. His pickup was a familiar sight. Today was no different. He topped the hill simultaneously with the completion of the blast off countdown.

The wagon was released and immediately passed Chowning’s pickup. A 1948 Chevrolet half-ton is no match for a rubber-rope powered little red wagon. Maximum speed was attained in about 50 feet. Although brief, the ride was thrilling . . . there were NO brakes !

However, there was that culvert. Unfortunately, my sister’s driving skills had not yet fully developed. And, since the rope was tied to the angle iron by the culvert, the wagon uncannily headed straight for the culvert. The braking action was instantaneous.

It’s all a haze after that. I do recall that the ejection seat worked perfectly. I do believe my sister landed within our yard but I’m not entirely sure. I don’t think MY seat was in too good a shape for awhile after that, though.

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