The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-10-23
spears with handIes fifteen feet long.

lHo beHt part oi LuCefne lies along the
lake shore; on one side a narrow shady
park with fountains, and seats, a fine
place from which to look over the lake;
back of this park was a broad street
lined with handsome hotels and fine
stores. The famous lion by Thorwald-
sen, is the monument TO the Swiss guards
who were killed to man by the popu-
lace of Paris as they tried to guard King
Louis XVI. As swe approached the place,
we saw smooth white limestone rock
about 30 feet high before us, as if low
hill had been cut in halves and part taken
away. Trees were growing along the
top Of the rock, and at the bottom was
a small pond of clear water; the whole
place surrounded by trees, looked like
secluded spot in forest, great surprise
to one who comes on it suddenly, as it is
in the city. A large niche has been cut
near the middle of the rock, and in this
the lion is sculptured, represented as
Just dying of wounds inflicted by several
arrows sticking in his side, with the sad
dest of sad expressions on his face as if
he was dying without being able to save
the King he had guarded. No model or
photograph can catch that wonderful
look. The view over the lake with the
great wall of mountains beyond, their
snowy submits shining in the sun, Righi
and Pilatus as the frame, the eye never
tired of that scene. A short sail on the
lake, the water like glass and under
cloudless sky, brought us to Alpnacht,
the foot of the railway up Pilatus; the
most wonderful railway one could
imagine. Straight up the mountain the
train went, the grade varying from 80 to
IS feet rise in 100, railway of the
Righi type would be useless there for the
train would fall; this locomotive had
two wheels which worked into cogs on
each side of the rails horizontally, and
made very fair speed. Looking ahead
up the road we felt like flies crawling up
the side of a room. Once past the tree
line, the whole mountain was mass of
bare rock, and the railway ran on a shelf
cut in the side of a perpendicular cliff
thousands of feet high, on the very steep
grade alluded to. Several tunnels were
passed, one being on an angle of 45 de-
gTees, another just few feet inside an
appalling cliff, had windows cut in the
side so we could look out and see far
down the mountain side. The station at
the top is at an angle of 40 degrees, and
the trains look, while there, as if they
were glued to the side of the mountain.
One would scarcely believe railway
cOul1 be built there, in some places the
workmen had to be let down by ropes
from above to dig foOthOld in the face
of the precipice. A good sized hotel
stands on little plateau between the
twin peaks. Up the nearest one path
guarded by strong ratings has been con-
structed, winding around the peak;
from the outside one looks down sheer
several thousand feet. The topis walled
in, making a small gallery from which
glorious view is obtained; not so lovely
as that from the Righi, but over more
rugged country, the great snow peaks on
one side seemingly near enough to throw
stone to them. Being 2000 feet higher
than Righi of course the view is wider
and takes in hundreds of miles of coun-
try. Directly below us over 5000 feet
was Lake Lucerne, the steamer going
back seemed about two inches long. Lu-
cerne was in full view; we could plainly
see the windows of our rooms at the ho-
tel, although several miles away. The
whole country was spread out below us
like map, every lake, road town or vii
lage plair' visible, while on one side the
whole vail of giant Alps rose far above
us, the Jungfrau of 13,0O0feet being only
a little higher than the rest, and queerly
tuOuHl lllt RlCdJ llldSStS VI SHOW vi llltll
looked that bright July day. Very fortu-
nate were we to have such perfect wealth
er, for people often wait two or three
weeks to get good day to climb Pilatus,
as clouds hang about the summit most of
the time. This was the fifth clear day in
nelrly two months. The other peak is
about a mile distant, and is reached by
path cut in the side of the very thin
backbone of rock connecting the two
peaks. On one side is a sheer descent of
2O0O it., further on flight of 40 steps cut
in the rock was climbed, when we came
out through small tunnel onto the 9th
er face of the rock with nothing but
1000 feet of air between us and the bot
tom. We finally reached this peak which
is several feet higher than the other, by
a zig-zag path, finding the space at the
top only 6X20 feet with frightful preci-
pices ON all sides.
Going back, the sound of the bells on
the necks of large head of cattle feed
ing near the top of the mountain, but so
far below us they looked like dots, came
up to our ears and sounded exactly like
music box, it was so wonderfully sweet,
we stopped some time to listen. Going
down the mountain was even more fright
full than going up, it seemed as If the car
would tip end over end, car and
engine are one, the engine at the lower
end. Approaching the station it seemed
as if we would enter it by the chimney,
so steep was the grade. The mountain
is named for PLATE; the legend says after
the crucifixion of Christ he came there
and died.
The sail back to Lucerne was most
most charming; the irregular shores
with many cottages and hotels, the quiet
water, the great peaks towering far above,
the splendid trees on the mountain sides,
in the light of the setting sun made up
picture we shall never forget.
The building of roads about these
lakes has been a work of immense diff
Gully, the mountains in many places COM
ing right down into the lake a perpen-
dicularlar wall. Where possible they
have gone along the edge of the water
often building retaining wall to hold
the road, but in many places galleries
have been cut, miles of them, out of the
solid rock, open toward the lake, the
roofs held up by occasional rock pillars
left standing: the interest and beauty of
drive over such roads can be imagined.
As the highways were there first, the
railways have had to go inside them,
generally tunneling through the base of
each mountain.
We left Lucerne by the st. Gotthard
route for Italy ria the famous tunnel;
the railway skirted Lake Zug affording
lovely views, then crossed the di-
vide to Uri at the extreme end of Lake
Lucerne; passing through many tunnels
along the lake shore, some of them gal
leries open to the water.
| T. SuEppy