The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-10

HAMONIx, November 9.-(Special) "HINK of shooting the chutes on a
 real scenic railway over two miles
 4 high
 A few years ago any one who would have talked Of building such line would have run the danger of being locked up in madhouse. Today some Swiss en- gineers and Italian constructors not only have declared such railroad to be feasi- bic and raised s1,200,000 to build the line, but part of it is already working! That is. material is being hauled up thousands of feet over pylones and daring workmen use the line to mount to and descend from their work.
 This extraordinary railroad is 10 run from Chamonix, in France, up the Ai- guile du Midi. precipitous needle rising 12,60S feet It's object is to show tourists tho unmatched glorles of Mont Blanc and it's chain of peaks and glaciers. Instead of running on terra frma, however. like most of the Swiss mountain railroads, 1t is to go through the air on pyloneS and cables, swinging from peak to peak or from jag to jag, like the after-dinner crater Chauncey Depew used to- talk about far above the eternal snows and glaciers. The idea of constructing thIs remarkable railroad originated in the brain of MT. Fidele Eugster, a Swiss liv- ing at Dion, France, who is supplying the necessary funds for it's construction. He applied to a firm of engineers in Zurich and Berne, who declared it feasi- ble.
 On arrival in the Valley of Chamonix to see this aerial line was more amazed than ever at the boldness of the scheme. Being an Alpinist and knowing that climbing the Aiguille du Midi from the fhanonix side is not g job for amateurs. but rather one that requires sangfroid and rare judgment it was beyond my comprehension how constructors expected to find workmen to do the job The Aigu- file du Midi however, has a bad reputn- lion for avalanches and falling stones and in some couloirs these come down every few minutes. Light was shed on the sub Ject by MT. Braegger, a Swiss engineer, who has charge of the work.
 We do not intend to climb the granite or work on the glaciers" said Mir Braeg- ger, smiling, Moreover, we are not con- . cerned with avalanches which will roll harmlessly below us. We intend to swing from peak to peak and from pylone to pylone. situated on these summits and as avalanches and stones do not come from the clouds we will not bother about them. There may be some hard work in erecting two or three of these pylones, but once they are in place the material an1 workmen will be hauled up by cable. as passengers will be later"
 Imagine being in the passenger car run hing on swinging cables between two peaks when the sharp crack of a starting avalanche is heard. Think of the thrill Of s1eing hundreds of tons of snow ice and debris dash past under the car and plunge into the valley below with a tremendous roar. This alone, for persons looking for new sensations and excitement should be a nPinn nf fbn i,lya
 The starting station of the line is sit nated down in the Valley of Chamonix. Tc reach the power station above, where the traction cables are set in motion by 75' horse power electric motors, passen- gers ride in suspended cars with a seat ing capacity of 20 persons, over 2000 me tres of cable suspended on 27 pylones,