St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-11-14
UP a STEEP MOUNTAIN.
Hlt An Trolley Car and See the Aipaa
View Go By.

The famous views of the Swiss iaoun-
tains are rapidly being opened UP to
all classes and conditions of men. They
are no longer only for the sturdy mo- n.
tain-clinbing youth, butt any aged or.
feeble person with only agility enough 1
to climb into a trolley car can now have. 3
the panoramic view of the widest ]
mountain scenery pass in review before.
his eyes as he sits the window of his Z
car. Where the grades are toostesn for
the trolley car to. mount the power y
turned from the. wheels to a raek-workz
construction between the tracks, and
thus equipped car can almost sur
mount perpendicular cliff. sZs s..
The manner in which the loftiegt
peaks have been attacked by electrical
engineers with the obieetsof building
roads to their SUBMITS is one Of the
most striking features in the present
electrical development of Switzerland.
In this connection the National exposi-
ton of Geneva, just held, has given spe-
ciaI prominence to the road that has
recently been carried up and around
Mount saleye, a huge mass towering
above Geneva to a height of 1000 feet,
and giving from it's plateau at the top
magnificent view Of the whole pile Of
yalaisan Alps, beginning with Mount
Blanc and ending with the Dent du
Midi
The electric road is about four miles
in length, built Of single-tracR con-
struction and provided with turn-outs.
It is particularly interesting from an
engineering standpoint in that the
third-rai1 system is employed, the COM
tact apparatus with the trolley shoe
| being placed outside the track. the cur
rent-carrying rail being placed a few
inches above the ground, supported on
siscrt wooden posts. The third -rail
takes the place of the overhead trolley
wire and trolley pole construction, SO
generally used by American cities. The
gauge Of the road is one meier Be-
tween the rails, which are solidly laid
on a well-ballasted track, runs a rack
| rail, and where the grade is extreme
| the rack is double, the teeth being set
I so as to give the car caratWofoldsgrip. a
Additional security is furnished by
! the air brakes. but even then the ex-
perience is found quite. exciting by the
| passengers especially where the grade
reaches 25 per cent. and where curves
/ at not much less are taken on 4. .35-
ereter, radius. Current is supplied to
the line at a potential of 600 volts, and
| is brought to the road across the noun; nl
1 tain sides by aerial cables connected
about midway with Is horsepower
motors. The source of power is a wa
terfall in the valley. ssss.sslF
As may be imagined, the view is 5ex-
tremely fine all the way up, and this is
rendered particularlysso by the other
wise inaccessible points reached by some
striking engineering work for SO small n:
a venture.
The visitor leaves Geneva by the or
binary trolley line to the outskirts OF
the city, then exchanges to a clumsy
steam tramway, and after which he
embarks on the mountain electric road.
! The lower portions Of the line are in
1 constant operation, but the travel oyeT
i the upper, section to Trieze ArhTes, OF
i Thirteen Trees, on top Of Mount saleve,
4 is limited between June / and Septen1.
Der IS, and even then some of the dis
patches are not made unless the weather
i is fine, for there is nothing more dismal
melancholy and dangerous than:a Swiss
j mountain in bad weather.
On top of Mount Saleve is large res.
q taurant, from whose balcony and win
! dows, on any clear day, Mount Blanc
is in full evidence, while, if the day j!
not clear, one may be lucky enough 4 4
see tremendous effects Of light ant
3 shade and of storm and cloud rolling
over the eternal snowy peaks. It i
n needless TO say that the road IS wei
patronized, and as good rates of far
are charged, there is no reason why th'
4 owners should not. be well satisfied
: with their Investment Electrical En-
! gineer.