The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-05-18
IN SUNNY ITALY.
cRAWFoRD's NOTES OF A TRIP
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.

shine = Discomforts of Continsntal
Travel-Government Railroad Control
In Itaiy--An Interesting Sight.
Before leaving England l had been
given the most extravagant descriptions
OF the beautiful spring to be found In
sunny Italy. / have now been away
from London week and have found no
place where the climate was as mild and
even as in the city of London itself. The
further south l have gone the more snow
and cold have found. When l reached
the border of sunny Italy, where my inn
agination had pictured an atmosphere Of
tropical warmth, was confronted with
tremendous snow storm, which blocked
the trains, made me miss my connections,
and l 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 Modane, there was
nothing offered during this long journey
az any of the stations by any hawkers, in
spite of the fact that the train was
crowded from end to end with people
nearly rs 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 Conti-
mental trains is something beyond descrip-
ton. 1t needs to be actually experienced
in order to be fully realized. If had not
been warned by friend of some of the
possibilities in taking trip south at this
time of year, l should undoubtedly have
suffered much more than / did. But fol-
lowing his instructions had made nearly
the same preparations that / would II
had been going to join an Arctic expedi-
ton. l had thick wooden rug, cardi-
gan jacket over my waistcoat, and over
all heavy English box coat, much
heavier coat than l have ever found neces-
sary to wear in any climate in the United
States. With all Of this bundling upI
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 moderating. .rat.
1t was not until the Alpine country was
reached that l really saw snow. Every
thing before that was a mere play in COM
parison. In the neghborhood of the
Mont Cents tunnel the Snow fell in great
white feathery masses, piling up in the
most fantastic way In 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 it 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 it ran
with great rapidity through the famous
Mont Cents tunnel. l have heard this
tunnel designated as one Of perfect horror,
SO far as the discomforts of passing
through it are concerned. Imaginative
travellers have described 1t as place
where passengers run almost the risk Of
suffocation. The train passed through
this tunnel in thirty-flve 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
connected with the passage was the in
tense cold, which came into the loosely
built cars, giving one the sensation for
the time of being confined in an ice
chest The little foot warmers filled
with hot water which were put into the
carriage from time to time made but little
impression in contending with the cold,
which constantly sifted in through the
loose joints of the cars.
The Italian government controls the
railroads of this country. Slower and
more maddening trains it would be hard
to find in any country in the world.
took local train from Turin to Milan in
order to make 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 as soon as the station was
remotely visible, slowing down SO grad
ually in order not to jar the nerves of this
never hurrying people that you could
hardly tell when the train came to stop.
The most irritating part of the travel was
the long wait at each station. The guards
would visit with the officials at the va
rious stations and walk up and down and
gossip until they felt inclined to start the
train once more on its headlong career to-
ward another station about half a mile
away. do not think that the train ever
made a run of more than two miles with
out stop.
The starting of train in Italy is very
interesting sight to a stranger The
guards wear military uniforms. Their
caps are round with low visor. Red
bands encircle these caps. Their great
coats are black, with cowl like capes
hanging down their backs. These coats
are ornamented with brass buttons.
When the train stops the guards rush up
and down calling out in the most sonor-
Gus and musical of voices the name of the
stazione. This sounds exactly as II they
were chanting. When the train stops the
facchinos or porters, in blue blouses,
come running up to assist passengers to
alight and to carry their baggage for
them. No matter how small your pack
age you are not permitted % carry 1t.
You must employ facchino or fight. I'm
posing looking gendarmes, with the same
cooked hats worn by similar French
officials and muffled up in long black
cloaks, stand about exactly as upon stage
scene In an opera. No one ever saw them
do anything except pose.
Men in gray cloaks and huge fur collars
stalk about talking, chattering, smoking.
News venders, with the Italian papers,
run up and down outside of the train call
ing their wares under the windows. Many
of these news venders are women. They
carry books, novels and newspapers in
tray in front of them, and in little leather
satchels upon their hips, for the private
reading of travellers, lively little books
which Mr.. Comstock would not permit to
be sold In New York Finally, after an
endless amount of singsong chanting, up
roar and moving to and fro, solemn
looking official comes out from the station
and blows penny fish horn, such as we
hear in the United States on Christmas
day from the small boy in the streets.
This is the signal for the train 10 depart;
but you are not to be suddenly moved.
There is a further wait of five minutes to
prepare you for the shock of departure,
aid then the engine gives responsive
screech, the doors Of the coaches are
banged, and at last you are off for fif-
teen or twenty minutes crawl to another
station.-T. G. Crawford in New York
World.
Opoponax is the name OF q new per-
fume that has suddenly became very
popular In Paris 1t is said to be made
chiefly from carrots, and has what may
be termed a modified smell of that vege.
table. e.--Chicago News.
For seasickness.
Three grammes daily OF antipyrln fol
three days before embarking and the sam,
dose for three days following, is said by
French scientist Ia be sure preventive
OF seasickness.-New York Tribune.
A Horrible Inheritance.
tao ion - fa. f,,l