New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-26
LETTER From BAYARD TAYLOR
TIE FIRST RAILROAD OVER TIE ALrs.

TIE FIRST RAILROAD OVER TIE ALfS.
From Our Special Correspondent
BOTzEN, IN TTE TYEoI, Sept %, 1861
It's about six weeks since the first railroad which
actually crosses the Alpine chain has been completed
and opened 70 the public The only other road from
Central Europe to tho Mediteuaneau-that from Vi
emma TO Trioste-only skirts the eastern extremity Of
this great mountain barrier where it is broken by
the valleys of the brave aud Save, and gradually
loses itself in the ridges of the 1hracan H9mus'
The pass of the Scmmering a feat Of engineering
hitherto very celebrated in Europe, although copied
after the passage of the Alcghaues on the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad. was an elevation of only about
5000 feet while few of the passes OF the Alps are less
than COCO The tunnel through Mont Gems was
the first endeavor TO pierce the cham ana VIII uh-
doubtedy be successful in three or four years more
SURVEYS have been made and projects set on 1901 LOT
RAILWAYS over the SimpOn and the ~ G0lhmd; buJ
the BTeuncr Pass. leading from lnnSbruck INTO the
Valley OF tie AGigc Is the INST to Toe mounted 10y
The Breuner has the advantage Of being the lowest
of all the true Alpine passes. II was known To inc
Romans who always used " Tor conlmunlcul non WIN
their colonies ON the upper Danube and their )9Clan
and PaunOnian provinces. The summit ls 1.Ng fcet
above the SEA level but the approaches are similar ~
grade TO those Of the other passes. The difficulties
Ia be overcome are very much The same, Tor ihr
amount Of distance Tycrsed. nnd he experiences OF
this road viii thus serve as gauge Y which lo tS-
mate the feasibility of Others over the higher passes
Three days ago we left Munich. aud rlldly-tor II
seems TO have the most ds1grceable climate oi any
CITY In Geunany-takiug the train for innsbruck.
The route follows the Sazburg road a. Tar as Ro,tn-
helm. NJ the point where the ION issues nom inc
Tyr0lcse Alps Here there d, change or trains, ana
a delay not provided for M the uht-taDitS c'uiu
think OF nothing but one ot our own railway lnh'-
tiOus during the session OF some political convention
Some hundreds of passengers were discharged upon
"A long platform IN front of au unfinished and very
disoTderly statiOu-hOusc. There was hali-eS'ab-
lished restaurant which furnished Only veal potatoes
and beer; few vendors a fruit drove Thriving
trade in the open air IN spite of passing showers ana
icy winds from the mountains; hul the tIaih' were
all behind time. and, ms ~ seemed 10 me- very lnucn
tangled IN their movements. There wa, very hahrl
Of languages. English, AMERICANS, Ius@laii- ana
Italians were mixed with tho BaYauans ana iyfo-
iese and able To asCer tiln hrn Nc GOWN
leave The most energetic person OF the crowd was
"A NoIdovan lady who atteu. al 81 her baggage. Etr
two children her husband, and small dog, WHilh
she carried under one arm.
proper train, placed my party iu IT. ana pHriy !
waited until II should move We reached kuistein
The first Austrian station, aDont Hh noun anu
a half behind time. 10 was. 10 me- new |
,fnsati0n 30 enter Austria WituoGI my pass |
port being demanded, and 10 have the top oi one |
frlnk lifted as "a full examination 81 al orr baggage
Austria at last rather from tho pressure oil cicuu-
stances than from goodwill IS IN the WaJ of reform
but restrictions on the right of tr3vcl efc ialhR |
lieVal nonsense The MoldayIan lady W'h pleased /
10 see stationed her husbaDd and children len safe
corner while dog on arm. she hppenhttndeu ,he tA- /
animation and Tanshipment oi ner iluhh- "
Darkness hid the splendid Alpine Nailry or the |
Inn long before we reach Innsbruck, ANA inc Ualu,
al of ufsipR on over the Brenucr advertised.
stoned there for the night throwing upon the place
such an Eruption Of passengers as might, ] feared.
exhaust the h0tel-rOom. ! chose the Golden EHgle,
because IL was G3cthcs quarters on his journeys 10 /
md from Italy. and when the landlord gave us No
spacious apartment, full Of decaycd sPlcndor, / /
vas sure that 10 Was GOethc's own room. Entering /
fe house under y heavy arcade, mOunling broad /
worn staircase aud pacing the irregular, ech0lng |
Corridors paved with stone, plunged INTO quiet
atmosphere of the past. Pleasant among the many |
~. f...lsI fNH Of
jruek and worth hundred Gurds Hotels do !
