The St. Johns herald., 1891-08-13
DANGERS OF ALPINE LIFE.
Italian Soldiers Have Had Hard Time
 During This Winter.

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 During This Winter.
 The Italian Alpine soldier has no easy life of it in winter, buried in small forts on the high Alps, and being obliged to march in storm and snow, the new mili- tary orders enforcing never-interrupted communication between fortified places, whatever may be the state of the weather. A Turin correspondent, says the Chicago Post, gives the particulars of the late accident when Lieutenant Zanzucchi and four of his six compan- ions met with their death. The ieuten- ant, with six soldiers, was following some Alpine companies from Pieve di Telo across Mount Tanarello to Briga Marithima, but, as he was under free marching orders, he remained behind and passed the night at small hamlet on the way. The day after he started with his six men to climb the Tanarello, and on arriving at the summit met with a strong wind, which shook the mass of snow, sending large quantities rolling into the ravines. A path most frequent ly used, as being the safest, descends from the summit of the mountain to Briga, but Lieutenant Zanzucchi, either to shorten the way or bewildercd by the ice particles with which the wind filled the air, abandoned the path and turned to the left toward Mount Saccarello.
 When the little party reached the top of the valley of the Droc they began to descend, but wide and deep stratum of snow, undermined by water below or moved by the wind, suddenly gave way beneath the travellers feet and they were precipitated more than one thousand six hundred feet to the bottom of the valley. The lieutenant and two soldiers were found dead afterward close together. Two of the men were farther away and after lying fainting on the snow for time came to themselves, one with his arm, the other with his ears and nose frozen. They tried to dig up their companions, but had no proper tools and were also too weak, so had to renounee the attempt.
 They drank all the brandy they had with them and then climbed down to Briga, fearing a catastrophe at every moment. When they reached Briga they were half dead, and for some hours had not even strength to relate what had happened. One other dead soldier was found alone, but the body of the fourth lies still beneath the snow. Only just week ago similar accident happened, but fortunately without loss of life. A party of few soldiers and citizen had set ont from Fort Centrale, four thousand two hundred and twenty seven feet high, to go to Fort Pepine, six thousand six hundred and eighty seven feet high, and were overtalzen by a storm. They thought tor a moment of turning lack, but the orders were strict, and they therefore marched on. All at once they felt the ground trem- ble beneath their feet, and a moment after they saw an enormous avalanche descending swiftly upon them with a loud whistling sound and violent cur rent of air. It overlook them and rolled them down the mountain with the speed of an express train; yet, strange to say, they were suddenly stopped on a level space, after fall of six hundred and fifty feet, unhurt be- yond a few scratches and being little stunned. The avalanche went on it's path to break to pieces in ravine, and the young soldiers stared each other in the face, aStonished to find that they were still alive.