Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-06-10
P.ll'. Railway Over tn. Alps.


is a temporary methed of transit, only
until the tunnel is completed, is called
the American railway, its inventor, Mr..
Fell, who built the one up Mount
Washington, being styled an American;
and We were promised q ride in real
American cars. The time of starting
was 7 A. NJ. There was a great crowd
of all sorts at the station, lively fight
for tickets at the box office tor the
perfect French system has not yet
reached the other side of the Alps) and
then we waited till p o'clock before we
were let out to the cars.
The train ready to go consisted of an
engine and two first-class passenger
cars. The carriages were about half the
length of ours at home, with seats on
each side, SO that the passengers face
each other as in an omnibus, and with
windows at the sides from which it is
difficult to see out when one is squeezed
in tight on the seat with his back TO
them. The cars are also very narrow,
the track being only three feet six or
seven inches guage, SO that they are not
much more comfortable than an omni-
bus. The fare, first-class, twenty-five,
second-class, twenty-five frances, from
Susa to st. Michel, the time occupied
in the passage being from four to five
hours.
small, compact and powerful; their
trucks, as well as those of the carriages,
set well in the middle, so that they can
turn very short curves The track has
three rails, one elevated in the centre.
Besides its ordinary driving wheels, the
locomotive has two horizontal wheels
which press this third rail on either
side, and it is by this strong traction
That the train is pulled up. The carri
ages have corresponding wheels for the
centre rail, but their only use is to keep
the train on the track. Both the cars
and locomotives have double sets of
brakes, one for the ordinary and one
for the centre rail, 20 that they can
screw the cars to the track with the
grip of q vice, and render it almost i'm
possible for the carriages to run away.
There is every precaution against acci-
.isnt; and [ should only fear the snow
storms of winter, and perhaps an ava
ianche in some places high up, which
are not rooted in.
We began to climb the hill directly
after we left the station, exactly as
carriage drawn by horses would do. In
fact, our track ran parallel to the carri-
age road all the way, was just as steep
and made the short turns of the latter.
Our train seemed to be huge live rep
tile, with legs and claws, and crawlsd
up by its own power; it literally dug
right up hill, and we felt ourselves
mounting, and looking back, could see
the steep incline. OF the curves, where
che wheels got good grip of the rail,
We moved with ease and more rapidly
chan on a straight pull, where the loco
motive evidently labored more, and we
rose more slowly.
The steepest grade on the road is one
foot in, nine feet, but this is only for
short distances. The rise of one in
(of which any note is taken) is one in
twenty-five. The curves are SO short
as to be startling. We seemed to turn
in q space as small as an ordinary wagon
could. The shortest curves are on q
radius of only 120 feet; that is, our train
would run round q circle only 240 feet
in diameter. Our track was all the time
sight, behind and before; running along
she steep hillsides, and constant doub-
ling, like . compressed letter s.
You march up with triumphant ease,
rising among the grand snow peaks like
a conqusror. The valleys open behind
you, with their rivers and brown villa
ges, the great panorama expanding
with every revolution of the wheels
You skirt precipices and look down
upon nesting villages and green fields;
you push your way up among the
snowey regions, the stone huts of the
begging, half naked, dirty peasants,
and the refuge houses Of the road; are
wbisked rocky headlands, through tun-
nels and covered ways, over deep gullies |
and tracks of avalanches, rising always |
higher and higher, as by expenditure OF
strength, int purer air, among peaks |
of virgin snow, among the silent sumits |
Of the enduring Alps.
The day was superb, with blue sky |
and fine air, and it was SO warm, even |
in the snow region, that l needed no |
evercoat. Our view was for the most |
part uninterrupted and magnificent
The summit level is about 6, 400 feet |
above the sea, and before we reached it |
we passed into covered way, built of
wood ut the sides and arched with irsn,
and were immurred in this, in the as
cent, descent and on the level for four
Or FIVE miles, should think; dark, ua-
pleasant passages, made verse by the
Imoke and fume of the locomotive
These covered ways are absolutely nee
n ,ary as protection against avalanch-
IS in many places and against falls of
snow for long distances. Through the
chinks of the boards L could see the
,now piled up high along the way. The
,umit station is in one Of these long
sheds, and is gloomy enough.
We made the descent more rapidly
han the ascent, swinging around the
short bends with considerable velocity.
The brakes were jammed hard down
until could smell the odor caused by
he friction. On the descent 1 saw the
.rowning forts of Brumont d'Essilion,
,n peaks high above the abyss through
which the Arc foams and roars, connect
ID with the road by q thread Of sus-
pension bridge over the gorge, called
he Pont du Diable. The forts are being
demolished now, under the agreement
between France and Italy. Lower
iOwn, and about ten miles up the
from st. Michel, we caught
tight of the rubbish of the opening of
he great tunnel, which enters the
at Fourneau. 1t is to be eight
md half miles long, and 1t is expected
70 be completed in 1871. 1t is no doubt
! great and interesting bore, but if
desired q pleasure trip, think should
prefer the raid Of Mr.. Fell over the
to this hole through it.
1 talked with locomotive driver in
bur train, by the way ian Englishman,
ls they all are OH this road), who insist
ID that Mr.. Fell is not an American
He knew him well, lived near him in
The north of England, and said he was
aot an engineer at all, except SO far As
his invention was concerned, but was
\ dissenting clergyman. He is certainly
/ dissenter frsm the ordinary line Of
railways. The engineer was an excel
ent specimen Of an intelligent, illiterate
English mechanic, with q drawl and
nasal twang in his speech that a Cape
God man might envy; and he gave me
! great deal Of valuable information
.bout the road, which might here i'm
part, ii your readers cared for valuable
m Eorn, ation xrhich [ snnnnsa they do