The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-12-04

Grand valou and the Col dc Ia Rouebeneath which the
tunnel In summer this passage Is perfectly acces-
sble and the mountainous 1t with mules In six
hours was the more DESTROYS Of taking this trip
it would have given me opportunity OF seeing the
beautiful broad plateau Of the Aronda, away up
the summit and ten thousand feet above the
level OF the wide and verdant table land
OF rich pasturage, dotted with chalds In which the
burghers and herdsmen live In while guarding
their focks, which upon the approach of winter are
driven down into the valley and housed and fed till
spring fall Of snow, however, the day after my arri
val and another very heavy the night before in.
tended making the trip, blocked up nil the pathways and
rendered it necessary for get here distance in
straight line Of little than miles from Four
ncaux travel nearly sixty, and TO encounter rivers
and obstacles and mpediments in my journey such as IL
scarcely possible exist In old and civilized
country and high road OF travel
THE AMERICAN RAILWAY.
We reached Aux-le Bourg about two O'Clock In the az
tcrnoon and the stage in which hoped TO get scat
was to pass at Ave. concluded to employ the time by
paying visit to the "CAemin de Fer Americain" 1t is
called which is In process OF construction over
Mount Cons ITSELF and walk OF half hour up the
steep mountain sidc among docks OF sheep and cattle
with tinklng bells hanging about their necks
and rough unhandsome women (whose appearance
Immediately destroys all romantic Ideas that
have entertained about Alpine shepherdesses brought
to its beginning which in the mountain side, about
mile up from Laus-le Bourg Here the experimental
railway, upon the plan invented by Mr.. Fell, Amer
can who experimenting its construction, has been
commenced and completed distance Of ten kilometres,
or little more than mile The track laid upon the
valley side Of the main road separated from It by fence
and the grade varies from In twenty in
twelve. and the smallest radius Of the curves is onef
middle Of which raised about foot higher than
the othors and the object Of which 70 secure the ad
heson Of four horizontal wheels two being attached 70
each side OF tho locomotive Upon tho lower rim OF each
OF these wheels Is catch which grasps the middle rail
and prevents the engine from being thrown of the line
Besides this they have a lateral movement,
which acts as powerful brake, enabling the
engineer 70 stop the train almost instantly. It
Ia calculated that by this system Mount Cents can be
crossed from Lausle Bourg 70 Susa In little than
three hoars-the diligences now requiring i've six.
regretted that neither Mr. Fell his agent at
Iaus leBourg and that could not the locomotive
In operation. It does work, however and well, upon
the track on which II has been applied and immense
loads have boon hauled up by IT, and yet accident
has occurred Work has been suspended upon this road
for some months; but learn that II Is TO DO
sumed under the auspices Of English company which
has charter for railway from 81 Michel TO Susa to
hold good until the completion and success u opera
ton OF the Alpine tunnel OF what use after that the
road would be, except 70 enable passengers TO
and must conIess that would rather. as matter 81
Senesh tho soScn thousand feet Of the Grand vsou
than the risk Of the brake wheels giving way upon
this road and dropping the train and p for ten
HANNIBAL AND NAPOLEON
Mount Cenis although the most equentod pass OF the
Alps in modern times BY no means the oldes. or ear
lest known and is now generally believed by savants
that Hannibal led his army across the Alps by the little
~SSn he . Mount
hardy with his conqucrng hordes, having employed
three thousand In the construction OF this magnn
having solid rock for It's base aud winding and
round the mountain sido, with . steady but gentle
DISADVANTAGES or A NIGHT PASSAGE
As for plicable all tho passages Of
Mount Cents made by tho diligences at night the
among the mountains themselves the hcsven.rcach M
peaks covered with eternal SHOWS the graceful cascades
and the tumblng mountain torrents and most beautiful
OF ALL tho descent towards the lovely, fortilo broad
plains OF Lombardy and PIEDMONT The passage from
Laus-le Bourg Susa distance VI forty Kilometres
about twenty -four mikes rsqIres under ordinary c
GERS thoy happen 70 be asleep awakened at least
nve times by the postillons inpudently demanding
their buono mdro drink money.
soMxrLIIKR COMPRISING MACHINE
Arriving due in Turin csllsd upon ~ Son.
mclicr the inventor Of the AIR COMPRISING machine.
and tho whom than to any other the pre-
sent advanced condition Of the great Alpine tunnel due
H. Sommeilier IL still young man, thorough Italian Of
the progressive school, and has just reelected
member of Chamber Deputies by the liberal party
a. sommcllier is very much interested in the United
Statos aud particularly with reference to the great
teral works OF nature similar TO the ono In which he
engaged which must ono day or other be conducted
there HIS peroraior, Of which will perform the
casr ~ tested upon the granite "a such as
abound your mountains with great success ought
be- II ~ not, extensively known among your engineers
and minera
The next morning started for Susa, and there taking
the diligence winding up tho beautiful valley Of the Dora
and on the other by the broad smiling plains OF Pied.
mont reached Bsrdonnsche In safety lae In the after
A PANIC AMONG THE woRxnr
found the miserable little village Of Bafdonneche
more miserable II possible than that Of Fourneaux in
state OF considerable panic II seems that the very
day left Fourneaux accident the most serious Of
any which has occurred since the commencement OF the
work took place in the tunnel here As wrote you,
tho rock upon which the miners are here at work i an
exceedingly hard quartz from which the drills Of the
pcrforaiors strike fire At every stroke II seems that
entered the advanced gallery TO charge the rock for the
blast, Of them, In tampng charge struck spark
which communicated with hole which another miner
ceived fearful explosion followed, resulting in the
immediate death Of two Of the miners who were blown
more who were taken 10 the mouth Of the tunnel alive
but four Of whom not expected TO recover. must
confess rather excited my nerves when heard this 70
than mile from daylight and within yard from where
the accident took place.
But II Is not merely this which has caused panic
among the workers the tunnel 1t Bardonneche. Five
days since the cholera made its appearance here and
them engineer. This In q community Of two thou.
sand only exposed these men necessarily are 70 dis
ease may well be the OF ALARM and already there
great fear that the work will have 70 DO suspended for
Q time
THE CoMPRuSKn&
The system OF COMPRISING the air 70 one-sxth OF s
natural bulk differs here from that In operation At Four
neaux and In the manner OF applying the motive power
There the water which works the conpressers Is nrst
pumped up by water Wheel turned BY the river Arc,
while here mountain torrent the Mslzst which comes
pouring down gorge in the Alps Is applied directly to
the wheels Here there are seven compresse constant
ly nj work, ranged In different buildings com.
mencng al the base and reaching the mountain sdc
and tho water which turns one wheel, when II
has passed through that, sets another In revolu.
the whole seven, when u empties into the
Dora 10 utterly Impossible without the aid Of dia.
grams 70 give understandable explanation In detail Of
the operation Of those oomprs@en TO each one OF the
wheels set In motion by the descending stream 70 at
tachsd BY crank piston working IN an immense iron
tube. A the piston moves up coeqs valve opening
inwardy near the top OF the tube and compressng the
ar the tube contains forces into strong iron reser
vor Having completed lie upward motion the piston