112 Account of the' celebrated Slide of Alpimcli, 
hours of the workmen, which was absolutely necessary, as he 
had scarcely two good carpenters among them all, the rest 
having been hired by accident, without any of the knowledge 
which such an undertaking required. M. Hupp had also to 
contend against the prejudices of the peasantry. He was sup- 
posed to have communion with the devil. He was charged 
with heresy, and every obstacle was thrown in the way of an 
enterprise, which they regarded as absurd and impracticable. 
All these difficulties, however, were surmounted, and he had at 
last the satisfaction of observing the trees descend from the moun- 
tain with the rapidity of lightning. The larger pines, which were 
about 100 feet long, and ten inches thick at their smaller extre- 
mity, ran through the space of three leagues^ or nearly nine mileSy 
in two minutes and a half and during their descent, they ap- 
peared to be only a few feet in length. The arrangements for 
this part of the operation were extremely simple. From the 
lower end of the slide to the upper end, where the trees were 
introduced, workmen were posted at regular distances, and as 
soon as every thing was ready, the workman at the lower end of 
the slide cried out to the one above him “ Lachezf (Let go.) The 
cry was repeated from one to another, and reached the top of 
the slide in three minutes. The workmen at the top of the slide 
then cried out to the one below him “ 11 vientf (It comes,) and 
the tree was instantly launched down the slide, preceded by 
the cry which was repeated from post to post. As soon as the 
tree had reached the bottom, and plunged into the lake, the 
cry of Lachez was repeated as before, and a new tree was 
launched in a similar ^manner. By these means a tree descended 
every five or six minutes, provided no accident happened to the 
slide, which sometimes took place, but which was instantly re- 
paired when it did: 
In order to shew the enormous force which the trees acquir- 
ed from the great velocity of their descent, M. Rupp made ar^ 
rangements for causing some of the trees to spring from the 
slide. They penetrated by their thickest extremities no less than 
from eighteen to twenty-four feet into the earth, and one of the 
trees having by accident struck against the other, it instantly 
cleft it through its whole length, as if it had been struck by 
lightning. 2 
