The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-07-19

italian Soldiers Have Had Hard Tim,
During This Winter.

italian Soldiers Have Had Hard Tim.
During This Winter.
The italian Alpine soldier has no easy
life Of 1t in winter, buried in small forts
ON the high Alps, and being Obliged to
march in storm and snow, the new mill.
tary orders enforcing never-interrupted
communication between fortified places,
whatever may be the state Of the
weather, A Turin correspondent, saws
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 lieuten-
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
strong wind, which shook the mass of
snow, sending large quantities rolling
into the ravines, A path most frequent
" used. us being the safest, descends
from the summit of the mountain TO
ilriga. but Lieutenant Zanzucchi, either
TO shorten the way or bewildercd by the
ice particles with which the wind filed
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
nf the valley. The lieutenant and two
soldiers were found dead afterward
close together. Two of the men We're
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
renounce the attempt.
They drank all the brandy they had
with them and then climbed down to
Briga, fearing catastrophe ut every
moment. When they reached Briga
xt,a,- ,,,..v., 1,.,ff laal en1 A. -.
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 a
citizen had set out from Fort Centrale,
t1ur thousand two hundred and twenty
seven feet high, TO 60 to Fort Pepine,
six thousand six hundred and eighty
seven feet high. and were overtaken BY
. storm. They thought for a moment
Of turning back, but the orders were
strict. and they therefore marched on.
AL at once they felt the ground trem.
bic beneath their feet, and momen'
after they saw an enormous avalanche
descending swiftly upon them with
loud whistling sound and violent cur
rent Of air. 1t overlook them and
rolled them down the mountain with
the speed of an express train: vet,
strange to say, they were sEa5sfi.
stopped on level space, after fan o.
six hundred and fifty feet, uahurt b,s-
yond few scratches and being litsla
stunned. The avalanche went on its
path to break TO pieces in 4 rSyine. and
the young soldiers stared each otler Id
the face, astonished to find that they
were still pIive.