The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-08-17

member one instance which IS gu&-
ciently convincing. It was II tie Vic
Mala, about five miles from the village
OF Splugen, where, in the year 1929,
the little cabriolet that conveyed tho
mail was swept away by an avalanche.
The calamity was not known for full
seven or eight hours afterwards, when
some travellers from Andeers, reaching
the spot, found the road blocked up
by snow, and perceived n portion OF
the wooden rail of the road, aud q
fragment of horse harness adLering
to it, halfway down the precipice.
The guides Of the party, we'll accus-
toned to reason from such sad premi-
ses, at once saw what had happened.
Conceiving, however, that the driver
had been carried down over the cliff,
and consequently to certain death,
they directed their sole care to clear
ing passage for b travellers. In so
doing, they proceeded with long poles
to sound the snow, and ascertain to
what depth it layunhardened. 1t was
in one of these Explorations" and
when the pole had sunk above ten feet
deep into a mass of soft unfrozcn
snow, that the man who held it found
himself unable to withdraw the staff,
and called his comrades to aid him. %
They soon perceived, however, that
the resistance g1adually yielded, and
from the instinct peculiar to the
"hand" they recognized that it must
be the grip of human fingers which
held the other end of the pole. They
Immediately began to excavate on the
spot, and in half m hour liberated
the poor position Of the mail car,
who, although hearing the shouts and
cries of the party for nearly an hour
over his head, could not succeed in
making his own voice heard, md but
for the fortunate accident of the pole
must have persisted.
Many curious escapes were told to
me, but this appeared most singular
of ali; and now come back to Steu-
ben, or rather to the wild mountain
above it, over which, by succession
of windings, the road leads which
joins the Vorarlberg to the Tyrol.
About one-third Of the ascent accom-
plished, you come upon an abrupt
turning of the way, in rounding which
q wide carriage can scarcely escape
grating on the rock on one side, while
from the window on the opposite, the
traveller Jocks down upon gorge ac-
tuully yawnine at his eeet. The low
barrier OF wall, which does not rise
above the nave of the wheel, is very
frail and insignificant protection on
e,,<,1, ,rl,o l.:
US it is to those seated in u carriage,
the effect of the gllf is really enough
to shake common nerves. A little in
scription upon q stone in this wall
records the name of the engineer
Donegani, if remember aright-who,
deeming this spot the triumph of his
skill, has selected it whercon to in
scribe his achievement. There is
another meaning connected with the
place, but unrecorded. It could not,
indeed, have been transmitted like
that of the engineer, for when the
event of which it treats occurred,
there was neither wall nor railing, and
the road passed some twelve feet
higher up, over ledge of rock, and
actually seemed to jut out above the
precipice. THERE'S, indeed, a memo
rial of the transaction to which al
lude, but it stands about twelve hun
dred feet down in the gorge below-a
small wooden cross of rudest work.
manship, with the equally rudely in
scribed words, ''Der Vorspann's
Grab"
Now for the story, which happily is
short.
1t was late on severe evening of
winter, as a caleche, drawn by two
horses, drew up to the door Of the
post-house at Steuben; for then, as
now, Steuben was the last post station
before commencing the ascent of the
Arlbcrg. The travellers, two in num-
Der, wore militarycloaks and foraging
caps; but what the precise rank, or to
what arm of the service tney belonged,
not even the prying observations of
the host could fathom. Their orders