EUROPE TO-DAY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 176, 25 June 1938, Page 13

EUROPE TO-DAY

ST. MORITZ. December to .the end of March, during which period tlie dryness and purity of tho atmosphere, combined witli the warmth of the high-Alpiiie sunshine, make it an ideal resort for very kind of winter sport, this is the time to see St. Moritz. St. Moritz is indeed proud of its Italian-blue skies and the great number of hours of sunshine it enjoys throughout the,year. It is interesting to note that St. Moritz Spa was well-known as a health resort as far back as the 15th century. The place was then known as St. Mauritius, and it is recorded that Pope Leo X issued a bill extending absolution to all who visited it. The iron springs of St. Moritz were known to the Romans and even long _ before their time. In 1907 a prehistoric well was discovered which, according to an expert view, was in use 3000 years ago. Two bronze swords and a pin were found in this well and these are now preserved in the Engadine Museum. The famous Swiss doctor Paracelsaus, wlio flourished in the 16th century, described the St. Moritz wells, which he regarded as being better than all others. There are three chief runs for toboganning, the first and the second being, as it were, stepping-stones to the 11111x1. The Village Run is for novices grown out of" childhood. As soon as they acquire a certain skill, they advance to the Dimson Run, the curves of which are sharper and the descents steeper than those of the Village Run. Graduated from the Dimson, the full-fledged rider tackles the Cresta Run which has a greater fame than any in the world. It _is three-quarters of a mile in length with a drop \of 514' feet, and abounds in hazards which afford keen sport to the votaries of the run; so keen that the Cresta rider returns to St. Moritz winter after winter for the joy experienced in the descent. The average speed is 45 miles an hour. The maximum speed on the fastest part of the run is 80 miles an hour.—(G)