Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-11-27

We started soon after daylight on a
cold, clear, frosty morning. Mont
Blanc and all of the two grand ranks of
snow w-covered mountains that enclose
the famous valley were clearly visible
The glaciers glistened and the hoar frost
whitened everything. The town was
allEIstir, for the trip negotiation hadexci-
ted the people, and they gave US royal
send-oif in honor Of the victory over
the Swiss. The Chief assisted us into
the wagons, and the men and women
all along the road as we quickly trotted
out of the town, babe us God speed. 1t
was the the first time ever knew hack
men 10 be so much more delighted at
taking less. We were pleased too. as
they were. though il was very cold, and
Jack Frost made the ears and toes tin
gle. Yet, cold as we were, there were
women and children out in the little
cultivated patches of ground, some of
them barefooted, digging potatoes, and
the entire valley was resonant with COW
bells, as all the animals were being
driven TO pasture, each with its tremen-
dOus bell and its guardian, the Latter
often being women wEo carried babies,
and knitted as they trudged along. The
road passed eastward up the valley.
with the swift-rushing Arve coursing
along first on one side and then on the
other. 1t was 4 narrow, winding way,
originally intended OILY for mule path
and all along huge stone piles were
placed on ore side. intended as buoys
to mark the route when the valley is
covered with snow. We passed the
Mer de Glace (Sea Of Ice) with mag
nificent view, and the little stream into
which this great glacier resolves itself
came rushing, through vast morain
of debris, down to our feet. Then we
toiled up tremendous hill and came
in iull view of the IL nountain known as
the Silver Needle, which sends down
another great glacier, and getting grad
ually into a ravine which led away
| from the Arve, We mounted up height
| of 5000 feet and crossed the summit of
the mountain pass known as the Mon
| tets. This was one of the widest ami
most desolate regions ever saw. No
body lived there; nothing grew but
stunted grass and moss; there was
scarcely a tree or bush TO be seen, but
the whole thing was covered with huge
boulders dropped about indiscriminate-
| ly, ana some of them as large as three
story house. Even the cows and goats
which we saw almost everywhere else
desertedthis inhospitable region around
which barren rocks kept guard, run
ming up to the snow-covered mountains,
whose rocky, bare peaks stood up
against the sky. 1t was a tremendous
hill to climb, but the Chammounix
horses were used to the work. The men
all walked, thus tightening the road.
Having crossed the summit. the head
of the Eau Noire, or Blackwater, ap-
peared, and we began descending on
that side, to go around the dark and re- !
pulsIve mountains that gives its name !
to the pass, the Tete Noire, or the Black !
Head. Rocks and desolation reigned |
on this side, but the road was down |
hill, and that was a satisfaction, though |
it brought us deeper and deeper into
the dark and narrow valley. Here to |
comfort us was monument erected to a \
French nObleman, some time age over
whelmed in this pass by an avalanche.
Down through the savage and barren |
~. - L kan,r,1,
the Swiss and Savoyard horses always |
trot down hill, as it is the only chance |
they have to trot at all, but the road |
was frequentlya breck-neck one, mar
row, filled with stones, and as uncom-
Portable to ride on "A some of our Phil !
adelphia cObble stone streets. Directly |
an occasional hut appeared, AMI then a !
COW or two was seen hunting for herb |
age, and afterwards we passed some lit
tie sad-lOOking villages, with miserable |
houses, and a most poverty-stricken ap- |
pearance. Getting finally 70 the bot
tom We passed the pretty cascade of
Barberine, and just beyond it crossed |
the boundary between France aud |
Switzerland, marked by square stone |
by the roadside. There was no custom |
house, for there did not appear enough |
vegetation in the whole valley to sup |
psrt n revenue officer. Then we left |
the Blackwater, and gradually toiling |
up the side of the Black Head mountain, |
mounted towards the terrible-lookiug |
gorge which gives this route the name |
of the ''Mauvais pas" or the Bad Pass. |
Here, at small inn by the roadside, we
stopped to refresh the horses. From |
the front door you look up thousands |
of feet to the mountain top, whilst from |
the back door a stone would drop
thousand feet into tho torrent below.
At this inn were half dozen Of those
famous ST. Bernard dogs that do such a
good service in these Swiss passes in
times of snow. They were large, good
looking and hungry-anj, very much
like dogs at home, gathered around the
table to pick up scraps. For hundred
francs could have bought a little fellow
four weeks old that the landIady was
anxious to sell as she had enough ST.
Bernard dogs already.
After the rest, we started again, and
found that the route diverged into two
gorges, ,one going off through the TRENT,
and the other, which We took, turning
suddenly to the right between two
mountain. This was the worst portion
of this very bad pass. The narrow, de-
vious road, more fit for mules than wa
gons, and on which there was only oc-
casional room for TWO wagons TO pass,
toiled up hill again. being hewn out of
the rocky side of an abyss, the bottom
of which, far down below, was filed
with boulders, snagged trees, and all
sorts of rubbish brought down by the
torrent. Up I'VE toiled through the mar
row defile, occasionally peeping over
the edge, or dropping a stone whose
fall was so far off we could not hear 1t.
and this was unanimously voted about
the worst looking region that nature