The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-10
UP THE HIMALAYAs BY RAIL.
story of "A Remarkable Railway
Journey in India.
From the Baltimore Sun.


From the Baltimore Sun.
After spending some days sightseeing
about Calcutta and after witnessing a
fine display of the Indian tactics at a
brilliant military tournament, it was with
pleasure that we boarded a coach on the
East Bengal railway and, crossing the
Oranges at Damookdea, resumed our
journey by the North Bengal State rail-
way until we reached Siliguri, where the
Himalayan railway was taken, which has
a gauge of only two feet and which is
the most wonderful piece of engineerins
in the world, not excepting the railway
up the Pilatus, near Lucerne, Switzerland.
or the one running up Mount Washing
ton in New Hampshire. The locomotives
are sturdy little engines weighing ten tons.
Each open carriage holds six in comfort
able arm-chairs, and the railway is a light
tram, the rail weighing about forty pounds
a yard. The foUr-wheeled bogies wind In
and out along the hillsides. running Al
times eXcitingly near the edge of tremen-
dous gorges and precipices assuming the
shape of the letter S for two-thirds of the
Journey. At one place the train crosses
a bridge, which a moment after II rms
under, and rising again the line makes a
complete figure g.
On this toy railway you are now mass
ing through dense primeval forests. now
you look out upon dark green tea gar
dens that spread for miles along the stones
OF the mountains, A moment afterwara
you are looking thousands of feet belog,
you upon the vast fertile plain of BengaT
Ihe meandefing rivers rolling through -
ndShlng IKE molten silver in the sunlight
anu Iurther on, as the train commences n,
make the sleeper ascent you are carried
through Jungles of cane 50 or 60 feet bieh
grasses that shoot their blades Is feet. ana
great feathery tops "4'ii
AS me ascent is made it is interesting
70 70. h9 g how the vegetation changes. For
sas, acacias, fig, India rubber ana The 81
ant bamboo, 60 feet high, with stalks a.
thIcK as mans thigh, are seen in every
en- 9eiU ~ me serpentine road. About 1900
leet ABOVE the plain the spraying chest
nut ana the blooming almond and mango
trees come in sight, and now you come in.
60 d wilderness OF graceful Himalyan tree
terms from 10 to 25 feet high
The attention is now divided between
tIe natural scenery which is becoming
consequently grand, and the new types
OF people that gaze from the doors of their
dlIty shanties or lie about smoking iron
pots hanging over the fire by tripods
qu i4 IN gypsy stye, partaking of their
midday meal. By the dress physiognomy
ana inquire, three nationalities could be
easily MISUNDERSTANDING people from
InlDet, Nepal, and Cashmere, which coun-
tries are separated from this part Of
Northern India by the Himalayan noun
talns, The men were all armed with long
sWord-llke knives, which they carry in the
DtA-7 NAAicA SGppOAt lllGlI Single garments.
The women, with their brillian costume
and more brilliant ear, nose and toe rings
are more attractive looking than their
southern sisters, and the children thew
wear no artificial adornment exceDf rings
about their ears, noses, and ankles
The wild country through which We
passed abounds in ferocious animals. and
our laxative conductor has Just given
US description of a great Bengal tiger
that was seen by him yesterday living
near the railroad track which. as the
train approac hed leisurely arose. ouiefIv
gave parting glance al the noisy engine
and disappeared in the thick iungles
When the ascension is very steep and
the curves are sharp we can see from our
coac+ near the rear two natives sitting
on III cOw-catcher sprinkling sand on
the ais to prevent the busy little wheels
from slipping, and while passing over
the many horseshoe turns about the cliffs
we frequently find ourselves exactly OPP
posite the scarlet-turbaned man at the
throttle of the engine.
We wind in and out, around and about
up and down, and as our snake-twisting
train passes the white board that marks
1900 feet above the sea level, the putting
little machine at the 'front.' which has
fought bravely and can claim a noble vic
tory, sends forth shout of triumph
Sweeping around a sudden turn we see
the hundreds Of white houses of DARRELL
ing perched upon the sides Of the Himai-
ayas as if they had been dumped from
the floating sheets of clouds above, and
lifted far over tier after tier Of moving
sky vapors which hide from view over 20
600 feet of the range, the sunlit, snow-cov-
cred kinchinJunga stands tortn Ike the