The sun., 1895-02-03

starts in n forest of beeches. and In journey OF
an hour takes the traveller up through the
| species. almost into the region OF eternal snow.
and in another hours ride back again among
The highest point yet reached by a mountain
railway is that attained by the road up tho
hothorn. from Briepz, which atta!ns an alti;
has a maximum gradient CT % in 100 feet. 1t
/ was opened in 1892. The Schynige Platte Rail-
and Lauterbrunnen. attains an altitude of 0.463
feet. Both these railways are on the rack and
And there are half dozen smaller such m0nn-
tain-cliInbing railways in switzerland. Wher-
ever, a fine Viewpoint has been found a railway
has been built 10 it and n big hotel erectel and
thither the tourists flock in thousands every
And it is not .alone in the mere climbing Of
mountains for the sake OF the view that the
principle of the cog roads has been put 10 use in
OF three or ionr of the most important railways
In switzerland; oyer mountain passes formerly
ways. all built within the past few years. are
the brunig Railway. connecting IKE Lucerne
from lnterlaken 70 Grindelwad and TO Lauter-
brunnen. Both these railways traverse very
steep steep passes. Par Part Of the way they are
TEN, and part way on the rack and pnion
system. The locomotives are built for both
something serious has happened WHEN, after a
fe" miles or smooth running, the train bumps
the track and was travelling on the ties. Did
travellers, aud many younger ones with lots Of
leisure, stick to the carriage road and the foot
path, and belnoan the vandalism of the rail-
ways. But while these new railways encourage
the circular tourist to do" Switzerland in
three days aad braC about his travels. they
nevertheless are great boon to many thou
sands; and are things 10 be very thankful for.
still. after one has travelled on all the noun
tain raj ways in Switzerland and thinks he is
prepared 10 admit mans almost omnipotence,
when brought into the immediate presence of
the stately Iungfrau. grandest and most awe
some OF all the Alps, he Is apt to he nstGunded
at the assurance OF the engineer who talks Of a
summit sHathed in eternal snow and TO doubt
the possibility Of It's accomplishments. Bat tho
the project entirely feasible and the capital 10
carry tout has already been subscribed. Tie
Swiss Federal Council several weeks since
agreed to the scheme. and the company is so
confident OF commercial as well as engineering
success that IL has agreed TO contrihute 100000
francs toward the construction of "A scientific
observatory on the summit Of the mountain
and I" give monthly subsc 'iption toward the
maintenance OF a stan of scientists to man IL.
! he nearest and best view of the Jungfrau is
from the WenGernap directly opposite, and
other mighty peaks. the Monch and the Eigcr
each oMt about 2.2O! icet les in height than the
blt lesser reaks Of ,.,c same mountain mass
over the spurs and ridges OF the two smaller
mopntaine the railway will be built to reach the
peak o. tie greatest. 10 build railway, even
an elevator, I'd the side OF the Jungrrau itself
would be- impossible The side OF the mountain
toward Mnrrcn clips down in n sheer wall OF
rock 10000 feet from crest to base. Its western
'front.' that toward tho WenEcYna!p shown Ia
the picturei. is torn aud riyen and broken into
prccipices scarcely less appalling than the |
one great wall toward MHrren. Snow is
piled many yards thick on dizzy ledges here |
ana there. hut mos: Of the fares of the noun |
tain ARE too sheer :Or even snow 10 cling. Fur
thcr toward the west IN immense glacier |
sweeps down from the summit into the unin- |
habited and uryi,itcd va!IHy Between the Jung |
frau and the Wengcrnalp In the summer time !
vast ice aNGlauches sweep down this side OF tho |
mountain and !nll into the chasm with deafcn- |
ing thunderirEs. Even prosaic BaCdckcr grows |
e,oIuent over this terrible and magnificent |
which the tourist may see any |
warm sImmers afternoon. These ice masses
often consist Of many hundred tons uf ice
over or under the glaciers from which these
avalanches come, the Jungirnu Hallway must
less II will go under.