The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-01-13
.gAIEs vAs'TAD - 1,n " gD FZoN
OVER IKE WAVE.
MANmowoc. Jan. sth. 1871

to see me safe home. | forward you
TIE balance Of my Waits had ca.
cluded not IT, have them publ she'd a
| they were written while amid he scenas.
describing. often hastily. after the days
fatigue and under various circumstances
| not tbs most favorable to rhetorical cor.
rectnes-. | have no time, however, so
copy them an should you consider them
4 worth place III tho columns of your pa pc,
you are welcome to them. Please omit
the dates j. d. G.
| CHAMOUNEY SWITZERLAND.
| Before retiring last evening | opened
the shutter Of my window that | might
catch the first glimmer cf the morning
iigh.. | awoke early aad looked our.
| all was dark. still | heard voices in the
| street below, aud knew dawn wis near.
| | went to the south window and az the
shutter swung back what wonderful
| sight greeted me. Overlooking the little
village and surrounding mountains hat
were still shaded by night. rose the MA
jestic form of Mont anc, white, IA
diant aud glitterins. Long before the
lower heights had caught ray of sun
light, yon distant peak vas bathed in
It's elories; how mysterious and unreal
it looked il looked as if some celestial
being from another world had come in
his chariot of light to gaze for few
moments upon the dark earth and would
soon withdraw to his native glory. But
no, its growing brighter, see, there creeps
the dim light over yon lesser heights it
has descended to the precipices and is
creeping along the higher valleys. There.
it has kissed the dew from yon high
cottage and now with gay and noiseless
step it gides down oyer the little village
and comes shining into my open window,
and yonder peaks that still CLEAN SO bril-.
liantly was but telling US that day was
near But | sat down to tell you Of our
trip yesterday to the Jardin.
| We got an early start. breakfasting at
| haif-past six, and at nine had reached
the Montanvert Inn, described in form
or letter; instead of desce nding to the
Mer de Gace, We kept to the right and
skirted the base of the Aiguille de Char
moz, until we had passed the Moraines.
then descended to the ice ; we passed
up The bed of tue Glacier DIES Bots fof an
hour. Overlook a party of Englishmen
who had started from Montanvert Inn
we passed them and kept on climbing the
icy river, sometimes leaping great chasims
seventy feet deep. We gradually began
to feel the effects of the surrounding
majesty, wilder scenes or more savage
solitude was never more fully witnessed
than by those who haye penetrated into
these profound valleys Of Mont Blanc.
We were frequently startled by the ava
laach, that thunder-bolt Of snow"
which, becoming detached FROM the ellis
came rushing from the gdy heights,
bearing upon it's bosom fields of ice and
great rocks, that caused the valleys to
shout and the very mountains to tremble,
SO Why should not We. On every side
were broad fields Of snow, where 40
human feet had ever trod. At almost
every step still more imposing scenery
came to view, until We reached the grand
junction of these three glaciers. The
Tacui, the Lechord and the Talefre We
could here distinctly trace the current OF
the three glaciers, as in river, the cur
rent is the most rapid in the center, this
causes Arretes or Central Moraines to
rise in the middle of the stream which
We now turned to the left and climbed
with difficulty. up steep ascent where
all the muscles Of the body had to be
vigorously worked. This was the most
difficult climbing we had yetsencountered
A third halt at the Convercle, enabled
the party Of Englishmen to catch up,
while we drank in the grandeur which
surrounded US. Another climb of half
an hour and walk Of three miles across
the upper bed of theTalefre glacier, and
we were on the oasis in the desert, the
island in the sea, this is the Jardin.
The Jardin Of this palace, not the palace
where crumblng arch and column attests
the feebleness of human hand, for this
is palace which God has planned; yon
mighty house is as boundless as our
wonder, whose quenchless lamps are
the sun and moon, it's choir the winds
and avalanches of snow, its organ the
distant thunder and its dome the sky.
Nothing, positively nothing could excede
the overwhelming sublimity of such
spot. surrounded by this terrible beauty