Louvre.
In the quaint old dining groom hung an original |
aatCr-cOlOr portrait q AndIeas lOicr WITH his AUTO
Iraph under IL. Seeing that was Interested ~ ~.
he landady brought ne a copy of the address which
-lofcrmade 10 the people from the window OF the |
otel on the 18th of August, 1909 after lac had been
'hOscu military commander of the IyG)l. II - IN !
he brOadcst Tyrolcse dialect, but D. as tense. as
vigorous and racy, speech Of Lincoln orGrnnt. or
dispatch Of sheridan. ! cannot resist the tcmptd-
ion OF tTanslatlug 10:
God greet y0u. MY good InnshUckcr,' Since You |
want me for yOuT Commander. here am, Here are /
many others here. sce, who are not lhnsbruckers. !
All who want 10 be my brothers iu aims must hght |
Tor God, Emperor, aud Fathcrand, like brave honest
for them that won't do that. / advise them To- go /
home. But you who follow me, don't desert mc. DOR /
viii desert YOU so true AZ my name Is Andy Iorr
Now I've said my say, you've seen me, ana $40 God |
keep your
Ilofer. born peasant, was very GRAND and noble |
character He liberated the Tvrol from French rule
the yoke. But he betrayed by priest, and the
men who now dcnOuuco the execution Of MaXlmilian
as the climax of nflny, shot him. lie could not |
make much Of a speech u Is true-but then wo also
are beginning 10 learn that our best executive men
are not our political takers.
We left next morning at eight O'clock for the pas
sage of the BreunCr The mir very cold and the
Alps around Innsbruck baptized with such lovely
names as UQidTdac8pii., PGtchGkON Nc were dd1-
Zling with fresh SNOW crossed the Breuncr By dill
igence just - years the features of the pass
stu cea IN my memory, and knowing That the rail
must follow the valley the old highway,
/ set myself 10 observe how the difficulties had been
overcome The morning train from Vienna came in,
bringing fresh lot of pdsscuReTs. and much time
started tree-quarter5 Of an hour behind time. The
arrangements at the station were 30 inadequate 10
meet the increase of travel that some OF my friends
were lust one hour in the haggagc-TOOm before thew
could gel their trunks weighed and checked.
Immediately after leaving the city the road begins
10 ascend. The valley Of the Wip, which must be
followed nearly 10 the summit of the pass, falls into
tnat OF the lun through narrow gorge OF gateway.
ltalf mile OF tunnels and deep cuttings brought
INTO the Wild TaYine along the precpiOus sides of
which the road Is nOtched. The pOstTOad is on the
opposite side' with q deep gulf and roaring stream
between. In front, III the rear and on either side
high above the ridges OF pine the sky is pierced with
pnnacCs OF snow. The pOstTOad, having made "a
long zgLag at the start, was already considerably
above u.s. but IN the course Of two or three miles We
had oyeraken its level. careful comparison of the
two con Vinced me that the ascending grade of the
railway was fully equal 10 that of the road in some
places il seemed to be greater. l could not as
certain the figures but il certainly nowhere Less
100 feet 10 the mile, and In the most difficult parts
possibly reached $50.
The greatest obstacle to be overcome was the
abrupless of the sides of the glen, which nowhere
offers yhelf of level soil but falls suddenly from
the crest far above to the bed of the stream The
angles Of this mountain buttresS are solid rock;
the sides often masses OF loose. sliding fragments
which require immense walls Of support 10 he built
nj frou beIo,y. Where there gOil enough 10 make