La Grande evening observer., April 21, 1923, Image 12

I
icv
l l " ' i '
m:Trip
Electrification of St. Gothard Railway
i Abolishes Smoke Nuisance, Gives
Fullest Vision of Scenic Beauties and
;Makes Longest Tunnels a Delight.
i - o?.,' .,'1 f ': ' ' '
NOTHING new under llie un? The grniiileur and imijoity
..of: the Alps' are as old at the Alps tliemxelvcH, but the
opportunity to we that grandeur and majesty in peace and
the fullMt of riiion i new for not until the Lueerue-ChiaMO
action-of the world faiumu St. Gothard line was electrified
inulri ";th. tiuoke iiuinance be abolished and freedom of sight
!:-'; -The-electrification is for a distance of 137'j miles.
This gigantic project has just been completed. It ranks among
the engineering marvels of the world.
Two huge power stations, one at Anistrg, near the northern
entrance to the St. Gothard tunnel, nml the other ut l'iotta,
about five miles beyond the southern entrance, supply energy.
Anuteg is used during the summer, when the Kcuss supplies
the water, Piotta, is available in winter. This latter plant
Htilics the accumulated water of Lake Kitom, 6,000 feet above t
sea level and about 2,.0 feel above l'iotta. The natural depth
or the lake has been increased by a 23 foot dam and the conduit j
draws off the water 100 feet below the dam rrct. The nvailablo 1
storage capacity is estimated at about "00,000,000 cubic, feet,
"fuory. "I St. Goihard Lint.
Riilroarii frs Introduml lit
Swlurrliiirl In 1844 villi tha con.
Ilrurliunof I lit llaii-l-St. L-dwi
line, nonnsning with ih Alsace.
Ilf W Ihitre were 621 inllci of
imrnial ub line, in u,a and In
16!) ha I Vilor.il siithnriliri decided
for s rniltvnr ilirousli the Si. (;t
hard, ulilch involved ills borinu of
fha: was lllen tha longeil tunnel In
Ilia world, llinluly mora than 9 1 i
mllei.
Work nn lliii (isanlie andartalt
ln. which roil 12.1,800.0011 w.ii
heiim in 1S72 and ten years later
tha llnf wan (nrnijll, Inaurnraled.
The lina wa, senerallr rrrosnixed
an aporh-inalkini arhirvemrnt
and, It immedialelr took its nlaro
sa am w( the (rest arteries of Earo.
ran um Iruffie.
With p.H,ini of yesr snd thn
ver inrreaains demands tha naf'a.
ItT wsi rraliied of trnnilorniins the
a.Mem 1o electric traction.
Final ilat tor eleririrication was
l'fied is Annul. 101.1, a ,c,r
aefara tha enlhreak of tha areil
war. which ealamilr made Switrer
land realiie her depandrnca upon
the nellhhnnni ronnlrirt for coal.
Calculation! ihoweri that lha litlla
Alpms R.pnhlle could diipo.a of
ver S.ftOMOO horiapowcr of witcr
power and record, indicated thai
Shant SMI.Oflf torn of eoal wcra
requlcd par annnm hr the rail
wsts. It wa, therefore, a, idem
thai tail vnt ontlir for fnrl. snd
lha inrnnvenienc snrl nncertaln'v
f ll proijnreroen'. aonld he elimS.
nsted hr davalopmant of onl, a
frs(!ln ef'th niWril bvdraulie '
reisarcst af hit msuotsuii. .
me
fMSAT- "TftllJ ,Vflii -firi liJ..t
r? S IS kmr I.V rrrrw$mmifl : :
historic W'einmarkt Square
m Iriri.
Iii piir of ili .ir tlir iii
rolri lo rarry out I lie ihw m'ir
lliairt lutr ai rrnir elfttr'fi'-
lirin trlx-me. An I lie Sw ip franr
mainiinii tin r inn " lit' year
nf Hnrtuaf inf mnnry markft I Ha
.imc liih level like ihe A me ri ran
ilt..ir Swiirerlantl tleciilrd In ap
prarh llif l,inkrr in lit I 'nil".!
Sia tur loan of fiTi.OOO 0H
vMfb I flitid by n romeriiiiti'.
Id the aalumn of 120 titt miia
THE LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER
JK3.TSH f-n-ju 3 2S
ttiih fountain at lucent J43
f Mion of tlie line, hoMvef n Fr:.
felil at.tt Itellimona, nliirh it rlnl' a
the jrr.it tunticl, . riju r.ilrd ty
eleriririly; lli entire liae betuen
l.tirerne and vlnao. on lh
Iialim frontier, i no if npr-t ami
eomtleir elrririfiraiion of l.urrrnr-
Ztie-tiri-h line i ep,Tetl tlmrtK.
; 7hf rhief fe.iiur of elr-irifii i
firm for pjrnnrr nnd ich'--er
ihi the :m-k i!'ii.ipce i rnlJ.
The ink of maintaiiuuijiad repjir
m
MCAf
rsrO1 Sir - "iU a.ii.1 .
