Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-12-23

he river really runs IN Gorge between
steep rocks, whore the sunshine never
penetrated, and where there is q mot
astonishing echo; i. is over eiyht miles ard
is, as a matter Of course, provided with
hotel, arG this a,ain OF course "Grand
Hotel"
Martiguy is small village of no i'm
pOr nee, except as artipg point .or ex-
cnrsions up to Chamouay, Mont Blanc and
the Greao St. 3e.na Alps. After wait
ing for seve.al hours, speno in walking
around the village and visiting the quaint
Catholic church, where SCI vices are just be-
i ing held, we at lasg succeed n get ing
! team and driver and start on our mouu ain
ride, distance of 81 hours to Chamoury,
] where our next nigh s. rest will be. After
leaving he valley the road for q long dis
lance winds up the mountains in perfect
| Zlgzag, so That we often find it shorter,
| though sleeper, to walk on foot, resting
along the load until the wagon over
takes US. Magnificent views Of the val
| ley spread out before US like a map.
3! The scenery up the mountain is cons ant
| ly changing, the road now winding through
| fresh green pastures, then again shaded by
magnificent chestnut trees that just now
! are dropping their fruit. Looking up and
in through the intervening valleys we con-
stantly have in view the Mt. Blanc range
of noun aims, with their numerous peaks
all called by different names and all covered
with snow. We reach TRENT where {.
: lunch of bread, cheese and wine is pro-
| cured for while we descend again cross
f, irg wild ctreams and driving over narrow
roads cut into ,he mountain side with the
valley deep below US. Again we ascend
through the dense pine forests Of TRENT
where the stream of The same name ruches
brs wiling alorg far down below US. At
the Tete Noi-e, a head of the mountain
covered with da pines aud whence we
can see up anu down the valley OF the
Eau Noi"e and back through the valley of
TIE TRENT, we stop to rest the horses,
/ while we continue the journey ON foot
meanwhile. We re he.e more than 1000
ieel above the level Of the sea, but all
| around US the mountains reach up still
further. Through valleys, along mountain
sides across rushing streams the road con-
tinues, un I'll towards evening we enter the
valley Of Chamouny, where Mt. Blanc in
all is majestic glory bursts upon our view,
It's white top still rejecting the last rays
of the disappearing sun.
The valley Of Chamouny, some $500 feet
above the level of the sea, is l5 miles long
by three quarters of mile wide, and is
watered by the Arve, a mountain stream
fed by the melting ice of the gigantic ice
catarac-s that bound the valley on the
| Sou.h West. The water of the ArVe is
Ike the water CT nearly all these mountain
streams, resembling soap suds in it's color
and want Of clearness. The valley was
| first brought into cultivation 10 the lZtn
, century, but was for centuries in very bad
repute owing to the lawlessness of the in
habi.ants. In l740 it was described by
two Englishmen, and since then it has be-
come favorlte resort for travellers, until
| now it is calculated that it is visited by no.
less than $4,000 people annually, the
majority OF whom are English and Ameri-
cans. Although inferior to the Bernese
Oberla1d in the variety of It's scenery, it is
superior to ii in the grandeur and nearne7s
of the glaciers and is attractive from the
fact that here begins the ascent of Mt
Blanc. We reach the village Of Chamoury
afte~ dark, and being about the last
travellers Of the season, we find the hotels,
if not closed at least lonesome, bu. succeed
~ finding admission to the Bote! Angle
terre at Londres, where we soon G-d rest
for the weary limbs.
Inc ea.'ly dawn Of the next morning
fCuad ps On he porch of our excellent
noel looking up to the op OF Mt. Bi.nc,
a tbs re-y foo. Of which we stand lying
o see The fist rays of The sun, as they cast
'h';c golden iig1. On the snowy peaks.
We a,e now 1E45 E. above tne level OF the
sea, and above Us lowers The mountain
reaching up L, 336 it more truly the
monarch Of European mountains, from
about half way up to its top clad in snow.
The ifs, ascent of the noun ain was made
ir 1855 by guide alone, bus now the as
cent IS made about 20 times annually, and
is in fine weather ROT very dangerous,
though al rays risky. In 1870 party OF
eleven persons persisted in a snow storm
during the ascent and only about a month
be.Cre oar visit, Two gentlemen, one if re-
member correctly, lawyer or doctor from
somewhere in Mass achusetts, the other
Englishman, were caught in snow Storm
on their way down, lost their way and
iCaliy sat down in despair in the snow,
where they froze TO death The American
gentleman had kept his diary up to almost
the last moment before death laid its cold
hand on him, and the body was found
shcrt time at ,erwards and inferred in
Chamouny at the expense of the United
States government The sun shines
full upon the mountain top and by the
help Of powerful telescope we are enabled
20 see dlstintly the most remarkable places
on the way up. After breakfast mules,
guides and walking sticks are brought into
requisition, nails are fastened in the soles
Of our boots, and we start on Our way up
the mo untain to cross the glacier called
the mer de glace (sea of ice) After as
cendirg up nearly 5000 feet from the val
ley we reach Montauvert, the name of
spot rather place from which we have
beautiful view out over our glacier, an
immense sea of ice filling the highest
gorges of the chain of Mt. Blanc in three
| branches, and at length uniting in the form
| of a huge stream of ICE about II miles long
and from one to four miles wide. THIS is
the Mer de Glace visible for a distance Of
6 miles, and resembling a sea suddenly
! frozen, after the tempest has subsiled, but
while the waves ale still rolling high.
Here we leave our mules, in order 10 cross
the glacier, while they and boy rerrace
their steps to ascend the mountains and