Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-07-05
A Balloon Railway.

Everybody VINO mas traVeleu turouSu O"iuAoi
land has been sup the Rhigi." 1t is not neces-
sary to describe the scenery which makes the as
cent Gf the day was clear an event to be re-
menbered among the pleasantest in lifetime O
travel: the illimitable rich expanse OF lowland
broidered with crops and jeweed! with lakes
the tumbled sea with granite peaks, gllstenine
with snow or dark with forest the light clouds
floating here and there, which only help the
mountains to look higher; the toy-lke little
towns nesting down in the valleys; heturquoise
color of the Zugersee and Wallersee; the quiet
little chapel on the route and the reward for
the troubles of the ascent in good dinner at
most comfortable hotel at the summit. All these
things he who has been there will have in bis
minds eye at mention of the name; and to those
who have yet to make the centit is probably
better to mention only that the Rhigi Oulm is
mountain of Switzerland 5905 feet above the
sea, commanding magnificent views, and CON-
mon resort for all kinds OF travellers; to accom-
modate whom an ingenious German engineer
and architect, NJ Frederic Albrecht, proposes to
run what may be called balloon train from
the railway terminus at the foot to the hotel
door at the summit.
Last year 80, 900 people visited the summit OF
Mount Rhigi, and more than half ofthese either
ride up the toilsome way on horseback or ascend
in sedan. chairs borne by men. lnvalids and Ia
dies often find the ascent too wearying for them.
Besides the horses and bearers needed tor the
accommodation of travellers large force is re-.
qnired to transport to the summit the provisions,
&c, consumed in the hotel there. To econo.
mize much of this expense III. Albrecht propos-
es to construct along the side of the mountain Q
line of trestle- work. This trestle-work, OF wood
and iron, is to support two bars of iron, within
whose grooves is to slide bolt, to which is TO
be suspended light but comfortable Car, cspa-
BILE of accommodating from six to twelve persons.
Above, the bolt is coupled to balloon, OF such
dimensions as to be capable Of raising the car
and its contents. The result is plain: the up
ward tendency of the balloon is modified by the
restraining power of the rails and the conse'
quence is that, instead of shooting directly into
the air, the car is dragged up along the rails
and this at rate neither too fast nor too slow
for comfort. et
NJ Albrecht asserts that he has experimental
so far as to convince him that such conveyance
is perfectly feasible, and entirely safe in any
weather except during heavy storm. he ex
plains that the guidance of the railway so far
balances the balloon as to make the ascent easy
even in moderate gale. He expects to get his
UdlOOuc uOWu dSuiu W pV iOouib6 oHo ASS"AH
cars as to weigh down the ascending power; and
by neat arrangement of brakes along the rails
he makes accidents impossible.
1t is stated that surveys of the mountain-side
have already been made, and the balloon railway
bids fair to become presently an established fact.
Should it prove successful there, no doubt some
shrewd Yankee will facilitate the ascent of Mount
Washington, or some other of our celebrated
heights, by such means Such road is shorter,
and infinitely less tedious and expensive than
the "inclined plane" which was once such q
nuisance to travellers on the Great Pennsylvania
Railroad, and which forms the only alternative
in the way of easy conveyance to mountains
top. -
During the last seventy-fve years number
of ingenious mechanicans, European and Amer
ican, have turned their attention to the solution
of the problem of AERIAL navigation. Mr.. Wise of
Pennsylvania proposes to cross the Atlantic next
year in q mammoth balloon. 1t is not unlikely
that the balloon railway we have described may
be an important stop toward the final perfantion
Of an air-ship.