Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-12
AN ALPINE Up A S S
The highest in That Extended Range Of
Lofty Peaks ,.-.- .4 = :
a Snow Storm and the Progress of
the Traveller Into q Marc
Genial Climate.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
There Is no mountain tour in Switzerland
or the Tyrol which will reward pedestrians
SO well as a trip across the Stelyio, the
highest mountain thoroughfare, as well as
the boldest and most beautiful pass in
Europe. The life, too, is so different from
that which one Is accustomed to behold in
other parts of the Alps that that also is
wont to prove an attractive feature. At
Prad. a quaint little town in the broad val
ley of the Etsch, at the junction ct the
much-traveled road from Meran and Maui
ders, the pass commences
On the hillside to the right, nestled in
the precipitous stony cliffs, high above the
roadway, lies the poverty-stricken village
of Stelvio, from which the pass receives its
name This picturesque little hamlet, which
hugs the mountain as though 1t feared it
might become detached from its sloping
side to be hurled, together with its popu-
lace, into the ravine below, has weathered
repeated famine, and many have been the
souls who have died within its walls for
want of food With nothing to depend
upon save the hsrds of goats and the grain
raised upon the sterile and rocky fields, a
failure of crop has meant on more than
one occasion starvation for the children,
the sick and the infirm, who were unable to
reach the valleys, on account of the cold
and snow.
AS the ascent is continued the impetuous
and treacherous Trafoi rushing along at a
mad gate and splashing against its rocky
sides deadens every sound and nothing is
10 be heard save the noise of the seething
bed Of the turbulent river envelopes this
part of the highway with its moisture.
GomagGl, the first station upon the pass, is
reached after an hour and halfs walk
Grand scenery.
A short distance above Gomagoi the two
mountains lining the pass almost come to-
gether. forming narrow gorge, on the left
eide Of which the Austrians have erected a
fortress, which completely blocks the pass
Soldiers and officers watch the visitors as
they pass under the high archway, and
artists and amateur photographers are eau
toned about taking pictures Of the sur
roundings, as 1t Is an offense punished by
imprisonment Trafoi a beautiful little
village is the next station upon the pass.
From here the Ortler Il most frequently
assembled
The writer does not know Of a single place
IN Europe where such varied scenery can
be beheld simultaneously as from the little
platform erected on the left OF the pass.
As one looks down into the green valley
1000 feet below the chapel Of the three
holy springs Is beheld amidst the grove Of
pine and fir trees 1t Is here where the
where wonderful miracles are said to be
performed by the ice-cold mountain water,
which flows from the breasts of the figures
Of Christ. Mary and St John
The Glaciers.
Opposite the church rises the huge Ma
datsch, a sugar loaf peak Of black lime
stone formation entirely destitute of vege-
tation, but of graceful symmetry. Above
and to the right are the large Trafoi and
lower Ortler glaciers; to the left is the enor-
nous field Of Ice, the Matatach glacier, and
sti fin haY he nd O a he
snowy Ortler and the Pleisshorn- A few feet
distant from the observation platform, a
marble slab on the right side of the road
marks the spot whers in 1876 Madelaine
murdered by her husband, treacherous
Walloon, who, after having her life in
sured- induced her to accompany him on
what she believed was to be a pleasure
tour through Italy and the.Tyrol.
The road at this particular point is ter
raced, and over this stony embankment
arising abruptly from rocky ledge, the
murderer hurled his unsuSpecting wife into
the deep abyss below. The scheme failed
however and today the cold-blooded assas-
sin is undergoing lifelong Imprisonment
In an Austrian penal institution for crime
which agitated all Europe.
EARLY Snow Storms.
From this place the road ascends the tall
slate slope in long windings until Fran
zenshoehe is reached, where there was once
d pOStdi StduOH, WHICH Is now uSeQ as d
tavern. It was at this point, with bright
sun overhead, where the first flakes of snow
warned the writer of the weather which he
and his party were about to encounter.
During the latter weeks of September or the
first part Of October the early snow storms
are usually encountered in the Alps. 1t is
then when the tourist migrates southwark
to the Reviera, the Italian lakes and the
country beyond. Apprehending the danger
of being showed In, we quickened our pace
and a a m n hn init
whence 1t would be but short time be-
fore We should be out Of the reach of the
snow.
But the flakes fell with such rapidity and
the clouds SO quickly darkened our sur
roundings that We were glad when we OBJ
tanned shelter in a refuge on the Austrian
side of the pass. We remained over night
to find on the following morning drift of
four feet Of snow in front of the door and
the pass blocked above and below. By 10
o'clock a large party of mountaineers had
partially cleared the drift, and we set out
in special stage to which but two horses
were harnessed. Our progress was natural
ly very slow, but when we reached the
boundary line between Tyrol and Italy
the highest point upon the passive made
more rapid Roadway.
After leaving the first italian refuge the
stone and wooden galleries which have been
erected as protection against the frequent
avalanches were approached and welcomed
with much delight, for they enabled us to
quicken the pace of the weary horses.
These mighty archways and tunnels hewn
in the rock, covered with layers of snow
and ice many feet thick, with huge icicles
suspended from the ceiling. were indeed a
beautiful sight We rapidly traversed the
long series of tunnels and galleries to find
ourselves being waited over a roadway up
on which there was no snow to warmer
and more congenial climate.
JOHN H. METZEROTT.
SMan Never Is, but Always to Be
BEST"