Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-09-22

The uniform Of tho mountain troops Is
= - adaptation Of the regular French uni
1uem, with caps, Jackets, gloves and over
3 ooots FOR the Alpine cold and boots with
1npe extending above the knees. These
\ ~ for protection In crawling over rocks,
Z ~ and glaciers. and In climbing the
11f3s. Each soldier also carries a long
1nd stout alpenstock, one end terminal
! ~ In = stout hook and the other In q
geAAxp metal tipped point, 80 that 1t can
~ 1rmly planted In tho snow. Tho
s soldiers are trained to climb singly, or to
ekuss over glaciers In long files, with
8ePe attached from man TO man like the
nGides on Mont Blanc Thus equipped
+ ~ soldiers have lately been pu. through
( : cumplicated set Of exercises and evolu.
Mons which satisfy the war authorities
+ 1hAt ct short notice they could seize and
\ hold every commanding point.
OF course each officer In these exercises
q - exerted his talents in the way Of ex-
\ 4emporizing bridges by throwing lines or
I 9sadng trees across chasms, and tho more
HseWbltious soldiers have Wed with cdch
ether until, as one officer reports, more
than one man can balance himself with
knn alpenstock. on q trunk far above
0Cuntain torrent. in manner that fairly
rivals our celebrated Blondin."
Tho mules, too. have been educated in
Z mountain climbing. They have hauled
3 ARTILLERY to tho submits OF the highest
Tnngo, whore II could hurl destruction
INTO all the passes Of approach. At the
4 time time the telephone is utilized; the
o01cer in command of squad on peak
10, 900 feet high converses freely with his
\ Sepmmander in the valley 5000 or 5000
ut below, and that commander. In in
Z peant communication with the squads on
~ tho peaks around, can map out thss
I.ogress Of the battle far NOR. YGpidly
s9an = commander jggs nata9en country.
q 1us. Hn eseI.e, ssuntod orderlies.
"a. <,Ss .nc s-.s .as Unious invention of all
- 81 kh obscure captain Of an artillery
Gomp6ny. Taking light cannon with a
nnau bore, no loaded 1t with wrought
3 non rod terminating at the end in stout
a1ukes like those Of an anchor; to this rod
,Spas attached a stout rope fitted with
knots foot or 30 apart. The gun was
polutcd at an inaccessible peak and fired;
the grapnel fell on the peak and caught,
md there was rope ladder fixed. One
man climbed and secured tho upper end
more firmly; then the cntiro company fol-
lowed, drew up the gun. and q light bat
tEy was established on a peak which
WY too OAloo uou LitutTtO IcdCutu.
This was an achievement, indeed; but
when they had lowered the guns and the
nan had descended, there was tho anchor
md the rope-must they be lost2 On the
J. mt experiment they were, but q private
soldier solved the problem. When anchor,
.SGDn and men were safe below, the last
nan on the summit attached q small ''time
toepedo" to tho upper end Of tho rope,
calculating the fuse to give him time to
~ down. Soon after his descent the
tnEpsdo goes of, blows the rope loose
) above, and down 1t comes. There need
- no surprise that the commanding OH
- closes his report in these words:
These ascensions and the passage of
I artillery along the edges of precipices are
~ times painful and exceedingly danger
4 Gus; but such Is tho skill and sang froid
oe men and officers that wo are without
gEsys accidents In any Of these ma
3euvers."