The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-11-02
FEATs OF SWISS SOLDIERS,
Their Mountain Climbing and Mill
- tary Engineering. v

"hh0 oi1 Illc rIuIOpeul countries
whose boundaries extend to the
backbone" Of Europe have divi-
sions of their armies composed Of
troops trained especially for manoeu-
vres among the mountains the Swiss
soldier probably excels all others as
al Alpinist; nor is this strange, says
the Scientific American, when it is
remembered that practically all OF
this little republic is situated in the
heart Of the Alps, and much Of it is
above the cloud line.
In country whore the highway
may lead over SUBMITS 10000 feet
above sea level, where glaciers may
be more esaily "rcsscd than the ordi-
nary road, special instruction in
mountaineering is absolutely neces-
sary as branch of military tactics.
ence the Swiss soldier is as familiar
| with the alpenstock as he is with his
rifle and moves about on skies as
quickly and skillfu,ly rs the Swede or
Norwegian.
While numerically the Swiss army
is relatively large, consisting Of over
100000 men including all branches OF
the service, its moh;';t," ~ q fight
ing Unit IS r""i!,i;: remarkable. Some
Of the fcats which are performed by
the various commands are notable be-
cause they would be impossible for
soldiers in other portions of Europe.
During winter as we'll as summer
the Swiss soldier frequently journeys
from post to post the snow filled
passes among the illg,,ul alps, ;is al
ready stated. often crossing glaciers
and snow fields Of great extent. In
| descending mountain glissading
with the aid Of skis is common. Tour
lists i'll Switzerland sometimes witness
the novel sight of an entire battalion
sliding down an incline at great speed,
yet without a man losing his balance.
At the end Of the glissade each soldier
Immediately takes his place in the
ranks, ready for the march.
So much has been written and said
Of the prowess Of the tourist guides in
Switzerland that the ability Of the
soldier in climbing difficult leaks is
comparatively little known. In exc
cutting certain orders the men are
sometimes required to climb mountain
! slopes "!!c:'" the ;cc axe and the rope
are absolutely necessary, but in ad-
dition to these appliances they must
carry rifles, possibly haversacks as
we'll, thus making the ascent even
more difficult and perilous.
AS may be imagined engineering
work from military standpoint
forms a most important part of AL
pine tactics. One work Of the en-
gineer is the construction of pontoon
bridges Of suitable size and strength
to permit the passage not only of foot
soldiers but Of cavalry if necessary
and even Of field artillery. When it
is remembered that the mountain
streams of this country are notable
for their swift current and the rapid
rise and fall in the volumne of water
it will he recognized that the task Of
engineer is far more arduous and haz-
ardous than in the lowlands where the
streams to be crossed have compara-
lively little velocity.
Bcidge building however, is a part
of the manoeuvres frequently carried
,, out. The pontoons, mere flatboats,
are arranged obviously according to
the strength of the current and the
depth of the water. At times it Is
necessary to place them but few
feet apart, but if the current is not
too strong they are anchored at dis
tances ranging from ten to fifteen
feet of each other, the bows, OF
course, pointing upstream, securely
anchored by heavy weights. As fast
as the pontoons are secured longi-
tudinal timbers are laid across them.
These "balks" are secured in place
by rope lashings made fast to cleats
in the pontoons sometimes by means
Of bolts or pins which can be quickly
adjusted.
The beams average about five
| inches in thickness and are made Of
seasoned timber so that they are not
affected by dampness of the weather.
Upon them is placed the flooring OF
the bridge, consisting Of planks rang
ing from one inch to one and one-half
inches in thickness and measuring
| about q fopt in width