The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-12-02

I the depths, that has been well COM
pared to the tinkling of silver bell. The
smaller cracks in the ice become light
ly covered by frost or snow, and the
| careless traveller runs the risk of break
/ ing through these frail snow-bridges,
and losing his life. Such accidents are
prevented by the members of a party
| linking themselves together with 10
strong. light rope and in case one per-
son breaks through. the others prevent
him from falling any distance. Several
lives have been lost in Switzerland,
during the past season, through the neg
lect of this precaution.
1t is at the lowest portion OF glacier
| however, that more signs ofits destruc-
| ton are to be seen than elsewhere. The
melting ice at the end of the Glacier des
Bots often forms an ice-vault, or portico
one hundred feet high from the bottom
of which rushes out the yellowish,
! frothy glacier-water. When the vault
becomes top-heavy, it breaks in upon
the stream with laundering crash.
| One winter one of these vaults was sup
ported by a regular and beautifully
fiuted column composed of icicles. The
forms a delightful picture, with its
! flower banks, rye-field, per-
haps growing at one side, and the ears
of ripening rye nodding over the ice.
On one of the most beautiful Alpine
routes, the bridle-path leads over green
pastures and alps decked with rhodo-
dendrons and patches of vivid and
countless wild-fowers; passing in view
of magnifcently SCARED and broken
wall of ice and snow twenty-five
miles long, which pierces the
clouds, and increases in grandeur
almost throughout the whole
distance About the middle of the Sec
ond day of the journey we would find
ourselves, after good dinner, seated
| in comfortable chair within a seeming
stones throw of that majestic mountain,
| the Jungfrau, its summit and higher
portions covered with snow of the most
brilliant purity, while one of its minor
peaks, called the silver horn, is perfectly
dazzling. Here, seated in safety and
ease, we might, on a warm day, be
greeted by the rush and bomb of an
avalanche. At the distance, though
seemingly near, it would appear like a
small white cascade curling up white
puffs of snow, but in reality it would
consist of many tons of ice and snow
powerful enough to cut its way through
any obstacle. though there harmlessly
hurting itself into deserted valley.
There are many celebrated Alpine
points from which to view the glaciers.
| In descending from one of these higher
! overlooking mountains, the ascent to
which had led us half hour over ice
and snow, the distance was cOnsidera-
bly, shortened by safe and exhilarating
slide on the smooth ice covered with
downv snow. 1t reduced the half hour
to few minutes, but had no wish to
repeat the experiment. We simply had
to take a seat on the snow near the
edge of the incline, give slight push,
and before we knew what happened the
bottom of the snow-field was reached.
The drawbacks were shoes and garments
filled with snow, followed the next day
by frosted toes-in August, too.
Near Mount Rosa, in 1861, some MEM
bers of the Al pine Club discovered a
peculiarly grand and beautiful crevasse,
followed out into long cavern formed
like the letter G. The walls were of a
transparent blue color, arched over
| from the sun, 60 while from the roof
above hung down forest of long, clear
| icicles, each adorned with two or three
lace-like fringes of hoar frost" They
were seeking shelter from a sudden
gale of wind, and to enter the cavern
were forced to sweep these beautiful
decorations down with their poles.
The Rhone glacier is imbedded be-
tween the Gersthorn and the Galen-
stock and extends backward like huge
| terrace for a distance of fifteen miles.
! As its name denotes, it is the source of
| the river Rhone. At the foot of this
glacier, an ice-grotto is hewn into the
mass of clear blue ice. To the right is
seen the Furca road ascending the
mountain in long zig-zags.
The Grand Mulets is 5000 feet above
the level of the sea, and is the point
reached by travellers on the first day S
ascent of Mont Blanc. During the Sec
ond day, they reach the summit and re-
turn to Grand Mulets and on the third
| they descend to Chamounix. 1t was in
| the vale of Chamounix that the English
poet, Coleridge, wrote his beautiful
"Hymn before Sunrise" containing
these lines about the glaciers:
eye ice-falls We that from the mountains
brow
| Adown enormous ravines slope amain-
| Torrents, methinks, that heard a mighty voice,
And stopped, at once, amid their maddest
plunge.
Notionless torrents Silent cataractsl
Who made you glorious as the gates of
Heaven
| Beneath the keen full moonl Who babe the
sun
Clothe you with rainbowsl Who, with living
flowers
! OF loveliest hue, spread garlsnds at your feetl
God Let the torrents, like shout Of nations
Answer and let the ice-plains echo, Godp'
Mont Blanc, you know, is the highest
mountain of Europe, and on its side, in
an icy desert 9, 143 feet above the sea.
is to be found little oasis of grass and
flowers celebrated all over the world as
the Jardin." A more strangely placed
garden is not to be found anywhere;
it is the delight of travellers, and there
are to be seen, in many American
homes, carefully pressed flowers from
this lofty garden, preserved as souvenirs
of visit there. During certain states
of the atmosphere, in passing over the
upper portions of a glacier, CLEANS of
beautiful blue light issue from every
hole made by the feet or staff in the
snow. At that elevation, the snow as
it falls is presented to the naked eye as
showers of white, frozen flowers, all of
them six-leaved, but of many different
arrangements. When, from a high
peak, the wind catches up this new
fallen snow in light clouds, and spreads
it out like the graceful tail of comet,
the Swiss say the peak is smoking a