Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-08-20

average grdue OF one 1oOI In TOUR. though
steep, it is by no means so
much 50 as the Mount Washing
ton road. which rises 5,2S5 feet
above the sea at an average of one foot in
three. There are stretches of the Rigi
road at which the grade is about one foot
In two and one-half, which is believed to
be the steepest in the world The Rig1
road has several special features aside from
Its terrible slopes, which entitle it to be
considered triumph of the engineer skill.
About midway up the mountain the build
ers came to a solid mass of rock, which pre-
scented a barrier that to a surface road
was impossible. They determined to
tunnel 1t, and after an enormous expendit-
ure of labor, finished an inclined tunnel
Us feet in length, of the same gradient as
the road. A gorge in the side of the
mountain where small streams, the
Sehnurtobel, had cut itself a passage, also
Numbered their way, and was crossed 10y
bridge of lattice girder work in three
spans, eighty-fve feet long The entire
road bed from beginning to end was cut
out to admit the central beam, which con-
talns the cogs fitting the driving-wheel to
the locomotive.
The cost of the road, including three of
these strangely constructed locomotives,
three passenger coaches and three open
wagons, was S200,0 and it is a good
paying investment. The fare demanded
for the trip up the mountain is FIVE francs,
while half that sum is required for the
downward passage, and the road is an
nually traversed by from 5000 to $4,000
passengers. Curious sensations are pro-
duced by ride up this remarkable line.
The seats of the cars are inclined, and so
long as the cars are on level the seats
tilt at an angle which renders it almost
impossible to use them. But when the
start is -ade, the frightful tilt places the
body In an upright position, and with the
engine in the rear, the train starts off up
the hill with an easy, gliding motion,
passing up the ascent, somewhat sleeper
than the roof of house, without the slight
est apparent effort. But if the going up ex-
cites tremor, much more peculiar are the
feelings aroused on the down grade. The
trip begins with gentle descent, and all
at once the traveller looking ahead sees the
road apparently come to an end. On a
| nearer approach he is undeceived, and OBJ
serves before him long decline which ap-
pears too steep even to walk down. In
LIZ CdlCuSS d. GIG SSdUS,
expecting great acceleration of speed.
Very nervous are his feelings as the train
appr )aches this terrible slope, but on com
ing to the incline the engine dips and goes
on not a whit faster than before, and not
more rapidly on the down than on the UP
grade. Many people are made sick by the
sensation of falling experienced on the
down run. Some faint, and few years
ago one traveller, supposed to be aft icted
with heart disease, died Of fright when
the train was going over the Schnurtobel
bridge. The danger is really very slight,
there not having been a serious accident
since the road was opened
Bold as was the project Of railroad on
tie Rigi, Il still bolder scheme was
broached ten years later, when a daring
genius proposed a railroad up Mount
Vesuvius. A railroad up the side of an
ordinary mountain seemed hazardous
enough, but to build a line on the slope
Of volcano, which in its er1ptions had
buried cities and every few years was sub
Ject to volcanic spasm, seemed as hazard
Gus to trust the rails of an ordinary line to
the rotton river ice In spring time The
proposal was not, however, SO impractical
bic as it looked. While the summit. Of
SSGF4I 10 IIOuI GlIiS 10 GlI1b
the frequent eruptions, and varies in
height and in the size of the crater, the
general slope and contour OF the mountain
are about the same to-day as when Vesu-
vius, a wooded hill, with valley and lake
IN tue center of its quiescent crater, served
as the stronghold of Spartacus and his
rebel gIadiators. There have been scores
of eruptions since that in which Hercula-
neum and Pompeii were overthrown, but
the sides Of the mountain have never been
seriously disturbed A road on Vesuvius
gave promise of being a good speculation.
Naples and tn other resorts of the neigh
oorhood annually attracted many, thous-
ands of visitors, and a considerable
number of these e:ery year assembled
with ali the difficulties of the
way. Many, however, desiring to as
Cend, but being unable or unwilling to
walk up, chair service was established.
peculiar chair being Sung on poles, and
borne by porters. In course of time. the
chair service proved inadequate for the
numbers who desired to make the ascent,
and the time was deemed fit for the estab-
ment of more speedy communication. Not
outstanding the necessity, the proposal
to establish a railroad met with general
derisiOn, but the scheme was soon shown
to be perfectly practicable, and begin
ming was made in 1879 The road is what
Is known as a cable road, there being a
single sleeper with three rails, one on the
top, which really bore the weight, and one
on each side near the bottom, which sup
ported the wheels, which, coming out
from the axle at sharp angle, prevented
the vehicle from being overturned. The
road covers the last 1000 feet of the ascent
and the power house is at the bottom, a
steel cable running up, passing round a
wheel at the top and returning to the
engine in the power house. The ascent to
the lower terminus Of the road Is mad on
mules or donkeys, then in comfortable
car the traveller is carried to a point not
far from the crater. The car is combined
grip and passenger Car, similar to the
grip car Of the present day, while the
seat Of the passenger portion are inclined
as IL the cars on the Rigi road. But the
angle of the road being from thirty three
to fOrtyfve degrees, makes both ascent
and descent seem fearfully perilous Every
precautlon, however, is taken to insure
the safety OF passengers; each Car Is
provided with several strong and indie
pendent brakes, and thus far no accident
worth recording has occurred. The road
was opened in June, 1880, and although
there have been several considerable erup-
tons since that date, none of them did any
damage to the line but what was repaired
in few hours. The fashion thus set will
nc doubt be followed in many other quar-
tiers. Already there is talk of a road on
Mount Blanc, of another up the Yungfrau,
and several have been projected in the
Schwartz and Hartz mountains. A route !
on Ben Nevis, in Scotland, is already sur
veyed. and it is said surveys have also |
been made upon Snowden, with view to
the establishment of road to the summit |