The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-01-22

is called by us Lucerne. With It's greer
waters so deeply imbedded between the
towering mountains which surround, it il
incomparably the graudest of the Swiss
lakes.
A monument to Schiller may be seer
from the boat soon after leaving Drummer
and entering the Southern arm of the
lake called the "Urner see." Tells
Chapel is also point of interest further
Southwark on this arm of the lake.
The fear of Cholera reduced the trave
in Switzerland very greatly. The quar-
autine',laws prevented us from visiting
lake Como and other points in Italy.
We travelled up the Great st. .Gothard
railway from lake Lucerne to the mouth
of the great tunnel.
hescenery along the line isindescriba.
bly, grand, and the engineering skill dis
played in carrying the road up the valley
side by side with the Reuss in its precipi'
tous course from the Gotthard to lake
Lucerne, is marvellous.
The reader has doubtless read of the
device of loop tunnels along this line.
This is necessary in case of a high water
fall, where the train must make consid-
erable rise in short distance, in order
to regain the level Of the river. Here
the tunnel is built in a circle at 9 very
considerable grade, enabling the train,
by climbing under ground, to reach the
valley above, from which re may, in
many cases, view the entrance to the
tunnel below. In Italy, the train
descends or ascends 3O2 feet by means Of
two such spiral tunnels, one Of the coils
being directly over the other in the form
of a winding staircase. The traveller
feels of course that the car is on consid-
erable grade and describing curve, but
as it is all tunnel, he has little idea Of
the stupendous skill displayed in its
construction.
After leaving the railroad at the
Gotthard tunnel, we pursued our journey
until we reached the lake of Geneva, on
the 3Oth day of August, almost entirely
on foot, u \ the exception of using the
railroad in the Rhone valley between
Visp and Montreux.
We went the Gotthard route by the
eTeufeps Bruecke" devils bridge), leay-
ing it at Andermatt, a village in the
Reuss valley just over the great tunnel,
which here runs thousand feet under
ground.
The tour over the Rhone glacier, where
the Rhone has its source, is very interest.
ing, very easy and not dangerous, though
aa accident might occur, aud it is hard
for US to realize that there are many deep
and dangerous chasms beneath the smooth
surface of snow over which we pass.
This glacier shows very beautifully the
feature known as "glacier mills" The
"glacier mill" is deep shaft, few feet
in circumference, penetrating the icy
mass and acting as conduit for the lit
tie streams caused by the melting of the
snow and ice, conveying them from their
channels on the surface to depths below,
where they find an outlet. II a rock be
thrown into shaft. one may hear it for
some moments, laundering on ills down.
ward course and showing that their depth
is considerable. Some are estimated at
over a hundred feet in depth. In walk
ing over this glacier one is attracted by
the deep assures over the surface and the
peculiar green color which the walls of
ice show. Sometimes iridescence in the
icy cayerns is seen. The moraines here
are not 30 interesting as chose of the
Corner glacier, which brings down much
more debris-especially the central
moraine.
In the HASH valley are two very fine
waterfalls. One is called the "Haudeck'
fall aud is formed by the Aare river
which is precipitated into very narrow
abyss $50 feet below, and the Aerlenbacb
which comes at right angle to the Aare
and precipitates itselfinto the same abyss
the waters of the two uniting about hall
way down. AS the chasm is 80 narrow
and the volume of water so considerable
the view is much obscured by the rising
spray and mists. The other fall is that
of the Reichenbach near Meiringen
There are two falls here which are quite
handsome,
On the way to Grindelwald, when
opposite the Wetterhorn, which rises very
perpendicularly from the valley, we heard
the Alpine horn and the magnificent
echo from the surrounding mountains
The Alpine horn is about six feet long
and is made from pieces of wood or bark,
sometimes held together by string
closely wound around ii, and sometimes
bound by metallic hoops at intervals OF
s to 10 inches. It is small and straight
at first, being gradually enlarged to the
mouth where it is bent and widened like
trumpet, the mouth being several inches
in diameter. Nothing but the simplest
air can be played upon it, but the tone is
one of the softest and sweetest quality.
As the melody is blown the returning
echo forms second" part to it. The
clear, faint notes, reflected from the
snow. covered peaks above, come to us as
if from the very courts of Heaven, soft
and perfect, and grow even more enchant-
ing as they are lost amid the far of
heights,