The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-09-10
UP THE RoTHHoRN.
The New Swiss Inclined Railway Oppo'
site the JungfrRu.


slNt thc
From the Galignani Magazine)
Herr Linden, the engineer who has con-
structed the line, is our pilot. Natura lily
he is proud OF his handiwork. We sit on
the end of a wagon filled with iron sleep
ers, toothed racks and other material for
the stretch of railway just being completed
at the summit. The rails are laid upon a
solid bed of stone and are of narrow gauge.
The average gradient of the Rothhorn
balm is - per cent, GenerOso - per
cent, while the Pilatus often reaches II
per cent. For this reason the oscillation on
the latter line is much greater.
We are astonished at the smoothness
with which we travel up the RothhOrn, but
the inventor of the special engine, Herr
Abt, and the constructors, the Swiss Loco
motive Works at Wintherthur, whose
manager, Herr J. Weber, accompanied us
on this trip, have naturally been making
improvements during the past few years,
so that now they have got this wonderful
little iron mountaineer almost perfect. 1t
attacks the cogs directly and poa erfully,
yet quite steadily, and one gets much less
shaking than upon even the Rigi railway,
where the gradient is much less. The
speed also has been accelerated. We
traverse more than seven kilometers in one
hour and twenty minutes, including four
stops of four or five minutes To take in
water, for mountain climbing Is thirsty
work, even for brass hearted, steel skin
ned monster like IA railway engine This
reduces the actual time occupied by the
journey to one hour. We, in fact, descend
when there is but one stop in that time.
The engineer claimes the brake power is
absolutely perfect; that the engines and
carriages are practically fixed to the rails;
that the train cannot run away, and that it
cannot fall off the rails or leave the way
without tearing out the whole fabric. One
needs some such assurance in undertaking
this pcrilous journey up the ROthhorn.
Let me briefly sketch it,
The train mounts at first gently; then at
a gradient of - per cent, which is main
tanned throughout the greater part OF the
journey. Brienz begins to look small as
the whole of the lake, to which the village
has given its name, unfolds itself. Then,
getting higher the famous Falls of Gels
bach come into view, and this splashing
cascade soon seems but IA thread of white
against the dark face of the mountain.
Now the Lake of Thun comes in view,
with Interlaken nesting on the strip of
land which separates it from the Lake of
Brienz Then we turn around the noun
tain and get view of the other side-up
the valley to Meiringen and over the
Brunig Still mounting, the panorama
extends, and We begin to take N the high
er peaks
The Jungtrau stands opposite, her square
head in hood of spotless white; the rocky
Elger, the Faulhorn and Wetterhorn.
Then we lose the view for time in a Sc
ries of tunnels, though the engineer has
hit upon the happy idea of both lighting
and ventiliating them with "windows, so
that one gets momentary snatches of land
scape even among the smoke of these holes
in the mountain.
As we reach the last stretch the air grows
colder, for the snow has not quite gone,
and something like three meters have had
to be cut through to clear the way for the
engine. We creep along ledge out of
the side of the mountain and look down
some thousands of feet. 1t is no comfort
Ing feeling that we have now, with our
feet dangling over the side Of the wagon.
One sudden jerk of the engine would send
us all to eternity. 1t freezes ones blood
to look down. Better to look upward TO
the goal we are laboring to reach. We
get there in due course, and feel sense of
relief. The upper station is placed in a
sheltered position, just below the summit.
Another 10 minutes on foot brings us to
the highest peak of the Rothhorn.