Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1871-02-18
Shaking Hands under tne Alps.

y correspondent of an Italian pa.
per describes tho scene when the
two working parties in the Mont
Cents Tunnel met and shook lands;
The earlier usc Of improved ma.
chinery craGled tho laborcrs from
tho Italian end ut Bardonccchia TO
make greater advance than their
fellow workers from Modanc,
and he advantages was maintained
10 the end. so that the last act in
the drama was accomplished rs We
sec ut some distance TO the North of
the half way point. The proceed
ings are thus described in the Opin.
lone: "Tho band, composed of Ia.
borcrs, struck upthe "Royal March"
and the country folks nocked around
the mouth ofthe tnnnel as we made
our triumphial entry in four rail
way carriages. We were about a
hundred in all. knowing that the
temperature would be very different
in the bowels Ct the earth, we had
DOTTED our winter garments, cx.
changing them for lighter materials,
Il prccaution of which VIC had no
cause TO repent, for before we had
made ki!ometre the ccntigradc
thermometer marked II deg, above
zero, and then successfully 90, 23
and 1850 deg, (63, G9, 70 and IS
degrees F.) During work the ten
peralurc rises to 30 deg. COS deg.
F.) At the end Of the sixth tilomc-
ire, the rails not being laid down
beyond this poi.I:, we had to aight
and proceeded on foot. The dense
darkness YVES lighted up by the
.dNchcs AID lanterns borne by tn,
wOrkmcn.
AT last we stood before the cur.
tain of rock still stretched between
The t~o Open portions. In this
t!iass hole had been pierced, allow
ing the parties on tho opposite sid,
to shake bonds. You may wei
imagine with what feelings we con
,cmplatod the work accomplished
thinking of the untiring activity
acknowledgement, and the logged en-
DURANGO with which the gigantic en-
terprisc had been carried thro,i,gn
The mines were prepared, and moth
ing remained but to charge then
and apply the match. Perspirins
ut every pore, we had to rotrace ou
steps about half n kiomctre, in or
der to allow this last operation t,
be performed. The pen of Dante
alone could describe this Vulcan,
forge, and its half naked, bronco
figures fitting to and fro in every
direction, torch in hand.
Close upon fivo O'Clock a tcrribl,
defamation was heard. The frs
mine had exploded. So violent wa
the shock that all our lights wer,
at once cxtinguished; and wo wcr,
iastter darkness. Then crash upor
crash in quick succession, volumes
of smoke, a fearful stencil of gun
powder, and the breach was opened
We sped forward. What n solemn
moment was thatl We jostlcd on,
another most numerically in our
hurry to pass through, for ever,
ono was eager to be foremost. Til,
first over was the engineer Grattoni
who had to duck his head 10 avoit
many knock against the shattered
masses of rock. And then th,
double current Of visitors from Bar
dohccchia and from Modanc met
and our cries of "Viva PItalia
Viva Vittorio Emanncll rcsoundec
sepulcharally through the vanltec
passage, Tho great work was ac
complished after IL years and 4C
days of unremHtiHg toll; and as VIC
shook hands all round we recalled
to mind how many had tried tC
throw cold water npon tho scheme
declaring it physically impossible
orat best very doubtful.