The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-11-08
A Trip Through Mont Ceais Tunnel.

! Iconfcss I felt some conjunction
about that smuggling myself, as it
were, through the ALPS, before the
great dark thoroughfnre cut through
the heart of the great mountain chain
had been hallowcd, as it we're, by the
opening ceremony. Ihad made up my
mind TO get over the Col de Frejus or
the Col de Ia Rome, from Madame to
BardoDpecchia, in my own old way.
and had ordered mules for what might
in all probability, have been my last
Alpine journey. There were, however,
not even mules to be found at Modanc,
and my companions were not equal to
a seven hours walk up and down hill,
so nothing was left but a seat in the
Fell railway omnibus, a detestable and
discreditable concern, ia which, as our
experience from st. Michael to Modanc
had proved, when they have charged
you full value for a frs.-class ticket,
they crowd all the second and third
class passengers upon you till no room
is left to breathe. Greatly as l think
the future generation may he cOngrat-
ulated on the easy access they have
obtained in Italy, almost think old
stagcrs like myself will have cause to
regret some of the sensations with
which they used, in their bygone days,
to be ushered into the paradise of
Europe" The transition 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 mp
and frisk and gambol, and testifying
by their neisl'ing, braying, believing.
the JOY with which they hail, ii the
prospect of fair region before them.
the reward of the tolls they endured
in the long, weary ascent on the other
side" The descent is almost every
where rapid, abrupt, PERCEPTIONS. Life
grows apace around You at every down
ward stride; at the altitude where stun
ted frs tl,inly marked the bare rocks
of the French, Swiss or Austrian side
the chestnut and the walnut, in all
their lnxuriance, fill their Italian glen.
The fig tree shades the humblest cot
tage almost up to the mountain crest,
and where the brown and sere surface
Of the soil at this advanced season
strikes you as unrcdeemed barrcnness,
you may see on a nearer approach that
the effect is produced by the stumble
of the small patches Of field, alternated
with the small patches of vineyard,
cultivated Ivy the hardy mountaineers
on crags and cliffs, where one would
fancy the very goat would fear to ven
| turc.
But. after all, you cannot avoid your
Alps and enjoy them at the same time.
Our purpose in coming all the way
from London to this place was to know
how one could manage to accomplish
the journey without seeing the noun
tain we had to cross, and that was
done in as simple away as one might
get from the Charing Crossto the Tenn
pie station of the London Underground
railway. Which, we were all ready,
ValvassOri gave the signal, some one
called out sPartenza," the engine gave
its sIlrill whistle, and away we rolled
with tile most beautiful ease; Regaldi
chatting away in his warm, eloquent
manner; at first passing the glow worm
like lanterns of men still at work, then
in dark, deep stiffness, till after thirty
minutes, We emerged into daylight a:
the opposite cntrance ut BardOnnechia
Half an hour before, we were in France.
We were now on Italian ground. ON
carriage was last in the line, and rs
the engine worked backward, we were
close to it. Both our windows were
wide open, and we had not the least
imaginable Inconvenience from smoke
or steam. There was no percepiiblt
difference between the inside and the
outside air, and one of my com.
panions slumbered through nearly thu
whole distance. The fact that tie en-
CINE was in our rear was certainly il
our favor, but the unanimous evidenc,
of all who had come through in tlIt
morning went far to establish that they
also bad experienced no uapleasan
sensation, and the difference of TEN
pefnture could only be detected b,
Valvassori's glass, which marked
few degrees Of additional warmth, il
the tunnel. The highest degree Mt
tanned in to-dny's journey has been j
degrees centigrade. Gratton's glas
in a previous trip rose 81 degrees.
moro triumphant success than has i
!. every respect crowned this great worl
could hardly have been anticipated b.
its most sangaine well-wishers. On
pace throughout the crossing SCENE
, fairly rapid and eyeG and the tim
employed, both in the up and dow
0 journey Of between seven and cigh
English miles, was precisely thirty