The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-19

beautiful views of Lake Thum
beneath and Of the Eigle. Munich
Gnu Jungfrau, the highest noun
talns Of the Bernese oberland in front.
switzerland is the playground of Eu-
rope IT lies in the midst of the ma
ions OF Europe and is now very easily
edcned from France, Germany, Aus
tria and Italy. It has always been
most popular, perhaps, the most lux
urlous hotels have been erected. and
&c has often been a refuge for the peo-
pie OF Russia in their effort to breathe
a freer air. It's people are very large
~ q nation Of hotel-keeDers. They
nave studied and practiced their art
We'll. l can not speak of the luxur-
hotels which [ have steadily avoid
but | can say hat | have Yet to
take exception to any item on the bill
Of q Swiss hotel keeper. They have
always given good value for the money
paid and | have found them square
IN their dealing. Indeed. ] have Won
dered how they were able to do so
we'll by the travelling public. By
pension for at least five days,
we were furnished with a good room,
often with a magnificent mountain
view, with comfortable beds, with cot
fee and good Swiss honey for break
fast, q dinner of six or seven courses
at midday, and with a substantial
supper at night, for the sum Of six
francs. say $1.2O a Gay.
| believe it was the railway up Mount
Washington in New Hampshire that
gave the first impulse to mountain
railways. The Swiss engineers have
taken up the idea and have allowed
no obstacle to stand in their way. A
number Of the Swiss railways, such as
that from Interlaken to Lanterbrun-
men, are constructed on the rock and
prison system, a third rail being laid
in the middle of the track which is
gripped by a wheel on the engine.
The railway to reach the summit Of
the Jungfrau has been under con-
struction for several years and will
not be finished for several years long
er. To avoid the snow and ice a long
tunnel has been constructed and the
top of the will finally be
reached by means Of an elevator shaft
bored through the solid rock. Even
the ascent Of Mont Blanc is being
attempted by q railway and the first
section Of it was opened this summer
while | was III switzerland.
Murren is a little village, 900 feet
and more above the valley of Lanter-
into which falls the water Of
the beautiful Stanhbach, SO thinly di-
vided while it is making its great de-
scent as to be rightly named dash
brook The village itself seems to
be right over against the high Alps:
Just a corner of the Jungfrau named
the Lilbehorn, is visible, but the Eiger
and the Monk are in plain sight. De-
ightful paths lead in all directions.
The village and hotel people keep the
mountain paths in good order. They
form a large part of the attraction to
visitors who come for recreation.
the paths are safe. On q
somewhat lonely path requiring five
or six hours walking [ met a young
woman walking alone whom L had
I>&n1 arI tho thnI1oh+ nf
fear never seemed to have occurred
to her. The paths were used this
summer by thousands of pedestrians
out [ did not hear of a single case
where they did not appear to be per
fectly safe for all.
1 lad set my heart on crossing the
Gemmi Pass, which connects the
Bernese Oberland with the Rhone
Valley, which is reached from the
Lake Of Thun by taking the railway
from Spiez to Frutigen and then a
carriage to Kenderstey, e a very
steep path and a long walk through
q wild and barren region, leads to the
top Of the pass. The road was good
but too hard for the lady in the party
who was provided with a very small
carriage, the like of which l have
never seen elsewhere. 1t was large
enough for only one person, was
drawn by one horse led by a man, and
was practically a large armchair set
on two wheels with its pack toward
the horse. A screw enabled the seat
to be made level whether the carriage
was drawn up hill or down. In my
student days I would have thought
nothing Of his steep path, but now
that am out of practice, / confess
there were certain muscles which felt
the strain and 1 was glad when the
ascent was practically over and the
path led more along the eve At
one place, a tablet recorded the fact
that several men had lost their lives
by an avalanche which was suddenly
precipitated upon them. Avalanches
are veritable facts in switzerland. The
Gastem, tina through which we
walked one day, is habitable only
in the time of the hay-harvest, the
rest of the year being a dangerous