The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-03-13
FINE SCENERY AND BAD COLDS.
A Feature of the Glaciers at Grindelwald
That the Guide Books Omit.

That the Guide Books Omit.
Europe is full of all sorts of devices
for e~ndangering and undermining the
health OF travellers The big buildings,
churches. palaces, and the like, where
the huge Enclosure keeps the tempera-
ture Of the air at the same cool level
the year around, have caused sick
ness and death without number. For
travellers coming into them from the
heat of the summer day without do not
think that this agreeable GOODNESS
means a sudden and unhealthful reduc-
ton of the temperature of the body
until a chill or a succession Of sneezes
1ells them that the mischief is done.
But there is one place which is re-
sponsible for more sickness than any
score of large buildings. The glaciers
at Grindelwald, especially the large
upper glacier, is this danger-laden spot.
Nearly every one who goes to Switzer-
land, and that means nearly every one
who travels in Europe, goes TO see the
glaciers at Grindelwald, although few,
indeed, do not regret having gone be-
cause the difficulties and dangers are
but slightly repaid by the rather disap-
DOluIIilS CCLIS CllCCES huu nCdIly OH
who go carry away with them a cold
which may pass away, and again may
make them linger in bed at Interlaken
to curse the day they ventured to
Grindelwald.
The glacier is an hours walk or
horseback ride up a steep and winding
mountain road, narrowly shut in be-
cause of the encroaching mountain
farms on either side. If you have gone
horseback they set you down at a
mountain inn with a little pavilion
overlooking the valley of the glacier,
with it's vistas of perfect Swiss scenery
Then one goes through q gate and
walks down a winding road, arched
with trees, crosses q stony valley,
through the midst Of which rushes a
clear, pure, ice-cold stream, fresh from
the base Of the glacier, which the sum-
mer sun is melting. The glacier is be.
fore you, chilling the air which was of
summer heat q few yards away.
You must have walked down to It be-
cause there is no other way, and you
are therefore heated. You stand near
the glacier and instantly you are cool
Perhaps you 60 into the ice cavern, for
the wonderful colors of the hewn ice
are tempting. Ice water is dripping
upon you and your feet are soou soaked
from the wet boards underneath. on
go out and start away, and before you
have again reached the little gate nca
the inn you find that you have the
worst cold you ever had in your life.
II you are over susceptible you will
have chills and fever.
But it is not necessary to go down to
the glacier. You may have heard of
these perils. So you decide to view it
from afar. You sit in the little pavilion
with the superb panorama before,
above and beneath you. with the long,
striated back of the s~erpent-like glacier
and the stream gushing from its icy
| jaws as the central point of your land
scape. You order something to eat and
a bottle of wine, and life seems to be
| an extraordinarily good thing: For all
around you is summer, hot, intense,
luxuriant, while above you and down
in the valley there is winter, eternal
winter of snow and ice. But as you sit
enjoying, reveling even, blissfully un-
conscious of danger, you begin to feel
an icy chill, gentle and pleasing at first,
but gradually increasing until you look
| about for furs, and then take to flight
with a bad cold, pushing surfaceward
within you, as a memento Of the gla-
| ciers. Off that huge river of ice blows
a wind that is always wintry, that is
| felt in it's full intensity a mile away
through the heat Of the hottest summer
day. You may escape the wiles Of the
score of curio vonders urging you to
take away a carving OF something OF
that kind as a memento of Grindel'
wald's glaciers But the chances are
that you will not escape that unpleas'
ant or perhaps dangerous little memen-
to in the shape Of a cold which the gla.
cier will force upon you.-N. Y. Sun.