The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-11-14
European Correspondence of the Bulletin.l
HOTEL R1GI, KUHN, October, 1875.


tainly high enough up for all practical pur
poses. suppose there must be many people
in America who have not even heard OF thl!
mountain; for know up to the time Of my
departure from that blessed country, little
more than year ago, the name Rig if had
ever seen it, had made no permanent i'm
preston upon my mind; but after having
climbed the mountain itself, on foot, | fancy
shat shall not be likely to forget it for some
little time to come.
However as | am about to say, those who
have not heard of the Rgi will at any rate,
In all probability, have seen the lake of LII
oerne on the map Of Switzerland, and close to
1T smaller lake, nearly round, rejoicing in the
suphonious name of Tug. Well, the R'gi
HES between these two lakes-that is, if o
mountain that shoots almost straight upward
can be said to lie at all. There is railway
up this mountain, an institution consisting of
an ordinary line of rails with third line in
the middle, furnished with powerful cogs.
INTO which play ths teeth of wheel that pro-
pels the locomotive and pushes the passenger
aar up the steep ascent. This institution, I
am proud to say, is an acknowledged imita-
lion of similar railways in America.
by paying the contemplate sum of seven
francs one may ride up to the very top of the
mountain, but no the guide-b book says, ''to
good walkers the ascent on foot is recon-
mended, as the ride on the railway affords less
opportunity of surveying the magnificent
scenery" and we, proud in the consciousness
Of being good walkers, laughed at the idea of
being hauled up by steam, that is well enough
for ladies or invalids-we started manfully up
ON foot. They call it three hours and
qaarter from Weighs, where we began the as
cent TO the summit or tulna and we said, "All
right, we will do it In two and threee-quar-
ters;' but somehow we did not do it, unless
from p NJ to makes two hours and three
quarters, for it was at Z 2. NJ. we got to the
top.
The first hour went off finely. although the
sun did warm Us up q little on stretches
where there Was no shade, but in the early
part of tho second hour we found ourselves
stopping to admire the scenery every time we
came to rock in the shade where one might
nit down. Then we began to loosen up col
bars and cravats and to speculate on the prob
able distance by an airline to tiny flag we
could see futtering, as it seemed. miles
above our heads, and to talk about what q
splendid idea it was to build that railroad.
Still we toiled on, breathless and resolute,
without openly confessing to each other any
freacherous thoughts relative to q preference
for the railway as means by which "good
walkers might reach the top.
The book had assured us and continued to
assure us that, no matter how fatiguing the
walk, the fresh mountain air never fails to
revive the tired pedestrian as he ascends, but
somehow that peculiar sort of mountain air
seemed not to be afoat just then. We did
Admire the scenery, however, every time we
stopped for breath There was the lovely
blne lake with its banks of picturesque noun
aains spread beneath us, cities and towns nest |
ling in the hazy valley toward the north,
music floating family upward from invisible
bands on board tiny looking steamers that
sonld be seen coursing through the still
waters, leaving q long widening track of
waves that seemed to US like ripples behind
Mem, while in the distance lowered the long |
line Of snowy Alps, and above all the cloud
less sky.
There is no question about the view being |
superb, even to men bathed in perspiration |
and toiling up q steep mountain at o'clock ;
on summer afternoon. With the beginning of |
she third hour the resting spells become more
frequent and longer, and we openly discussed
the folly of walking up such mountain |
when we could have ridden. We met num-
hers of peasants walking down, and in an.
syer to our questions as to how much further |
10 the top, they gave us information which we
would gladly have disbelieved had not all the |
replies corresponded SO exactly with each
other. We now began to get into the region
OF those ice cold Artesian wells that abound
IN Alpine districts, and though we know it is
considered death to drink ice water when one
in in blaze of heat, we never failed to take
refreshing draught from the wooden spout out
1 which stream Of sparkling crystal gushed
semptingly forth.
/ shall certainly never forget these wells;
they were SO welcome, and so beautiful in
aheir rustic LONELINESS; and the water, with
cut exaggeration, it was so cold that one
could scarcely drink it. That was doubtless
all that saved our lives, for we would have
KILLED ourselves drinking ANY water reason
ably cold. But 1 need not prolong the story
nj the end of the third hour we reached that
flag and found we were still gra-
sious knows how far from the top, and then
vs began to get impatient. and cross, to
add to which we saw several trains of happy,
comfortable passengers steam by. The last
stages were made in bnsathless vexation and
Miniature. We would have quarreled if We
eould have spared the breath, but fortunately
We could not. Then We began to fear we
would miss the sunset, the grand sight for
~ IL l.