Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-10-28

several large swamps.
Taking advantage of a few day vacation
from business we took the opportunity tt
visit the Verwald Sta tier Sea Qake of thu
four forest cantons, Lake Lucerne), tht
: scene of the exploits Of Wilhelm Tell, ant
the other brave patriots, who founded the
liberty of Switzerland some 500 years ago
We left Lucerne by steamer and proceeded
to,be foot OF the Hig Mountain from here
we went by railroad up the mountain side
to the very top, 5000 feet above the level OF
the sea. This railroad must certa inl y
be considered as one of the wonders of the
age. Think Of a train, consisting of a loco
motive and a car, open on the sides and
seating about SO people, climbing up the
mountain SO steep that no ordinary wagon
with horses would attempt it. Travelling
at q speed slow as far as Il railroad train is
concerned, at the rate Of about 0 miles an
hour, VIC cross stupendous bridges built
across the chasms, while at other places we
have the steep mountain wall On one side,
! the deep abyss on the other, the road just
wide enough to allow the train to pass. As
| we look back we see the steep incivity over
which we have passed, and ahead of us the
| steep, winding track The thing looks
dangerous, and nervous people had better
| walk, but the officers told me that an &C
cident is almost impossible. On the top of
the mountain and at several places lower
down, elegant and large hotels are erected
which are now nearly deserted, but which
in the "season" have been crowded. From
the very top of Rigi, called Rigi-kulm, the
latter the name of the hotel, the view is
magnificent, and cannot in beauty and ex-
tensiveness be surpassed by any in Switzer-
land. To the front and two sides of us we |
look over seemingly low country inter-
speked with lakes and cities as far as the |
eye can reach, and the day being perfectly |
clear and the air bright the view Is extend
ed for number of miles. Not less than 80
lakes can be seen from here; and cities and |
villages innumerable. At our feet is the |
village of Kuessnacht, near which Wilhelm
Tell shot Gessler; little further off is the
beautiful Sempach lake, and the village of
the same name, near which, nearly 500 |
years ago, through the personal courage
of Arnold Won Winkelried, the Swiss troops
gained a victory over the Austrians. We
turn around and the eye opens on the most
magnificent scenery of all. High mountain
ranges stretch before US; gradually raising
higher and higher, and at the last the snow
decked peaks of the Alps in the Bernese
Overland. Here is the Jungfrau, the Much,
the Schreck horn, the Wetterhorn and macy
others, all shining from the reflection of the
rays of the sun about to disappear below
the horizon. These mountains are some so |
miles distant, but so clear is the air that
they seem to be only few miles away,
and it appears as if one could almost see |
beings move on the snow. The sunset is |
grand, and can only be seen, not described |
The same is the case with the sunrise, which |
we watched next morning. My poor pen
cannot give your readers any idea Of the |
grandeur of the scene
The next day we sail in the steamer clear
around the lake, where the steep mountains
suddenly rise up, while through the oc-
casional openings are seen the snow-decked
tops of the Alps. We pass Schiller's monu-
ment, cliff in the sharp angle of the lake,
upon which is inscribed in gold ''To the
memory of the singer of Wilhelm Tell"
again the Ruth, where the three Swiss
patriots met and resolved to throw off the
Austrian yoke, and whence three springs
of pure water burst forth after the meeting
Wilhelm Tell s Platte, where be jumped
from the boat, when Gessler carried him
off. The scenery on the lake is beautiful,
and the water Of a peculiar green color,
perfectly transparent, like the water of all
the lakes of Switzerland, with the exception
Of Lake Leman, where alone it is blue.
In Lucerne the greatest point Of attrac-
ton is the wounded lion, cut into the solid
rock after a model of Thorwaldsen. and
concentrating the bravery of the Swiss
guard in Paris in 1895. One remarkable
feature all through Switzerland is the num-
Der OF large hotels erected not only in tie
cities, but almost everywhere where the
scenery is worth seeing. These hotels are
crowded in summer, but are now nearly de-
serted or entirely closed. 1t is expected that
the postal congress will close its labors by
next week, about October g. The result
will, think, be satisfactory to our CITIZENS
| as [ know it will be financially to our gov
eminent The postage from the United
States to all parts of Europe will be on
letters cents and on newspapers
cents. From here we go by way Of Geneva,
Mt. Gents, Turin Modena, Verona and
| Venice to Munich and Vienna.
w