The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-08-28
GENOA, August 3, 1891.

GENOA, August ., 1891.
1t is nearly ten hours, as the train
goes, from Lucerne to Milan. A tir
ing but not tiresome ride. There is
SO much TO see that the eye grows
weary, but the scenes are so varied
ard beautiful and inspiring that the
interest never flags. The train starts
north at first, but that is only to get
around one of the great arms of the
Vierwaldstatter See.:: That is passed
soon and then we turn southwark
with the deep narrow lake on our
right and the narrow valley and then
the great mountains to our left. The
train passes through the very heart of
the Tell country; past the Schiller
Rock, a great monolith which nature
prepared for a monument by setting
it up straight and tall on the margin
of the lake and which man rightly ap-
propriated by placing upon il an ill.,
scription to perpetuate the memory of
the poet who made all this region
forever memorable with the magic of
his verse, past the Tell chapel, past
Ruth where the three conspirators
met to plan for the liberty of Switzer-
land and where Nature, in acknow-
Judgement of their worth, sent forth
three gushing springs which flow to
this day, past Fluelen where the ap-
pie was shot, past Altdorf where the
Governors hat was raised and for re-
fusing to bow to which Mr.. Tell got
into trouble. The mountains are
growing more ard more rugged all the
way and by the time we begin the as
cent which is to end with the great
st. Gotthard tunnel, they are stupen-
dous and awe inspiring. thought /
had seen great feats of railway ell
cheering in Mexico, and among the
mountains East and West, in our own
country, but the daring and ingenuity
of this st. Gotthard road are certainly
unequalled by anything have ever
seen, or dreamed of. In two places,
before the great tunnel is reached |
there are circular tunnels, in which /
the road burrows complete circle in
the bowels of the mountain in order to
make a gain of 100 feet in the ascent.
And all the tortuous way the road
doubles upon itself and coils and
twists like a great snake, taking adj
vantage of every natural opening that
offers to advance its upward way, but
plunging straight into the mountain
If no such opening appears. Ascend
ing and descending, there are IS tun-
nels, and they vary in length all the
way from a few yards to nine and one
half miles. 1 do not know where one
could go upon earth for more impress
sive illustration of the power of God
and the greatness of man for do not
know where else so stupendous a bar
rjer has been piled up and then over
c1me.
The summit of st. Gotthard was
the ancient boundary, and the natural
chSt bOb"OCh duu vs. Il
and although the fortunes of war have
given to the little Republic the long
Southern slope of the Alps, yet as
soon as the great tunnel is passed we 4
are to all practical intepts, in Italy.
The pretty chalet is left behind, and
the German speech, and the garden I
like farms, and We look out upon the 8
ugly plastered Italian houses, and G
hear the italian tongue, and note the t
Italian shiftlessness. 1t is a sorry 9
change, SO far as the picturesque and '
are concerned, to come down y
from Switzerland into Italy. t
But it is historic ground, this Lom- g
bard plain, for it is rich garden g