The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-10-04
NOTES OF TRAVEL.
Jourueyinxs Through Switzerland
aod IiaIy-Wh8t a wheeling Man
Saw.
We are permitted to make the follow
ing extracts from q private letter writ

ing extracts from q private letter writ
ten by Mr.. James Neil to friends in this
city:
VENICE, ITALY, Sept l5, 1873.
last wrote you from Geneva on last
Saturday week. Well. Sunday, Sep
tember 7tb, we started at seven o'clock
in the morning oo a diligence or rather
what we would call stage, fol
Chamounix, which is at the bottom o
Mount Blanc. We had about fifteen
passengers and were drawn by five
horses, and they were changed every
hour. 1t was up hill nearly all the
way, and horse flesh suffered. 1t had
raned all TIT. might before and was rain'
ing slightly when we were going which
made the lil,!e mountain streams pour
over the rocks in torrents | saw several
which had clear lall OF several thou
sand feet They looked beautiful, start
ing from the top in g large stream and
before they got to The bottom they were
only mist. Others came down in
jumps, one pitching against the other
/ Occasionally the sun would come cut
tor a few minutes from behind the
clouds ard then you would zee the
handsomest kind OF rainbow. The
scenery was very fine, particularly our
first view OF Mount Blanc covered
with snow rs it always ia. We passed
through gorges and ravines tbat were
ten times as fioe and majestic as any |
had seen before. A few miles from
Chamounix | saw the 'ai!- '5'a"ler
Des Bassous which l. . - aud
the ice was - c.ea! - a
crystal. 1t presented mssnrH'rnt
appearance from the road =
reached Cnamounix 81 four or.'. \
10 the evening, distance -.
about fl ty-four miles from Geneva !
has population OF about twenty-h'g
hundred and has about ten large hoe -
and is supported by tourists like our
selves, for the hotels generally wonld
starve il it was not for the American
tourists. The place is nearly surround
ed by noted mountains, such as Moun;
Blanc, Mount Brevept AiguilIes, Rou-
ses, &c. You can zee here seyera!
glaciers, some o! which extend clear
down 10 the valley. From each large
stream Of water il flowing Th" gla7
ciers or their d.ecput have literally
ploStI through tue mountain. One
thousand men could not throw up the
stone and dirt in ten years that one ol
these glaciers has done.
On Monday l got up early and
started IOr Muntanvert alone, for lset'
was going up on a mule and as am 3
walkist | concluded that would 60 W
on "Shank's mare" Well, 1 walked
up to the top without much trouble
still it was very steep From the tor
you can get a splendid view Of Mer de
Glaze, which is glacier and lies about
one hundred feet below you. You can
see miles OF cold ice in all imaginable
shapes, some on end. like needles,
others in ridges with streams OF water
running through them and of a bright
blue color. After enjoying the view
for some time | was addressed by an
Italian who had come up on a mule
with q guide. He said he was going tc
the Jardin, which had to be done on
foot, and wGs q hard walk Of four
hours, three OF them over the glacier
to get to the top, and took about one
hour less to come back, asked
il he would object to me going with
HIM ard | would bear halt the expenses
h eaid all right; SO the guide put
three large steel spikes in our boot
heels go SIS to keep US from slipping, and
each Of us had a long pole with a SHARP
spike in it. So we started and after 8
hard tramp, we arrived at what ID call
ed the Jardin. 1t is huge rock rising
out CT the mountain, and is covered
with moss and flowers. Itis said to be
the highest place in Europe where flow
ers grow. All around it is covered with
snow and glaciers. Here you can &c,
Mount Blanc in all its glory, and the
s,euery here IS grand beyond all dnscrip
tiop, apd felt amply repaid Tor my ia.
ugung journey. While resting our'
selves on the Jardin / had the pleas
ure Of seeing an avaianch which came
down the mountain to our right. i
was about twice rs large s9 a dwelling
: house and we a. got TO our feet 10 get
out of the way OF it. but it did not come
within one hundred yards Of us. When il
star ed we thought it would cover us.
1t made noise like thunder. We al.
so saw two ohamois. | could have
shot one of them il had anything tc
do it with. | tell you they lit out
when they discovered us. The Italian
had three bottles OF wine with him and
as we were starring be offered me some
! told him | did no. use the article
which seemed TO surprise him very
much. He said, you can not stand the
walk and the cold without it" and tbs'
| would suffer very much unless
took some OF it, and in fac
that | could not get along
without it. | told him that remained
TO be tried, for my experience was jus1
to the contrary. THIS wine was al
done before he got half way back and
be was always saying oh, l wish had
another bottle OF wine" and we had tc
stop a dozen times for him and helE
him 10 jump the icy gourges.. HI
was always wanting TO rest, l asked
him what he thought OF it now II.
said be would give it up. He said b,
had gone up the mountains last year
with some American ladies and gen.
tlemen and the girls were always say
ing "Oh, how jolly" which seemed tc
amuse him very much. He could no
understand what the word meant o,