The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-06-03
BY o. L. Halsey.

~ - - AAesASNat
The title is true. There is just four
teen miles Of it. but those fourteen
miles yield more interest and more in
delible impressions than any other four.
teen miles of road extant. This is the
st. Gothard Pass, in the Alps.
1t forms a part Of the most direct
route between Como and Lake Bucerne.
1t crosses the mountain range whose
name it bears and whose highest peak,
the famous Galenstock, rises nearly
thirteen thousand feet. The pass itself
reaches an altitude Of ten thousand
feet, being sny7where from one to four
thousand feet higher than the more re-
Gently constructed railroad pass and
tunnel underneath.
Such geographical specifications seem
ingly would insure the pass of st. Goth
ard to be a famous and well patroniz-
ed automobile highway. The contrary
is true. The average automobilist,
whether home-spun European or i'm.
ported American, avoids the pass of st.
GOthard. 1t is a road for the daring,
and its charms are worth the venture.
We were touring Europe in our Pack
ard "Thirty" when we came to the
pass. Its grandeur and its difficulties
were recounted to us. We decided in
favor of the grandeur, and learned that
touring Europe in an automobile is one
thing of which ride through st. Goth.
ard Pass is not part, but another and
bigger thing.
At the entrance is Airolo, a typical
cluster of chalets, plus hospice and rail.
road station. We reached there late
in the afternoon and learned that au-
tomobiles may venture on st. Gothard
Pass only in the evening and early
morning. To be exact, they are allow.
ed on the pass between and p. M,
and and s a. m. The better part of
the permitted two hours is required to
make the journey.
We went that evening. With
strange apprehension that was almost
timidity we looked up from beautiful
Airolo into the snow-eoated mountain
peaks that hid all but the first few
turns of the wonderful pass. Then we
started from summer into winter; from
a temperature of SO degrees to a tenn
perature of 10 degrees; from pleasant,
comfortable touring into difficult, I'M
certain and dangerous mountain seal
ing; from prettily set village into
stern heights where mere prettiness
would be an insult to the views mag.
nifcent proportions.
When this pass was built for the
moving of armies, no other purpose was
taken into consideration. Seldom is it
wide enough to allow the safe passage
of two vehicles. In many places, one
vehicle has a narrow and precarious
footing on the mountainside. For miles
it is possible to look over the side of
the car, down perpendicular rock walls,
to snakelike torrents of melted snow a
thousand or two thousand feet below.
There is no wall on the outer edge of
the pass, the greatest precaution for
safety being a slight curb, or inches
high. Sometimes the road slants down.
wardly towards the outside.
The prompt ascent after passing the
guard house necessitates learning new
kind of automobile driving. The steep
grade is a succession Of sharp, narrow
turns. Some of these angles were so
acute that it was impossible to turn
them without stopping and backing the
car. AS we progressed, we learned to
negotiate these turns somewhat more
easily, by swinging just at the right
point and just inside of corner where
the pass ended and a vertical precipice
began. All the time it was steady, hard
climbing on second speed. The motor
settled down to an unquivering gait,
and there was no break in the even
progress except an occasional acceler'
alton at the acute turns where it was
necessary to increase speed in order to
make them without shifting gears.
We were awed by the dangerous
character of the road; by the natural