The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-10-05
THE MONT GEMS TUNNEL
OPENING CEREMoN1ts-GRAND
BANQUET.
A TRIP THROUGH THE TUNNEL.

Turin Sept 10 Cores on enc. London Daily
= +. H News. II
At $50 ocluck this morning, the first
train carrying the commission appointed 10
proceed to MoJane, there to meet thr
French commission, left the station of
Turin. The train consisted Of about TWEEN
ty carriages. Among the company were
fSignor 'Visconu venosta, Signor De Vim
cehzi, the minister Of public works !; Sig
nor Sella, who had just arrived from the
bedside Of a son who y dangerously Ill
Signor Castagnola, the minister Of agricul-
ture; the presdent ofthe chamber Of dep
u,ies, u large number Of senators and dep
u,es, and the mayors of the principal Ital-
i'm cities. All the guests were in evening
dress All along the line and at the in.
t.rmediate stations crowds of peasants from
the neighboring villages, with bands play
| ing the royal IN .reh, saluted the train. At
1920 the train entered the tunnel at Bar
donpechis amid enthusiastic cheering.
| The tunnel was traversed in twenty-one
minutes precisely. All the carriages kept
the windows open, there being no smoke
| at ALL The train arrived at Modane at IL.
and there found NJ. Lefranc, NJ de- Les
seps, and the members Of the French com
mission. NJ. de Remusat is expected this
evening. At the station, the ministers EN-
tered into conversation. The French min
ister and Chevalier Nigra then got into
the royal carriages. The engines were
decorated with Italian and French flags,
and the train left Modane at 123. AT
Bardonnecchia, we found nearly 900 other
guests who had come from Turin. We all
marched in procession to an immense pa
vilion, where banquet took place. The
pavilion, 400 metres long, was elegantly
decorated with flags and ether ornaments.
The banquet was served ir the best style,
and was worthy Of all praise. 1t was, in
fact, splendid. ~.
The fret train left Bardonnecchia for
Turin at o'clock. At all the station.
along the line the country people, with
lighted torches, cheered Justify, bands
playing and flags waving. On the italian
aud French ministers arriving at the sta
ton at Turin, they were loudly cheered by
the immense crowds which had collected.
The railway station was splendidiy illum-
mated, and there were representatives of
Italy and France shaking hands before
| the tunnel. The whole city is illuminated
with much taste and splendor.
TRIP THROUGH THE TUNNEL.
Oofresponuence Oi tne Lonuon iImes.
confess felt some conjunction about
that smuggling myself as ii were, through
the Alps, before the great dark thorough
fare cut through the heart of the great
mountain chain had been hallowed, as it
we're, by the opening crcmonv. l had
made up my mind to get ever the Col de
Frejus or the Col de Ia Rome, from Mo-
dane to Bardonnecchia, in my own old
way, and had ordered mules for what
might, in all probability, have been
my last Alpine journey. There were, how
| ever, not even mules to be found at Mo
dane, and my companions were not equal
to q seven-hours' walk up and down hill,
SO nothing was left but q seat in the Fell
railway omnibus, detestable and discred-
liable concern, in which, as our expert
ence from St. Michel to Modane had
proved, when they have charged you full
value FOR frst-cass ticket, they crowd MI
the second and third class passengers upon
| you till no room is left to breathe. Greatly
AS think the future generation may be
congratulated on the easy access they have
obtained in Italy, / almost think old
stagers like myself will have cause to re-
greet some of the sensations with which
the used, .in bygone days, TO be ushered
into the paradise of Europe" The
transitio is generally from gloom to glare,
from night chill to morning warmth.
" The very horses and other cattle" as it
has often been observed. feeling the gem
ial change, and they usually cheer up and
frisk and gamboi, and tes'ifying, by their
neighing, braying, believing, the Joy with
which they hail. in the prospect of the fair
region before them, the reward Of the tolls
they endured in the long, weary ascent on
the other side" The descent is almost
everywhere rapid, abrupt, precipitous
Life grows around you NJ every down
ward stride; at the altitude where stunted
frs thinly marked the bare rocks on the
French, Swiss, or Austrian side, the
chestnut and the walnut, in all their luxur
lance, fill the Italian glen. The fg-tre
J shades the humblest cottage almost up /
, the mountain crest, and where the brown
and sere surface Of the soil at this ad
Y vanced season strikes you as unredeeme
barreDness you may see on nearer M
prosch that the eject Is produced by tn
bubble Of the small patches Of field, alter
mated with the small patches Of vineyard
cultivared by the hardy mountainecrs o
crHgs and cliff, whore one would almos
f. sncy the very goat would fear to ventur
4. But, after all, you cannot avoid you
: ALPS and enjoy them at the same tint
e Our purpose in coming all the way fror
: London TO this place was TO know how on
1 could manage TO accomplish the journe
J. without seeing the mountains We Mad I
!, cross, and that was done in rs simple
: way as one might get from the Charmin
q Gross 10 The Temple station Of the Londo
g Underground railway. When we wer
!. all ready, Valvas.ori gave the sigma, som
a one called cut Parlenza," the engine il
i shrili whistle,and away We rolled with III
n most beaut full euse; Regadi chatting ava
D. IN bis warm, eloquent manner; at first pas
r ing the g'ow-worm-like lantens Of men sti
.r at work then in dark, deep silence,till aft,
.r thirty minutes we emerged into dayligl
Or at the opposite entrance at Bsrdonnechi
O. half an hour before we were in Franc
n. We were now on Italian ground. On
at carriage WAS last in the line, and as the q
IL ginc worked backward we were close to
he Both our windows were wide open and '
,e- had not the least imaginable inconve
b. fence from smoke or steam. There "
lr no prsesPtible difference between the /
N. side and the outside air, and one of n
ne companions slunbcred through nearly I
ON whole distance. The fact that the engi
er was IN our rear was certainly in our fav,
d. but the unanimous evidence Of all who n
"a | come through in rhe mornir,, ,,o,, o..