The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-11
Tanning Mont Blanc.

| For several years it has been known
that the French army has been drilled
! and trained as it never was before, and
that if war with Germany should occur
again, the Germans would have to meet
the most skilled, most eager, and best
equipped foe that they have ever faced.
The development in warfare by the
French in the last ten years has been
nothing short of wonderful They have
just added to their renown by performing
a feat that doubtless would have aston
ished even Napoleon, with all his daring.
They have taken field artillery across the
Savoy Alps, southwest of Mont Blanc.
They have reached crests with heavy
guns which hitherto only eagles and
channels have attained. In other words,
as the French expression goes, they
have tanned mountain.
There has always been a fascinatio n in
reading of the battle among the cloud'
on Lookout Mountain in our civil war,
The task of surrounding that was child's
play to this new achievement of the
French. South of Mont Blanc is val
ley through which a torrent river runs
from the great glacier of the mountain.
At the mouth of the valley is Bourg-S st. :
Maurice, where troops may be massed,
and where there are heavy Notifications.
An enemy from the Aosta Valley, in
Italy, could reach this valley by the
Seine pass but it would be useless to
attempt to invade France because of
thesesfortifcations in the valley through
which the hostile troops must pass
There is another way to get over into
France, and that is over the Alps toward
the west and down by Roselend to the
little halmet of Beaufort, from which
there is a pathway, almost impossible,
down the valley Of the Doron. Individu,
al men might get over this crest, but the
idea of taking even small cannon over
it would have seemed absurd if it hadn't
been done recently. The flank of Mont
Blanc at this place is nearly 5000 feet
high. 1t was decided by the French
military authorities to make the trip
from the Bourg- St Maurice Notifications
with field cannon to Chapeaux, where
there is small garrison.
With a prospect of victory inspiration,
battalion of infantry, one of Alpine
chasseurs, and battery of artillery
started from ,Bourg-St. Maurice on July
18th last. An icy rain was falling, but
the troops did not falter. They were to
add to the glory of the army of France.
OOOu UH0y WcTc UcyOUQ Glo limits Tor
safety for animals. 1t was impossible to
go around the flank of the mountain.
With ropes and pulleys, these men, with
songs ana shouts of encouragement to
each other, bent to their task of raising
the guns up the slippery heights. Fifty
men pulled ON the rope for each cannon,
and at every tug each piece slowly
mounted the sky. Obstacle after obstacle
WAS overcome, and on July 20ta there
rolled out sound over Mont Blanc's
crags and glaciers and precipices that
was never heard there before 1t was the
boom of a mighty cannon. 1t was an
announcement of achievement rather
than OF defiance, and the cheers of the
soldiers meant that the French artillery,
as well as the infantry, had tanned a
mountain"
The next day all the cannon reached
the summit of the crest. Getting down
on the other side was more difficult than
getting up. The men and cannon had
to go down The face of a slope 1900 feer
high, and very steep The work was
| done with ropes and pulleys, as in going
up, and on July Dist Beaufort was
reached. Surely the French have a right
to be proud of this extraordinary achieve
ment. They are now able to guard their
Alps at their crests. They have shown
splendid endurance, and shall we not
say, { most commendable brayery?-
Harper's Weekly.