The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-10-16

fleets. We saw the great Cathedral while
yet miles distant, towering far above the
city; and the nearer we came to it, the
more splendid it appeared. The two
great stone towers 5l2 feet high, the
highest in the world, have only recently
bnen completed; and MS they are open
work, are indescribably light and airy:
think it, every thing considered, alto
gether the grandest church in the world.
The architecture of the exterior is very
| imposing, no matter from what direction
it is viewed; while the interior is grand
from its very simplicity; the lofty nave,
145 feet high, the splendid stained glass
windows and the great stone columns,
make the visit through the Cathedral IN,
describably beautiful. Sixty feet above
the floor; at the height of the side aisle
all around the nave is narrow gallery,
from which the interior can best be seen
and while we were there the organ and
choir burst out into a flood of music.
which held us spell-bOund, as it echoed
and re-echoed through the vast building.
| 1t is climb of only SIS steps to the high
est spot which can be reached: just un-
| der the spire where the tower is rooted /;
standing on the roof, the steeple is over
you exactly like n cOrnucopia, the open
| towers far above. The view was sublime
the whole country for miles and miles,
the Rhine for long distance through
the plain 1--WE first saw it here), and the
city far below; the buildings appearing
like toys.
Near the Cathedral is the famous
church of st. Ursula or the II 200 virgins,
where are kept the bones of that number
of women who left England to escape the
Anglo Saxons in the Fifth Century
made their home in Cologne, then Ro-
man colony, and were murdered by the
Huns under Attila when they took the
city; their bodies were found where this
church now stands. The wall behind the
altar is filled with bones to the height OF
eight or ten feet, they can be seen
through small panes of glass set in the
wall, several great stone chests a thou
sand years old, are also filled with bones,
while quantities of skulls are put all over
the church. In the treasury are many
more skulls set on rows of shelves, each in
a velvet cover, and the walls are entirely
covered with bones arranged in curious
designs; evidently nOt bone of the
whole II, 900 virgins was lost.
The old city walls have been swept away
one curious tower and gateway alone re.
manning, and on the site is a beautiful
wide street, with the handsomest modern
houses we saw any where; many of them
gems of architecture. One place had a
vine made to droop like chain in looops
from post to post; making the most
beautiful fence l ever saw. The railway
crosses the Rhine on an immense iron
bridge, peculiar structure, almost
square; while a bridge of boats anchored,
on which roadway was built, was the
only means of communication for people
and teams with the opposite bank of the
Rhine, here about 100 feet wide. The
water was high from recent rains, very
muddy, and the current was like mil
race, although it is always swift, for il
takes the steamboats, five hours longer tC
go up to Mayence from Cologne, than tC
come down. There are about forty
places in the city where the only genuine
Cologne water is made, and yet theil
streets smell almost as badly as they did
years ago, when Cologne was celebrated
for the variety of scents i'll the streets
The great bell in the Cathedral tower
was made from twenty-five French can
not captured in the war of 1870, and
weighs twenty-seven tons; the clappel
one ton. 1t is rung only on the King {
| -Nbii, anu wv
men are required to ring it.
As the scenery on the Rhine between
Cologne and Bonn is very tame, we took
the train to that place, an hours ride
there is railway on each side of the
river, very costly to build through the
mountainous part, on account of the
numerous rock cuttings and tunnels.
Leaving Cologne the train skirted the
city for half mile inside the mighty cit.
adel, before it got to the level necessary
10 pass under the immense earth walls.
Outside were numerous isolated small
forts: well it will be very strong army
that takes Cologne (KOln as they call it),
and then be long time doing it.
Bonn is lovely old place with its
beautiful streets lines by rows of great
trees; and very old and famous Uni
versity, having very good buildings. A
small elevated park nicely shaded, com
mands a fine view of the Rhine for miles
in it are two great cannon taken from the
French in 1870. We boarded the steamer
here for the sail up the Rhine to May
ence, finding it well adapted to the rapid
current; built long and narrow, with
large side wheels, it carried us swiftly
even against the current. The upper
deck was fine place from which to view
the scenery, and the dining room at the
stern, ON the main deck, with glass all
around, made very nice place for meals
while the dinner was very good indeed.
These were by far the best boats we saw
anywhere, though not as large or as fine
as the Hudson River day boats. Each
passenger was given number when he
paid for his dinner, so every one had his
seat at table without crowding or rush
ing; those who came late, were accom-
modated at the dining room in the bow
of the boat
A curious example of how Europeans
cling to old customs is found in the fact
that no protection whatever is provided
for the steersmen on steamboats, any
where, even IN England; they stand out
ON raised platform in all weathers,
without cover of any kind; they would
be happy with one of our pilot houses.
| There is no excuse for such cruelty to
steersmen, only everything must be as it
always has been done. On some boats
the steering wheel was horizontal.
Soon after leaving Bonn the river ran
through the hills, which sloped very
steeply down; in some places leaving
only room enough for the road, so the
| railways had TO tunnel inside that. Most
! Of the hills were several hundred feet
high, generally with narrow valleys be-