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

tween them and the river; while tbe
steep slopes, as high up as there was any
soil; in some instances, clear to the TOP.
were covered with grape vines: where
the rock was bare little terraces were
built up with stones and filed i'm with
DIRT, and the vines planted in these.
They were only few feet wide. some
times as many as hundred on one hill
side. If Vermont people could see the
| places where vines and considerable grain
are grown in Germany, Switzerland and
Italy, they would think more of theirState.
and find good deal of land now waste
could be profitably cultivated. Large
quantities of fruit of various kinds could
be grown; all the small fruits, and GER
tainly grapes, could be produced as well
as along the Hudson, in Central New
YORK, or on the shores of Lake Erie. All
kinds of garden truck, as well as the
fruit, would meet with a ready sale. for
good materials are close by: no use for
farmers here to try to compete in grain
growing with those of the West. | have
often been surprised to see the extreme
ly small showing of fruit and vegetables
in the Bennington markets; and most of
what they have is brought from outside;
while surely If those living near would
raise such things, the markets would be
well supplied and their products would
sell readily There are thousands of
acres of land within a few miles of Ben
nington too, that now is entirely useless.
but if planted to various kinds of trees,
would in comparatively few years bring
in rich return. You have splendid
markets remember, close by, while the
Western farmer is far away from his,
Almost all the hillsides as far as
Mayence were covered with vines, and
many of the prominent hilltOps were COW
cred with ruined castles; very interest
ing from their historical associations. A
few castles have been restored, and are
used as residences: from the tower of
one several hundred feet above the river.
an American flag was floating. 1 had a
little silk flag in my pocket which held
out over the side, and as it fluttered in
the breeze, there was a sudden rush of
people on the castle gallery far above,
who frantically waved their handker-
chiefs in response. The stars and stripes
look particularly well to American eyes,
when seen in foreign countries.
At Coblentz, the MOselle enters the
Rhine, and directly opposite is the great
castle and citadel of Ehrenbreitstein mo
relation to Moses Breitstein), percl ei
high up on great rock and strong bat
teries were built down the face of the
rock clear to the river bank. 1t is an
extremely formidable place, an inland
Gibralter. The famous rock of the
Lorelei, a great cliff, narrows the river
so that the current runs very swiftly: to
tow barges up past this place very
peculiar steamboat is used, which draws
itself up by winding heavy wire rope
laid on the bed of the river over a great
iron wheel on board; gripping it some
what as a cable car does, only the cable
is stationary. These boats are used on
many swift rivers and look exactly like
boats running up the river, with the
great wheels using the river bed, as a
wagon uses a road. They can draw sew
eral barges where the ordinary steamboat
could scarcely draw one against the
swift current. At several points we saw
the curious flying bridges, made by an
choring small boat some distance up
stream; attaching to the cable at regular
distances other boats of the same size,
so that the large ferry boat would swing
back and forth across the river by the
force of the current, like the pendulum
of clock: wire could not he
stretched across as we do it, for
the boats could not pass. The railway
bridge at Coblentz has three wonderfully
graceful iron arches, high above the wa
ter; the trains crossing on the extreme
| top.
Bingen was an interesting place to us
from the poem which has been spouted
by so many generations of schoolboys:
a very pretty place of several thousand
| inhabitants. just across the river, high
up on the hillside, is the great statue of
Germania, Ill feet high, erected few
years ago in honor of German unity.
The whole hillside is mass of vines, the
thousands of terraces looking like a gi-
gantice staircase. The vines grow about
four feet high, supported by sticks.
From Bingen to Mdyence, an hours sail,
the hills fell away to a fiat plain. Just
below Bingen is queer old stone tower
built on rock in the middle of the river,
where, in 400 lived a Bavarian King
who levied tax on every boat that
passed. A short distance above is
an island, on the upper end of which
stands the famous tower where the
Bishop boarded his grain at time of
need and refusing to give or sell to those
starving he was visited by mice who ate
all the grain and finally the Bishop.
From this it is called the Mouse Tower.
The whole sail was delightful, we enjoyed
every moment of the trip, but it is foolish
|
and the Hudson, for they are so totally
unlike; each is very beautiful in its own
particular way. If the Sagnenay had
vines, towers and ruined castles, itwould
be much like the Rhine.
Mayence is an old place with winding
streets, some extremely narrow, not ovei
eight feet wide sidewalks and all: more
pokerish place could not be imagined
than that city after dark, the streets be-
ing poorly lighted, most of them looked
like tunnels. The Cathedral is quite
large, of rather peculiar architecture, and
full of monuments to various people.
The removal of the old ramparts left
space for wide and handsome street on
the river front; from it very fine views
are had. The city is guarded by fort
almost as strong as that at Cologne: in
side it is a brick monument built by
Drusus when the Romans had a camp
here. We passed regiment of soldiers
in the street, and fine looking set of
men they were too: all young, much the
finest appearing soldiers we saw any
where; but it was sad to see them tied
down for several years, at the time when
they were best fitted to learn whatever
business they intended to follow: years
worse than wasted.
A. G.. SHERRY.