128 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1886. 



to have been pretty generally followed. The people of Paris are de- 

 pendent upon steam appliances for their means of transit from one part 

 of the city to another ; the small steamers that run up and down the 

 Seine, touching at the foot of each prominent street every few minutes, 

 being patronized much the same as the 'buses of London, or the tram 

 cars in our American cities. 



Many freight barges are towed up this river, in which the current is 

 very swift, in a novel manner j a chain with large links and several 

 miles long, lies on the bed of the stream; an odd-shaped boat with a 

 powerful engine drives a wheel above deck, which gears into the links of 

 this chain, thus hauling the tow of barges against the stream, and pro- 

 viding for the emergency of floating away in case the engine should 

 be disabled. Large quantities of wine from the outlying districts 

 through France are transported to the city in this manner. 



Leaving Lyon station, Paris, at 9 p. in., in a icagon lit, we reached the 

 north end of the Mont Oenis Tunnel about 11 the next morning. Eight 

 and a half miles of darkness were traversed in thirty-two minutes, and 

 we had passed through what was ten years ago the longest tunnel in the 

 world and is now the second in length. 



At Turin, we were transferred to a carriage (with the backs of alter- 

 nate seats facing each other) somewhat resembling American cars, ex- 

 cept the aisle was not in the center. Seats for three persons were on one 

 side of the aisle, and for one only on the other. 



The Italian train-men and station agents perhaps receive less pay 

 than in any portion of Europe. Women act in latter capacity at many 

 of the smaller stations, as in France. The time made is very slow while 

 running and long stops are made at every station. The four-wheel cars 

 are poorly painted, and, except on fast express trains from Paris to 

 Rome, Naples, etc., they rode very rough. 



The whistle of the steam-boat bids fair to drown the song of the 

 gondolier in Venice, as small steam-boats with shrill piping whistles run 

 up and down the Grand Canal at regular intervals, furnishing the Vene- 

 tians who are denied the pleasure of riding in a tram car, another means 

 of rapid transit. Numbers of small steam barges may be seen on the 

 witer-ways through Venice and on the bay carrying passengers to and 

 from Lido and other points. 



Returning from Venice to Milan and journeying thence northward, we 

 reached the St. Gothard Railway at Chiasso, the first station in Switzer- 

 land over the Italian border, and during the journey of 232 kilometers 

 (143.7 miles), consuming eight hours, we were scarcely a moment out of 

 sight of an engineering feat that would have excited the wonder of the 

 world a half century ago. 



In the limits of these 144 miles there are thirty-four tunnels, aggre- 

 gating many miles in length. I had thought that, with the somewhat 

 intimate knowledge of railroads in the mountain and mining districts 

 of Pennsylvania, I was familiar with heavy curves and steep grades, 



