Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-11-14
Settlers Srolr europe
BY Pres. 8. X. Darren
SWITZERLAND

people little more eager for the
coin which their coming brings, it
does not seem to have robbed them
of their sturdy self reliance and self
respect. The thoughtful traveller is
drawn thither, not only to see their
grand mountains, but also to look
on a land where there is probably
more ordered liberty and capacity
for self government than in any
other nation in the world.
Pixies Peak rises in barren and
rugged grandeur 5000 feet above
Colorado Springs at its base. But
what shall be said of the Jungfrau,
with her crown OF eternal SNOW ris-
ing nearly I2. 900 feet above Inter
laken and Lake Thun, lit up by the
rays OF the setting sun or the rising
moon, or the Monch and Eiger and
Wetterhorn rearing their white sum
nlits 5000 to 10, 900 feet above you
after you have toiled up the valley
of the Gruidevald. The United
States has no rival to the snow clad
Alps OF the Bernese Oberland, unless
it be in Southern Alaska. Put all
this within easy reach Of several
hundred million of people and let
every inch of ground be titled and
made garden by an intelligent
and remarkable people, and you
have Switzerland. Oneis impressed
Sith the daring and marvellous skill
@the Swiss engineers, Most of our
Frt went up the sides OF the Rigi
N the rack and pinion railway
gfade in places is rs per cent, and
spent the night on the summit OF the
m,puntain. We were rewarded by a
sunrise view of the Switzerland Alps
HE Alpine glow Of Of Hi III cir
1Iests shortly after, which our con.
@ctor pronounced the finest he had
seen in bis twenty years experience.
The railway was the first mountain
climbing railway and ascends over
1900 ieet in four and half miles.
This model was followed by the rail-
way UP Mt. Washington and sur
passed by that which ascends Pixies
Peak. The surprise of the traveller,
However, is the extent to which the
Swiss mountains have been scaled
by railways There are over thirty
rack and pinion railways with gradi-
ents up to twenty five per cent and
one up Mt. Pilatus that exceeds that
Gradient. There are also over forty
iunicular mountain railways with
cars drawn up by cables at angles up
to sixty-tWo per cent and one aerial
railway up the Wetterhorn that is
nearly vertical. Perhaps the triumph
of mountain railways is the tunicular
railway up the Jungtrau that will be
completed by 1910. 1t pierces the
three thousand feet of ice and snow
that stretches down its sides by a
series Of tunels with occational peep
holes in the sides OF the mountain
that give surprising views, and as
cends by steep gradients with a lit
at the end to a level OF 3, 66S feet at
the very summit Of the glorious
Iungfrau. Our first stop was at
Berne where we saw the Federal
Capital Building, beautiful struc-
ure with a superb view oil the Alps
from the terrace in the rear, the cur
ous street OF arcades running to the
Nydeck Bridge across which is the
Bear s den, a grotesque ogre foun-
ain, and unique clock which marks
he passage Of eveiy hour by crow
ng cock, a troop Of bears marching
kccross the front, and figure which
everses the hour glass. The ogre
ountain is a hideous man eating
children. One is half way down his
hroat, Others protrude from his
pockets or crouch in terror at his
Get. The bear pit is disappoint.
nent. Bears have been kept there
rom time immemorial, but those
occupying the pit at present are a
NANCY, disreputable, scrawny bunch
eady to sit upon their hind legs on
he slightest peanut provocation.
The ride on Lake Thun from
Hshsrssliksn ss 1nterlaken was an
impressive illustration ai the paweg