Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-09-16
RHINE LETTER.
Down the Rhlne-The Historic and
Legendary Gronnd Through
Which II Flows.
German Universities aud students a. Com
pared with American Colleges ana
students.


Observation-Disclosures, Aug. 81 The
trip along the Rhine has been so often
described that TO say anything new is
next to impossible. But the noble stream
certainly merits much that has been said
and written about it.. And vet. apart
from the many old towers, miniature
Islands and lofty crags it is not superior
II equal to the Hudson. Just now the
banks are lined with green fields, fruit
iul Wales and acres of golden grain.
The whole distance from Maycnce to
Cologne Is historic, or at least legendary,
ground, and every rock or village has its
tale of love or war Mayence itself is
not without interest, as the city in which
Gutenberg brought to relative perfection
the greatest of modern arts, and printed
his first Bible. He worked hard during
his life time, and had the usual hard LOT
OF discoveries and inventors, but poster
ity has made it up for him In statues.
Passing steep hills and numerous vine.
yards ana most magnificent landscape
we came to fair Bingen, rendered famous
by poets and its poor soldier dying In
Algiers. Just beyond on Il green little
isle in the middle of the stream Is the
"Mouse Tower" a unique little structure
five or six stories high, and in perfect
keeping with the size of the islet ON
which ii stands. Every one aboard the
boat PUSHES to the eastern side to gct a
good view.
Then comes the ruins of Rhonstcin.
Faulkcnbug, the castle of Hcimburg,
Fuerstcnbcrg, Stahleck, the Pfai- built
in the midst of the river IN the 18th cen
fury by Louis of Bavaria to exact tribute
OF passing vessels, and the ruin OF
Schoenberg, which like all these places
has its legend. Not farbcyond is the rock
of the "Lorclei," four hundred aud forty
seven feet high, the home of siren,
with star on her forehead and
harp in her hand, who lured
men to destruction i'm her whlrl-
pool and then chantcd their death song
The theme Is Il favoritc one with the Ger
man poets. Formerly the rock gave forth
dozen or more echoes, so says the le-
gcnd but the LorcleI has become tired
of Turing men and now her rock sends
back but one echo. And il is likely that
the railroad tunnel now leading through
ii has rendered even that one very faint
and prosaic Some one has said that the
echo now is, "Takc care of your pocket 4;
take care of your pocket"
Presently we arrive AT CoblcntZ, the
latin C0nRuenti0, or confluence on the
Rhine and the blue Moscllc. Opposite is
Ehrenbrcltstem, "thc broad stone OF
n0nor," the Gibraltar of Germany, which
nature and man have ColAblued to rcudel
the most tremendous ScoW that the face
of one country can wear towards another
The French were in possession of it once
"And laid those proud roofs bare to summer
rain,
ON which the inn shower had poured In vain
The garrison, which can be reduced
only by starvation, once held out so Ions
/ that catfish sold at twenty-five cents ;
pound. The dungeons and other secret
of the fortress could formerly be seer
! for fee, but since the last war the mill
I tary rules are much stricter, The French
stang by wrath and shame, would do al
most anything to find out weak place II
/ this rock of defense.
| At Ncuwicd and Andcmach are thu
/ famous quarricS producing three kinds o
/ stone, one of which gives millstoncs, an
/ other the water cement used in HOLLAND
! to give solidity to the bikes, and a third ,
I stone for collins, which absorbS the moist
IRE of the body 1t was this kind o
/ burial caskct which the Greeks called sar
/ cophagl-hesh consumers. Not far from
the former place is the monument Il
/ Hochc, Il Young French general who wa
Thought to show moro promise than Ma
polcon himself twas for HIM that Byrol
! wrote the cpitaph,
"lus mouners were two hosts-his friends am
foes"
which is scarcely inferior TO the one 4
MarcCau, also buried on the shores OF IN
Rhine
Gle had kept
The wilderness of his soul, and thus men wen
for him.
The Drachcnfels, y spur OF the Sieb
engcbirge, or "Scvcn Mountains" pos
sesses interest as being the scene 81 IN
Niebelungenlied- the lliad and OdySSe
of German literaturc--a vast mine O
poetry only in part explored. In paga
times horrible dragon, breathing hr
and smoke, lived on the Dracl
enlels dragons rock and yearly &c
manded and obtained his human victims
Finally Young girl whose beauty M
caused a quarrel between Two knlShi
was offered to the monster aS a settle
mcnt of the tribute. She was tied to
tree, and as the dragon rushed toWar
her, she held up Il cruciIlx, winch :
affrighted him that he plunged over u
precipicc and thus made an end oil mn
self. This miracle, so says the acconn
made Christians of the heather 10 u
nelghborhood; but which of the knight
If either, the maiden married, The legen
does not say
Indeed the whole Rhine valley u
fraurht with tales, legends, ruined castle
uhair-broadth 'scapes," ana "Dalue
siepcs. fortunes" that long before u
III H. reachpd one il Wcaricd or 81