The Locomotive - Lighthouse Survival Blog

1893.] THE LOCOMOTIVE. 153
l)eiir no lottering of any kind. The coaches weigh 14,250 Ihs., and are more j)ygmic.s
beside the 5)0,000 lb. Pulhnans of the evening of the nineteenth century. Each coach
has its own brakesman, and as the brake-rods are not fitted with ratciiets or ' shoes,' the
sturdy nui.scle of the brakesman must hold the brake tight until his grip is released by
the proper signal from the man in the crow's nest."
The Mont Blanc Observatory.
Not very long ago it was considered a great feat to climb Mont Blanc, and only
the sturdiest and most courageous travelers attempted it. Now, however, an observatory
has been erected on the very summit of the mountain, and it is proposed to occupy it
^continuously during the warmer half of the year. Concerning the completion of this
building the Scientific American says: "The ob.servatory on the top of Mont Blanc is at
last completed. The work was facilitated by the use of windlasses, which drew the
materials up the icy slopes. Some of the builders remained on the summit for twenty
days, the August weather being very favorable. The construction of the observatory
was begun over two years ago. The builders hoped to cut through the ice-cap to solid
rock, but this was found to be impossible, after they had gone down a distance of
thirty or forty feet. So at last it was determined to let the building stand upon the ice
and snow. The observatory was made in sections at Paris, under the immediate direc-
tion of M. Janssen. The pieces were transported to Rochers-Rouges on the backs of
men, and were finally brought to the summit by the aid of windlasses. The building
is thirty-eight feet high, but only one-third is above the snow. The upper story is used