Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/469

ALPS. ,S0:J feet: Gnind eiiil)iii, 14,1(14 feet; Lvs- kamiii, 14,889 feet; Miscliabel, 14,941 feet; and iiouti- Kosa, 15,217 feet. The St. Gothard lanye stands at the sourees of the Reuss, Rhine, and Tieini), separated on all sides by compara- tively low passes. To the south and east of it, and to the northeast of the Pennine Alps, are the Lepontine Alps, through whieli from northwest to southeast extends the vallej' of the Ticino. IJetween the Aar and Reuss are the Emnienthal Alps, separated from the Alps of Uri on the east by the Uriinig Pass. The Tijdi chain continues the line of Bernese Alps northeastward, with TOdi, 11,887 feet. The Rha-tian Alps stand about the head-waters of the Inn River, and contain many fine peaks, exceeding 11,000 feet in height, while south of them is the splendid Bernina group, with Mont Bernina, 13,294 feet. Still further south, on the south flank of the system and east of Lake Como. are the Alps of Bergamo. East of the Rhietian Alps are the Otzthal and Ortler Alps, with peaks rising above 12.000 feet, the Ortlerspitze being 12,800 feet. The Eastern Alps are of less height than the other two groups, and are broken into a great number of semidetached groups and ranges; the North and South Tyrolese, Sarnthal, Dolo- mite, Venetian, C'arnic, and .Julian Alps, Hohe Tauern, Niedere Tauern, and the Salzburg, Sty- rian. and Austrian Limestone Alps. The East- ern Alps culminate in the Gross-Glockner, in the Hohe Tauern, on the borders of Tyrol, Carin- thi^a, and Salzl>urg, which rises to a height of 12,457 feet, and fiom which descend glaciers al- most rivaling those of the Swiss Alps.

The highest part of the Alpine system, as ex- pressed by the altitude of its sunmiits, is in the western part of the Central Alps, in the Bernese and Pennine groups, and about Mont Blanc. From this region the altitudes diminish east- ward and southward. Owing to the broken char- acter of the system, passes are numerous; many of them are comparatively low, and are utilized as routes for roads and railroads. Some of them have been used as routes of travel for many cen- turies.

P.'.ssES AND Routes. The passage of the Western Alps is made by five principal roads: (1) The military road. La Corniche, a coast road at the foot of the Alps from Nice to Genoa, parallel to which a railway now runs. (2) The road over the Col-di-Tenda, between Nice and Cuneo, made in 1778; highest point, 0150 feet. (3) The high road over Mont Genfevre, connecting Provence and Dauphing with Turin; higliest point, filOO feet. (,4) The carriage road made by Napoleon in 1S05, over Mont Cenis, connecting Savoy with Piedmont; high- est point, 6850 feet. Near this the chain is pierced by the railway tunnel of ilont Cenis. (5) The pass of the Little St. Bernard, con- necting Savoy and Piedmont; highest point 7180 feet. The passage of the Central Aljis is made by eight principal roads: (1) That of the Great St. Bernard, connecting the valley of the Rhone with Piedmont; highest point, 8120 feet. It was crossed by Napoleon in 1800. (2) The magnificent road over the Simplon, which moun- tain is pierced by the Simplon railway tunnel at a level below that of the St. Gothard tunnel, was constructed by Napoleon, ISOl-Oli, and connects Valais with the confines of Piedmont and Lom- bardy; highest point, 0590 feet. (3) The pass of St. Gothard, connecting Lucerne with Lago Maggiore; highest iioint, (j!):it) feet. One of the great Alpine railway tunnels is the St. Gothard. (.See St. Gotuahu.) (4) The San Bernardino Pass: highest point, 6770 feet. (5) The Splii- gen l^ass, connecting the sourees of the Rhine with the Adda, highest point, 6945 feet. This pass was the one used by the Romans in their intercourse with the countries bordering on the Danube and the Rhine, and also by the tierman armies on their marches into Italy in the Middle Ages. (U) The Furka Pass, separat- ing the heads of the Rhine and Rhone, and crossed by a wagon road at an altitude of 7992 feet. (7) The Stelvio Pass (Stilfser Joch), on the frontiers of Tyrol and Lonibardy, traversed by the most elevated carriage road in Europe; its highest point, 9855 feet. (8) The Brenner Pass known to the Romans, on the road from Innsbruck to Trent and Verona, highest point 4409 feet. It is now crossed by a railway. Be- sides these great roads, leading south into Italy, there are two which lead north from the valley of the Rhone, and cross the Bernese Alps, over'the Grimsel Pass, 7103 feet high, and the Gemmi Pass, 7640 feet high. The roads over the Eastern Alps are much lower and also much more numer- ous than those in the Aliddle or Western Alps. The principal are: (1) The road from Venice to Salzburg, crossing the Noric Alps at an ele- vation of rather more than 5000 feet. (2) The road over the Carnic Alps, which divides into three branches — the first leading to Laibach, the second to the valley of the Isonzo, and the third to the valley of the Tagliamento. ( 3 ) The roads from the Danube at Linz to Laibach. There are four railways crossing the Western and Central Alps: The Jlont Cenis, connecting France with Italy; the St. Gothard, connecting Lake Lucerne with Lago Maggiore; the Sim- plon, from the upper Rhone Valley to Lago Alaggiore, and the Brenner, from Jlunich and Innsbruck to 'Verona and Venice. The Arlberg railway, which pierces the Alps in the Arlberg Tunnel, is the great highway between Switzer- land and Austria. Besides these through lines, there are many extending into the heart of the mountains. From the upper valley of the Aar many lines extend southward into" the Bernese, irrner, and Glarner Alps to Interlakcn, Lauter- brunnen, and Grindelwald, and to Brienz, Jleir- ingen. Lucerne, and Linthal. A railway passes up the Rhone Valley, with a branch to Zermatt, in the Pennine Alps. On the Italian side several raihvays penetrate the mountains to considerable distances. The Eastern Alps are crossed by several railway lines, which subdivide and join, sending off many branches within the mountain area. Many of the points affording the grand- est views in the Alps are now reached by moun- tain railways: the Gorncgrat Railway, the highest railway in Europe, in the vicinity" of the Matterhorn, climbing up to an elevation of 9908 feet. The most extensive panorama to be had from any easily accessible point is that obtained from the summit of the Rigi. a peak near Lu- cerne, less than 6000 feet high. As a pleas- ure ground for the lovers of grand scenery and adventurous mountain climbers, the Alps are the most attractive region on the earth. It is a truism that the most valuable of Switzerland's assets is the scenery of the Alps. Not that these are the finest mountains on the face of the globe, but there are no others comparable Avith them which are so accessible, and in which living and