The times., 1898-08-04
TO ALPINE HEIGHTS.
The Tonrist VIII Be Able to Go Up
i'm "a Palace Car

The Alpine peaks have been the en-
Joyment of the few who possess great
physical strength and courage. but soon
the fraii and tinid will have their turn
The New York Tribune says railroads
are now carrying people to points which
were once reached only by diligence in
the saddle or on foot, after exhausting
toll and exposure to both apparent and
real peril. Formerly a six-niie tramp
up steep aseents was the condition on
which alone one might reach St. Beaten
all the way in a car without moving a
muscle. The Rigi and Piiatus, 5000 and
1000 feet high. respectively, may be
climbed in like manner Murren and one
OF the Rothhorns are among the later
conquests- And only this month a rail-
way from the village of Zermatt, one
mile above sea level, to the summit Of
Gornergrat. another mile higher up was
opened for traffic. The line is five and
one-half mile long. cost 0.o00 is led
through numerous tunnels, and has an
average rise of one foot in five.
Herr Guyer Zelier. VINO is president of
the Northwestern Railway system of
Switzerland. Is behind the project The
Jungfrau is 1850 feet above the sea, and
lacks only 2.100 feet of Mount Blaac's
elevation. Pixies Peak, in the United
States. is. to be sure. a few hundred
feet higher than the Jungfrau. and
railway has been in operation to it's top
for several years. But the Swiss road
will start from much lower level than
the American, or about 700 feet more
to rise. The steepest gra tA5 viii be the
same as those on the PikSs Peak line
% per cent.
There is already in operation road
from InterIaken TO Grindelwald, and
thence along the Wengern Alp to the
hamlet OF Murren- The Jrngfrau road
diverges from the other at Little Schei-
digg, and runs for a short distance in
the open air. But the only way TO avoid
the avalanches OF that locality is 70 &c
underground. and hence the new line on
reaching the edge of the Eiger glacier
enters a tunnel. Emerging at Monch-
joch, at an elevation Of 1880 feet. the
road will run along the side of the
Monch, ascend coo feet more. and then
enter the Jungfrau itself. al a station
called Jungfrauj0ch. The terminus will
be situated about 240 feet below the
summit. and an elevator viii carry pas
Sengers the rest of the way.
The possible effect Of great change nf
altitude within q few hours upon The
health and comfor OF tourists has been
carefully considered by the management
if this line. Not only has a good deal
OF information been obtained from per
sons who have gone ND in balloons. but
a set of special experiments was conduct
ed with alright Chambers. in which peo-
pie were confined while the quantity Of
air inside was slowly but considerably re-
duced by means of a pump The results
Of these Investigations satisfy the hackers
of the railroad that no unpleasant conse-
quences are 10 be anticipated from brea-h-
ing the rarifiei air of Alpine SUBMITS. if
those heights are once reached without
effort.
Power for operating the road will be Sc
cured from the Lutschine. near Lauter-
brunnen. with the aid of turbines and dy-
namos. Some of the older roads in the
Alps are operated 80 steam but all Of
the new ones use electricity Like the
road on Mount Washington. this one will
have a toothed rail- or rack, between the
rails on which the train rides. and stout
gearing on the engine viii engage the
rack and thus pull the train A quad
rupIe set of brakes. part of them mechani-
cal and part of them electrical will be
provided