The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-12-11
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
A FIRST VISIT TO EUROPE.
PAPER No. 6.

PAPER No. 6.
The st. Gothard railway is one of the most
stupendous pieces of engineering in the world
Twenty-Five miles of this road pierce the solid
rock in ffty-six tunnels, seven of which of the
famous loop or spiral sort. By means of these
last the train can enter the side of the mountain
at a certain level, describe ascending or de-
scending turn and presently emerge at point far
above or below that of entrance. Most confusing
is the result to the unnitiated of this doubling of
the road upon itself as it were. Objects in the
open air prospect which appear upon one side of
the car before entering the tunnel present them
selves of course upon the other after emerging
therefrom, and many and intense the express
sions of surprise on the part of the enthusiastic
traveller over this seeming phenomenon. So
numerous are the windings of this line necessary
to the ascent of these awful heights that loftiy
situated church at a certain point comes into view,
first the right then on the left and again the
right as the train flashes backward and forward
into seemingly breathless intervals of daylight
from almost nterminable periods of sitting night
portion of the road lies for several miles along
ledge of the mountain and here one can look
through narrow grass-covered gorge up into the
illimitable blue of heaven or down into the SEEM
ingly fathomless grey of the rock walled roaring
Reuss.
The little town of Goeschenen, at which We take
the diligence for Andermatt, looks as if it were
tiers of it. We fix upon our vehicle, climb by
means of steep and perilous looking ladder to a
seat swung somewhere in midair, and with great
swapping of whips and jingling of bells we are of
Up through the DEVILS Gorge We mount with
creditable speed, the proximity to the precipitous
edge of the narrow road and the startling lurches
of the vehicle at the sharp turns being, to say the
least, little disturbing to our equanimity. Upon
the bridge of his Satanic majesty, the rocky side
of which is adorned with a most creditable por-
trait of his Royal-Lowness perhaps we should
say-forked tail, cloven feet and horned head por-
trayed with authentic fdelity-we pause to take
in the striking scene Here the torrent, falling
with awful force into natural cauldron, deep and
wide, madly seethes and dashes, while the power
bear it upward like vapor from boiling pit. We
wonder if the scenery of sbeol itself can furnish
anything more terribly impressive.
In less than an hour we enter with rafting ecat
the little town of Andermatt which lies in the GEN.
ire of highland valley, surrounded on every side
by snow-crowned peaks We are amazed at the
information that this place is winter resort for
invalds and that the climate is particularly salu-
brious to consumptives. We try to account for
the fact on the ground that the circle of hills must
keep off the Arctic winds that sweep the surround
ing regions, and must help the little valley to COL
lect Sol's rays as in sun-glass, but we find this
rather unsatisfactory explanation.
In the hotel parlor few hours later our CON
versation betrays the fact that we Americans
and tempts gentleman, most quiet in demeanor
and more plain in appearance, who is sitting near,
to join in our talk. He is an Englishman and
presently begins running fire of teasing humor
upon the awful bgness of things in America, q
bigness incompatible with beauty of scenery, be-
no one thing can possibly be viewed or judy
ed as a whole, everything needing to be taken in
instruments as it were. We retOrt by implying
that it must be "precious little that he can know
about American scenery, and by inveighing broad
ly against London journalists with their benighted
ignorance of American topography and geography
even all of which he takes most sweetly, branch
ing off presently into themes various and eviden-
cling fascinating brilliancy of thought and
charming kindiness of humor together with fund
of information and breadth of spirit unusual and
remarkable. At parting he expresses q cordial
desire to continue the acquaintance and we ex-
change cards. To our amazement and temporary
chagrin we find that he is w. F. Stead, of the Pail
Mall Gazette. We make our peace with him BY
granting an occasional exception to our sweeping
denunciations of London Journalists, and we
silently wish that we dared give vent to our warm
admiration of his brilliancy of mind and ineness
of spirit, but content ourselves of course with
expressions of pleasure over the rencounter and
with the hope that we may be fortunate enough
some day to repeat the charming experience.
The wonder and glory of Swiss scenery lies first
in the fact that the mountains rise almost precip
itously out of low plain to the height of eight.
twelve, fifteen thousand feet, and second that the
snow instead of holding itself in lofty purity upon
inaccessible peaks reaches gently down to kiss the
very grass while the grass, tenderly responsive,
stretches up soft arms to embrace the snow. One
never ceases to wonder at this familiar neighbor-