Wichita eagle., 1889-10-10
a LETTER FROM EUROPE.
WICHITA, Kan,

Captain F. G. Smythe, who with hi
,, wife went to Europe this spring, write
!. the following interesting letter to hi
son, Robert A. Smythe, from Switze1
land, under date of September 9th:
GENEVA LAKE, Switzerland,
Sept "a, 1889.
My DEAR BOIL hardly expected t.
write to you until we got to Paris. w
expect to leave here tomorrow night TO
there if we can get sleeper. We lef
London week ago Sunday and went t.
Brussels by way of Ostend. We go
there in the evening and spent Monday
sightseeing and shopping. Tuesday W,
went out to Waterloo, sixteen miles out
on the top of a four-horse stage coach
had box seats and an English coachman
We had three Or four hours there; visited
Hugomont, La Belle Alliance, the Lior
Mound, built by the English to common
crate the great victory over Napoleon
the First. The trip, though tiresome
was most interesting. The old chateau
Hugomont, shows lots of remains of the
battle. Several holes in the walls made
by Napoleon's artillery under Keller
There are or rather were the old wells in
the farm yard attached to the
chateau. One OF the wells was de
Destroyed by him, over three hundred
bodies thrown into it and some of the
living wounded also. A Captain Cook
held it for seven hours with four com
panies Of English guards. cut out 6
piece OF brick out of the old well anC
took drink out of the other well. We
returned in time for table de hote and
left next morning for Cologne by way OF
Liege and AK La Chapell Got to
Cologne at p. M, hired guide and
went all through the great dome OF
cathedral, the largest, finest and richest
in the world, (523 feet in length and
nearly 400 wide, and the height of the
main aisle Is 1862 feet, with stone arched
roof. Why, the jewels are something
immense in value, one topaz being
much larger than the largest peach
you ever saw. The great candle presented
by the pope is also there, together with
| curiOs too numerous to mention. The
| height of the two spires are each 526
| feet. We then went to the original Jean
! Mari L'annie and bought a bottle OF
the genuine, pure cologne. From there
| we went to the church of Saint Ursula,
of which you have heard We expect
the walls and stone baskets are decorat-
ed with the bones of the eleven thousand
virgins that were slain in company with
their leader, st. Ursula, by the Huns
and Goths. Napoleon converted it into
a stable during his wars with Germany
and part of the dome into magazine
Next morning at 1870 took steamer up
the Rhine, stopping at Bonn, the birth
place of Beethoven, to whom there is a
very fine statue erected. We also stopped
at several other places, especially Cob
lentz and Bingen, where the statue of
Germania is erected IN cOmmemOration
of the union of all the different princi-
palities under the one emperor. The
trip was very pleasant up the Rhine TO
Mayence, where we staid all night. It Is
an old town with not much to see. The
terraces of vines along the Rhine were
nice, in some instances thirty-four ter
races, one above another. There are
great many very ancient ruins of castles
all along the Rhine. From Mayence we
went to Heidelberg, a great place for
colleges. 1t contains one fine old castle
and the great tun that holds forty
thousand gallons of wine. We tried the
Rudeishemer wine on the boat and it
was very fine.
1t raining hard at Heidelberg we went
on to Ohalshausen and Newhaven, the
falls of the Rhine which are very beau
tiful and lighted at night by eletcric
lights and col Jred lanterns. From here
we took the train to Zurich, a fine town
Just at the foot of the Alps, which are
beautiful, covered with SNOW. A most
beautiful lake there and about 81 900
population, it puts one in mind of an
American town, such progressive, go
ahead people.
Our next point was Lake Lucerne, a
most beautiful place with fine hotels and
also prices. They do not keep hotel in
any part of Switzerland for the good of
their health. From Lucerne we started
for InteIlaken by the road over the Bru-
mig Pass. We went oyer the pass on
three rails, a very wide double one
in the middle with cogs to hold
and pull on; we could have walked for
some miles as fast as he went over the
pass through the Alps. At p. m.
came to Lake Biernz and crossed over to
see the falls of the Reislach, LOO feet
high, in row boat. Our steamer called
for Us at $50 and we started down the
lake for Interlaken where we got about
: p. N. \ nice town, in fact / am best
pleased with it of any place in Switzer-
land.
Next morning woke at CHS and was TO
the window and there in all its glory was
the Isingfrau. soon had mother up
and at the window and such a lovely
sight you never beheld; beautiful
mountain close to you and covered with
a great depth Of pure white snow and
ice glacier after glacier. 1t is very high.
The lakes through here are all
full of lake trout and other
fish. saw them in shoals at one place,
but. alas for me, my summer is gone
with but very poor fishing and tried hard
to get it in both Ireland and Scotland.
We went about fifteen miles by boat to
the next railroad station, and took the
cars for Bern, Friburgh and Lake Geneva,
where / now am writing you from. We
have been up the lake fifteen miles and
back by steamboat today and are now
writing while il rains. Tonight we will
start for Paris, where we expect to be
at $50 a. N. tomorrow, and mother viii
write you from there.
We sail for New York October 16, in
the CITY of Paris. so count on having a |
letter to us at the Grand Central hotel |
by the 22d OF October, as she crossed In |
) days. 10 hours and rs minutes one trip |
this summer. Mother is much better |
and stands travelling first rate and unites |
with me IN love to you all.
e c.. Sxrru-