The morning call., 1891-02-15

OF English and Americans to be found domi-
elled in the Alpine Mountains that separate
Helvetla from Italia; happy, ruddy checked
active people who have good appetites. and
ENJOY HE as we'll as the best They have
their plcnics, excursions, theatricals and
pals, their churches, their sewing societies,
their fairs or bazaars, their newspapers and
Their Charity entertainments just as their
cousins, aunts and sisters do at home: and
should you ask any of them, when the sea-
son Is over, what sort OF a time they have
had off there, 'up in the mountains" they
would regard you with look of mid conf
parison; with the expression of man who
has found good thing, but isn't averse to
sharing 1t with you, and would answer:
Better come and see for yourself next sea-
son.
1t is often asked DO the Swiss lakes
freeze over?" The answer is not to be
framed IN single sentence; the subject is u
curious and interesting one. The Lake of
Geneva, for instance, never freezes; the
great lake OF Constance, the inland "Sua-
bian Ocean, as it is humorouSly termed, is so
deep and broad that only the most pro-
longed and intense cold brings it to terms
with the ice king This happened, for a
wonder, in the severe winter of 1S79-1SS0.
which was known all over Europe as a sea-
son of unparalleled cold. La that same year,
the Lake of Zurich was frozen over solid for
the first time in nearly Ealf century, and
thousands OF skaters, with sleignS and
double teams as well, awaited themselves of
the opportunity to inaugurate on q monster
scale just such an lee carnival as we love to
look at, in miniature, on the stage in Gou-
mods opera OF Faust" To commemorate
the great event, newspaper, the Zuricher
EisZeitung, was published on the ice, and
sold by thousands and thousands to the
eager participants in the fete. Copies are
preserved with tender care as souvenirs
to this day; for ii may be long ere another
edition Of tie paper appears under similar
circumstances DurinU flp thn
Lake of Neu!chatel froze over, but this
was not even greater rarity. The Lake
OF the -Four Cant0nS and the Wallensee,
with their steep PERCEPTIONS banks, and
aoySsmal depths, never freeze over. The
smaller lakes, however. are frozen nearly,
II not every winter; the Greifensee, the
PtaihkcrSee and a score of other beautiful
bodieS OF water, varying in area from good
sized ponds TO respectable lakes of from
five to ten miles in length, furnish the
finest skating grounds To be found any
where.
Another favorte resort is the Untersee,
or Lower Lake of Constance, the place.
where the Rhine, between Constance and
Schatfhausen, broadenS out into beautiful
aud picturesque inland sea with idyllic
shores, and Il vast eXpanse of crystal ice
ten miles or more in width. The news that
this is frozen over, when published through
the press of Northeastern Switzerland,
serves to attract skaters from n distance OF
twenty or thirty miles around. On the
Swiss rivers there is but little winter sport;
their current is so strong, their fall so
rapid, that any considerable expanse of
clear ice Is seldom TO be met with. On the
other hand they compensate for this lack
by presenting in winter scene of indc-
scnbable beauty, rlvaling some of the win
ter pictures cited by Du Chaillu in his
thrilling book, The Land of the Midnight
Sun" Who that has seen the frozen Aar
or the Reuss in their fantastic winter garb
OTnnnlnrp
frozen, sullen, rushing torrents. reminding
one OF mountain glacier, half-awakened
in sudden life.
In winter, Notwithstanding is almost
entirely suspended. When autumn's cool
winds begin to blow, the herdsman descends
with his Hocks to the lowlands, little by
little the fUOtpaths become impossible and
the upper peaks relapse into primeval de-
serti9n and solitude. Only on few of them
are llfe-saving or weather stations eStab-
lished. Take the great Saentis. for ex-
ample. On its jagged peak standing out
there so clear and bold against the winter
sky, we can descry small structure made
by mans hand. 1t is the observatory, and
thence come daily by wire the weather re-
ports which we read over our toast and tea
by the warm tiresde. Tie Waterman
up there-sometimes there are two is
entirely showed in. He has been up
there since September or October ami
cannot by any possibility get out
before spring. He has plenty of pro-
visions. books aud medicines in case of
need; perhaps, too, a faithful dog to keep
him company; and the telegraph wire is his
only remaining tie with the great busy
world below. Yet even up there, alone in
the solitude, he does not lose his wits. it
seems. One day two wagS in st. Gallen or
AppenZell made a bet together as to tue
weather on the Saentis. One bet that it was
raining. the other that it was showing up
there. and the stake was a bottle of wine. 1t
was agreed to decide the matter by wiring
the man in the observatory. The latter, on
being appealed to, promptly replied that he
would render the decision as soon as the
winner agreed to give him a bottle as well.
This was agreed 10, whereup0n the answer
promptly came back over the wire: You
are both right-it is raining and showing too.
l want two bottles" GEORGE l.. CATLIN.