Wichita eagle., 1888-07-29
IN SUNNY ITALY.
CRAWFORO'S NOTES OF A TRIP
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.

Snow and Cold Instead of Balmy sun
shine - Discomforts of Continental
TraveI--Governmeut Railroad Control
in Italy-An Interesting Sight.
Before leaving England l had been
given the most eXtravagant descriptions
Of the beautiful spring TO be found in
sunny Italy. l have now been away
from London a week and have found no
place where the climate was as mild and
even as in.the city of London itself The
further south have gone the more snow
and cold have found. When / reached
the border of sunny Italy, where my inn
agination had pictured an atmosphere of
tropical warmth, / was confronted with a
tremendous snow storm, which blocked
the trains, made me miss my connections,
and | lost twenty-four hours en- route.
The trains from Paris south are run
with great rapidity. The Paris-Lyons
and Mediterranean express really merits
the name of being rapid train. 1t makes
no stops for eating, and on the line of the
route taken by me, via Modanc, there was
nothing offered during this long journey
at any of the stations by any hawkers, in
spite of the fact that the train was
crowded from end TO end with people
nearly as famished As wolves, who would
have been ready to pay almost any price
for something to eat. The hideous dis
comfort of night travel on the Cont
mental trains is something beyond deserip-
ton. 1t needs to be actually experienced
in order TO he fully realized. II had not
been warned by friend Of some Of the
possibilities In taking a trip south at this
time of year, should undoubtedly have
suffered much more than | did. But oil
lowing his instructions had made nearly
the same preparations that | would If |
had been going TO join an Arctic eXpedi-
ton. | had Il thick wooden rug, a cardi-
gan jacket over my waistcoai, aud over
all Il heavy English box coat, = much
heavier coat than have ever found neces-
sary to wear in any climate in the United
States With all OF this bundling up |
have just managed to keep warm in my
visit to sunny Italy up to the present
time when the weather has shown some
sign of moCerating.
1t was not until the Alpine country was
reached that ] really eaw snow Every
thing before that was mere play in COM
parison. In the neighborfrood of the
Mont Cents tunnel the snow fell in great
white feathery masses, piling up in the
most fantastic way. Ia some places the
snow was at least thirty or forty feet deep
on the heights. The trees were shrouded
as if in blankets. The mountain chalets
were covered with enough weight to
almost break in the roofs. Yet il was
considerably warmer in the mountains in
the midst of this tremendous pile Of snow
than in Paris, as the air was much dryer.
The track had been cleared that morning,
but the train proceeded very slowly
through the mountains. although IL ran
with great rapidly through the famous
Mont Gents tunnel / have heard this
tunnel designated "a one Of perfect horror,
SO far as the discomforts Of passing
through it are concerned. Imaginative
travellers have described it as place
where passengers run almost the risk Of
sufocation. The train passed through
this tunnel in thirty five minutes At no
time was there the slightest discomfort IN
breathing. The air was much better than
on the underground railroad in the city IN
London. The only disagreeable feature I
connected with the passage was the In |
tense cold, which came into the loosely 4
built cars, giving one the sensation for
inc lll4ir vi tc4HS tpADtfA Al an iCe I
chest. The little foot warmers filed I
with hot water which were put into the /
carriage from tine 70 time made but little /
impression in contending with the cold, 1
which constantly sifted In through the 4
loose joints Of the cars.
The Italian government controls the 4
railroads Of this country. Slower and 4
more uaddening trains It would be hare 4
G~gl In, I. -. -
took local train from Turin 20 Milan IN .
order 10 make a connection for Venice, +
and ! was over FIVE hours going Dis .
tance Of sixty miles The train always
started out with great reluctance and .
began stopping - soon as the station was
visible, slowing down 80 grad /
ualiy in order not 10 Jar the nerves Of this
never burTying people that you could /
hardly tell when the train came 20 stop.
The most irritating part 81 the travel was
the long wait ~ each station. TIE guards
would visit with the oTleials RI TIE va
rioas stations AID walk up and down and
gossip until they lett inclined 10 stats the
train once rnoTe On its hsa6lon2 career to-
ward another station about half a nile
away. j do &c. think that the train ever
made run Of Dore than two mics With
OFT stop.
The starting q train IN Italy Il avery I
interesting sight 70 q stranger. TIE
guards wear military uniforms. Their
c8ps are round with . low visor ked
bands e1ciTcie these caps Their great
coats are black with cogl Ike e4p@s
hanging down their bscks. These eoats
are oTnarnented with brass buttons
Waen tie train stops tae guards rush Up
and down calling cut in TIE rr.1es. so-s0--
Co.'S ard musical o. voices the I-Anae of toe
s.az5one Th4s sounds exactly - L They
-ere chanting When the train stops TIA
o. portens. IL slps bIs4sss,
ror.s ru1aiax - 70 assist passed. ger. %