The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-13


Vehicle in the town nor 8 highway by which
1t could be brought thither. The idea of a
railroad in their desolate mountain region.
and above all railroad up the Rigi, never
entered their heads, and a report which
sometime after obtained currency III the
town, that the laborers we're beginning the
construction of q railroad was greeted with
shout Of derision.
Nevertheless that was the beginning of
the Rigi line, and in May, 1871, the road
was opened for traffic. IL beglus at Vitznau,
on Lake Luoarne, and extends to the Dor
der Of the canton and almost TO the top of
the mountain. 1t is 19. 900 feet long, and dur
Ing that distance rises 900 at feet an aver
age grade Of l foot in 4. Though steep,
1t ls by no means SO much 30 as the Mt.
Washington road, which rises 5,2S5 feet
above the sea at an average of foot in 3.
There are, however, stretches Of the Rigi
road at which the grade is about l foot in
~, which is believed to be the steepest in
the world.
The Rigi road has several special features
aside from Its terrific slopes which entitle
1t to be considered a triumph of the eDgl-
neer's skill. About midway up the noun
tains the builders came to a solid mass of
rock, which presented barrier THAI TO a
surface road was impossible. They deter
mined to tunnel it, and, after an enormous
expenditure of labor, finished an inclined
tunnel 225 feet in length Of the same gradi-
ent as the road. A gorge in the side Of the
mountain where a small stream, the Shnur-
tobel, had cut itself passage, also hindered
their way and was crossed by bridge of
lattice girder work in three spans, each
eighty-fve feet long. The entire roadbed
from beginning to end, was cut in the solid
rock. A channel was chiseled out to admit
the central beam, which contains the cogs
fitting the driving-wheel of the locomotive.
The engine is in the rear OK the train, and
presents the exceedingly curious feature Of
a boiler greatly inclined. in order that at
the sleeper gradients it may remain almost
perpendicular. The coal and water are con-
tanned in boxes over the drlving-wheels SO
that all the weight of the engine is really
concentrated on the cogs-a precaution to
prevent their slipping The cost Of the
road, including three of these strangely con~
structed locomotives, three passenger
coaches and three open wagons. was $780,
900, and it is a good paying investment.
The fare demanded for the trip up the
mountains is 8 francs, while half that sum
rs required for the downward passage, and
the road is annually tTaversed by from 3d.
600 to so 900 passengers.
Curious sensations are produced by ride
I'D this remarkable line. TIE seats of the
cars are inclined like the boiler of the loco
motive and so long as the cars are on
level the seats tilt at an angle which renders
1t almost impossible to use them. But
when the start is made the frightfm tilt
places the body in an upright position, and,
with the engine in the rear, the train starts
off up 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
excites tremor much more peculiar are the
feelings aroused on the downgrade. The
trip begins with gentle descent, and all at
once the traveller looking ahead sees the
road apparently come to an end. On
nearer approach he is undeceived, and OBJ
serves before him long decline which ep-
pears too steep even TO walk down. In
voluntarily he catches at the seats, expect
ing a great acoeleration of speed. Very
nervous are his feelings as the train ap-
proaches this terrible slope. but on coming
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, aud few years ago one trav-
eler, supposed to be afflicted with heart dis
ease, died Of fright when the train was go
ing over the Schnurtobel bridge, the dan
ger is really very slight, there not having
been a serious accident since che road was
opened. The attendants are watchful, the
brakes are strong, but even with all these
safeguards, men of the steadiest nerves
cannot help wondering what would become
of them in case anything went wrong
Bold as was the project OF a railroad on
the Rigi, a still holder scheme was broached
ten years later, when daring genius pro-
posed railroad up Mt. Vesuvius. A rail-
road up the side of an ordinary mountain
seemed hazardous enough, but to build
line on tine slope of volcano, which in its
eruption had buried cities, and every few
years was subject to a violent spasm, seemed,
as hazardous as to trust the rails of an or
binary line to the rotton river ice in spring
time The proposal was not, however, SO
impraoticable as It looked. While the sum-
nit of Vesuvius changes from time 20 time
from the frequent eruptions, and varies in
hight 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 the center of its quiescsnt crater, served
as the stronghold of Spartacus and his rebel
gladiators. There have been scores of
eruptions since that in which Herculaneum
and Pompeii were overthrown, but the
sides of the mountain have never been Sc
riously disturbed.
A road on Vesuvius gave promise of be-
ing a good speculation. Naples and the
other resorts of the neigh oorhood annually
attracted many thousands OF visitors, and
considerable number Of these every year
assembled the volcano, even when forced TO
contend with all the difficulties of the way.
Many, however, desiring to ascend, but be-
ing unable or unwilling to walk up, chair
service was established-a peculiar chair
being slung on poles and borne by porters
In course of time the chair service proved
inadeuuate for the numbers who desired to
make the ascent, and the time was deemed
fit for the establishment of more speedy
communications
Notwithstanding the necessity, the pro-
posal to establish a railroad met with gen
eral derision, but the scheme was soon
shown to be perfectly practicable, and be-
ginning 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 a sharp angle, prevented the We
hicle from being overturned. The road
covers the last T. 900 feet of the ascent and the
mower house is at the bottom, steel cable
running up, passing round wheel at the
top and returning to the engine IN the
power house. The ascent to the lower ter
minus of the road is made on mules or donk
eys: then In q comfortable car the traveller
is carried TO a point not far from the crater.
The car is combined grip and passenger
oar. similar in some points to the grip car
of the present day, while the seats OF the
passenger portion are inclined as in the cars
on the Rigi road. But the angle OF the
road being from thirty-three to forty five
degrees. makes both ascent aud descent seem
fearfuily perilous. Every precaution, how
ever, is taken to insure the safety OF passen-
Al