The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-30
RAILROADS TO THE CLOUDS.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING MADE EASY BIZ
THE IRON HORSE

Feats In Railway Construction and Opera.
Zion that Would Have Bcen Deemed
Impossible n Few Years Ago-Some OF
the MostInterestinK Mountain Railways
Prom the ST Louu Gio,e. p.mocr,.
IL George Stevenson when he placed the FIRST
locomotive on the track and guaranteed 1t q
speed OF Blk miles an hour. could have fore.
room that In less than eighty years the sue
cessors OF his rude machine would DO climbing
.ns sues OF mountain ranges. piercing gorges
hitherto deemed inaccessible. crossing ravlnrs
on bridges higher than the dome OF st. Paul's.
anu traversing the bowels OF the earth by
means OF tunnels, no doubt his big blue eyes
would nave stood out with wonder and amaze
men!. But no f,resaw oIhinr OF the Kind;
we only problem present in his MUD was how
e. Get goods from the seaports In western
Enxianu u London as oasily ind o eapy as
horses. which hal for 80 Yeas "a" been drawing n
~, ma, hne which has revolutioni2el the
ireisnt and passenger traIllc of tho world.
,orssee thu tr,uppns OF eng ineerlnR which
nave nGcolnpani.,l the a vance. IN tran -roitN.
as no saEnser Of 4s dy there
are arc annihiatei The hiGhes. mountain, the
bridge the latter aal enoIrcls or tunnel The
fnrmer The only re9u'stet which, he do
Tray the expense. and tho thing will be- done.
Pc necessary. amt the necessity must lie plain.
n yifhnown or, or no funds will be ADVANCED: and
good,, especially When q rGazs ior ." railroad
nun ing l. ratine as q rule no exrehss tor
the cons ruetion a road viii be incurred
has eau; ed lines to 6c constructs through d..
would have boon deemed impos,ibIs. tbs
Pacific roa ls OF this country were necessity
difficulties almost insupern6le we're cnrrieI 10
IN nG b essu st n, So asn Of tns railroads
road ,r.m Callno through the heart OF ieru is
one OF tn. highest mountain roads in the world.
Ths az Of he Sine d nh
reached 50 sr:a, wrso the lIcui5iss tho " ere
r,? ? tu or' Ter that. with toll aud
they begin m ,fs cn saEs: 70. tho s0 ro"S
way IN some .ertons tunnels are LII re M.
has gone slxty-"ne tunnels, Y sat and small.
90 ss5 sn sbny. The sS. ar hs height
oSmost rea e"' Mon Bn Spi s pe alsa
The stern necessities Of business compelled
the co .str1ction 81 this rad otherwise It
never would have en- begun.
Tho tunnels OF The. An les. however, do not
pear cIImrarlson with III tunnels. bridges. aud
hese ts The vast s9 even
I the Alns-lhrse great t,lnnels OF nine t. eleven
miles Ia length. which have been prepared for
tue Transit OF trav Hers and freight The re-
Iulremant. OF husines. necessitated the pierre
ing OF thu Airs. and az. Don u, the necessity was
SHOWN sac 'h iunds In abundance we're forthcoming
But tunn"l lin. mountain is a different thing
from Climb NIX il. Many years ago he ntten-
on OF Inventors was directed to the pract, a.
billty OF constructing railroad up Tho side OF
sn mEMn am on grades whISh to r an ordinary
me Is IL locomotives twrnty-hvu aud III rty
years ago rendered HON carable OF climbing
Hineering. wrrs deemed out OF the question.
These improvements proved ~ serious Stun
founl that an ordinary locomotive was able
t to climb much sleeper grade than was
Ser @ almost ueSI sve but Was l raloHa s
covered that a grade OF few feet to the NJ lie
va as no oprd.ment 10 nrosress and gradually
mountain raIroad TRANSPORTATION might have
been discauraged by this discovery. but 1t is a
back by opp stion. which. In f'ct only serves
t. st mulae his al. The projectors OF in
iIy on; and 10 Fra CO. Germany England. nnd
the Uni cd States many exper imental roads
in length. and loo motive models We're built
ruhS T ,hs esrsd alike at he con-
former mpractieable and the latter crazy.
bnt the s dsa q" II hpd9s roa up side Of
mon y IN it ior the successful man. so the
cranky INVENTOR kent on ut work in spite Of
ments Of capitalists oath TO in est their mouey
in an IN. er,a'n she ne, To the energy and
Of tho mounta n abroad IS due. as also is the
construrtlon OF the ,armu- mountain roads, Of
which tue road ~ Mt Washington finished in
1865. WIS tn first. and the road M Plk-'s
PEAK. COMPLETED the other day. was the latest.
or al the mou tain roads which have been
a.senis tn" w"rd. famous l;isi. with the heck" OK.
best kn"wn OF any peak In III, 4 ps. ihoucs Il
is by no means he highest. lis summit kr!ng
sus S as tsn "a g. t AZ
heiGht OF SINE ntlleL maintains in the Aims it
series Of fms view. in evrry direction and he
n. OF her travelling in Sw tzerland can gain a
lair idea OF the Swiss noun ain scenery. Many
he li!E IAN Is seen no ;hres ls;es 6sneaih.
the vag which here and tier. lot ths
their glaciers md eternal -n"ws.
Mnmy yeas rs ag1 u, nnte vas built on tho
sts Who ostsa to s leak
toenS tho h.neI;' OF It's won lerTui scenery
The mountain is donsrly wooded save where
or e.rh. mule paths which had been made lie
thr' ncs o. travellers who resortei to it. made It
a favorable place for nm ak erment. and TO iiigi
won, tina engineers in order to nsc .rtnin the
pructIrabil'ty OF such road. The credit II
tho ds-Ign. Is Due " to t. G,rman engineer
Designed the idea Of = mountain road. and
the engine i'm cars. The scheme dragged.
Capitalists were low to In vest their money in
what they deemed a Wild nm impr ctica 10 un-
d"rtsklnG and even the "wnsr. Of tho and IN
ment TO be tried. but Reg-nbnch perse-
vered. and toward the close T. tho decade the
Inhabitants OF vitzn II. at tho base OF ha iigi.
were nsi onished to see gangs Of ab"rers begin
tho work 81 making q clearing through ths
what l. msant. and were trI! TIM q road up
delighted for they had no roads and there wa,
not u wheel ii vehicle in the town. nor o high
way BY which ! could be brought thither.
The iloa Of u railroad IL their desolate noun
Rigi. never en- cred lh"ir hcnds and a report
VIII III soms tina afior obtained currency In
the Iwn. that tho labo ers were beg inning the
construction ofa railroad. was greeted With a
shout OF derisiun.
Rigi linz, AMI IN MAY. 1911, The ioai WAS