I ffl fYi l Q, r? " ' '
- - . m " . ,,. ....... ,-
fl, 1-x.
An ett'rirunl train of the Gotharti
raihrnv. Suitierland, crossing th
hrrirlenbnrh vhduct near Amsteg,
loOO r( uhova sea level.
Inn tlie. line in the tunnels lias aUo
been lilurnrtl for As workmen. As
foon a electrification of that ee.
. t;on was roinpleti'd, iho'D'i mil-?
bnR St. Co: hard tunnel underwent
n llmron;i rlojliinp and sera ping;
! farmer In.irk coat of oo: thn"
innre nml travel throtii.li lhi
tunitfl arrl th nnnirroiifi mallrr
t uiiii'I nltiiir th' Iin- where win
Itnv In. I (.nn. rU to be hermeti.
c llv rlte,), h.ii become a diver
sion. i Jfv:if Seem'c JTonrfert.
Ti.l.iy. vith ix poleM elertrira!
laipni-nl. ;he t. Ooihard railwav,
vhirh i the mnt p:rtureque inter
national lire iii all Europe. i
herein i i n ftrt'iiter favorite thin
" Ver ainmi imtriM and traveller.
I rnni r.itf.intly Imely I.ncern
uiJi it nnx h-uni l.ik and enrir
flint moitn aiti he:ht the St.
J-vhinl railway prot-.-! yiti tmif
lake ajti verdict pasturej, put
CGAa? .Ifffff WM.
A 4
At ITaxscn, 22o0 feet above sea
level. 7ii tracks wind around a
mountain three times giving pas
sengers amazing views.
hill and monntnins to the rontan
lie reulm of the Si. Gothard, where
rit-lung wind and falling waters re
pound in the awe-innpiring solitude
of the mountains. While the line
does not no perceptibly between
l.nrerne. 1.137 feet above sea level,
n nd Knife! d, 1.5j8 feet, it provided
innuntaineering thrills of an alto
gether unique order between this
point nml (oesrhenen, 3,640 feet,
where in a distance of onW 18 mile
there is a steep rise of over 2 .000
feet.
Three Ttme$ Around Mountain
The route up the valley of the
torrential Reuss is magnificent, via
ducts are boldly thrown aero
gorges and depths in which foamins
M reams rush downward; gradually
the raits become a spiral staircase
and In the vicinity of the village
of Wnsjen, whose tiny church hat
become a landmark. It seenit as if
the train would linger indefinitely;
for three times it- winds around
thU little churrh, nhovrinsr it first
r.hove, next on the level and finally
hrlnw. giving mniuing views of the
stunting line with Its three sections
briwern the tunnels one above the
oih-r.
Kat h emergenee into daylight
preent a new ipect of thi romar
;r re-ion and the traveMers are
ever darting front one ijf of itie
earriage in the other. Many repeat
tbi trip of a thouand thrill.
Revond the grea! tonn"l what we
behoii( l till Swiiferland, but
vaMly different. T!u 's the rantn
f Tieino. Italian speaking and with
Italian rhar.irieriiir. It li a
ll'tki4tl land where eotie plait'
and flower grew in profusion and
hippv peorl t-d its areit vin--
earJ and f grill; fisjj. ttt btm-
,V-' Ball I ija-'WTI -Wfci jr x. , -4 x
SAYVOy) SrvVSi siivotsrrs a r? V
rows fJ I
l" '
a?S J5 .'K?5!
yw"",sW
At top The electrified Go'hard express of Goeeenen station. Switzer
land, uhieh is the northern portal of the gr-nt Gothard tunnel, 5ft 10 feet
aba; sen level; cnffr The neu) itnn rhdtict of tfte Gothard nifimv
near Giornico. in Italian Switzerland. This piattr uas tnl.rrt m the rcgini
of the spiral tunnels of Trari and Pianotondt, 1300 feet above sea levrl;
at bottom A general viete of Lit can o. $om 700 feet above sea level, in
Italian Switzerland, ttith the Monte San Sntvatore.
let and everv village look
ilevoutlr
npon its own place of worhip, oft
times perched high on some rork7
height.
Then to Glorious Lugano.
Oiornteo, another section where
ent neerini kill triumphed otrr
nature; Rcllinzona. the amient
rapiial of the rant on with il-r!
formidable stronghold then to the
risht a branch lire leiding t.
Locarno, the fair Sin ei.v at the
h" j Hiort "' a
Saturday, April 21, 1923
"2.
Pij tie
unforget:ab!'1 .Madonna ul ?afo
perrhed Itih abovf. and siraiht
ahesd of us a liltle farther n.
Luaano, gloriouly i:ua: "J on its
own lake, a paradtr of nvet ij'h
inc in pejenni.il tun h.r "
rrom i.uaa-io. tltr qim jii e to
f hiao i bont l-'t mi;-, una the
. lilmy. af er tk'riin: A:e ,jk i ;
om lime, crt?r it nn .1,1 iMpoi
ii'Z briilT- it M- f i! .in,; prii trds
z i
.3 i;iul
letiJiUUi.
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