32i ox LANDSLIPS. 



the scenery apjDeared even more lovely than that up the 

 Reuss, and very fnll of interest to an engineer. It was 

 perfectly plain to see the course taken by the mountain 

 torrents during wet seasons, in their plunging descent down 

 the abrupt mountain slopes on either side ; and it Avas 

 interesting to notice the great spans of the archw^aj'-s jDro- 

 vided for the passage of their waters, w^here no water was 

 visible at the time. But during wet times great streams of 

 water must come down these courses, and it was plain to 

 see the spots where grand waterfalls must pour over the 

 cliffs at such times. 



Here and there occasionally could be seen places where 

 avalanches of snow must have come down, clearing away 

 all trees or other obstacles in their course. These were 

 provided for on the railway by making short tunnels for 

 them to pass over without injury to the line. 



Lastly, there were numerous places where might be noticed 

 characteristic rounded, and more or less steep banks of 

 rubbish and of slip-earth, a sort of tahts which had come 

 down from the mountain sides into the valley, and had there 

 accumulated at an extreme angle of slope. The railway was 

 cut through these in deep cuttings, or occasionally passed 

 through in tunnel. They caught my eye immediately, and 

 I noted — Here was trouble to come ! 



The train stopped at Airolo, and as the valley was so 

 beautiful I spent the night there ; and having a letter of 

 introduction to the local engineer, we walked back along 

 the line to the tunnel mouth. I then observed that the 

 slopes of these deep cuttings through the taluses already 

 mentioned were already treacherous, and that the engineers, 

 as a precaution, had carefully staked and planted them — a 

 merely superficial oj)eration, of little use. 



Passing on to Milan, I was greatty struck by the splendid 



