Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-25

The French Chasseur Alpins arc
every whit as rcdoub,abic mountain
GERS as the Italian Alp!ni, ami no troops
have inspired the Germans with great
er respcc, than the "Bluc Devils" who
climb like cats ana AR" uurivIlcd IN
wagine guerrilla warfare French
progress IN Alsace is largely Que TO
their might and skin.
Between Malborghctto aud the Dolo-
mite front Of tho Italian army lics the
important Carnia sector since tie war
began the line OF fighting here has been
almost Identical with the frontier line
or the Carnic Alps. and the whole nfty
miles or so Of the front runs entirely
along mountains ana mountain pas"cu.
~ YOU come out Of tho Pass Of
Timnu and arrive below Tho peaks OF
the 'armIc range YOU seem TO hc in
world evil and hostile 10 men. The
pizZo or Peak Of Timau rises out II It
wilderness OF great powders piled I'm
in1pcuetrablc and incohcrcnt heaps.
sheer up over 700 feet. straight
slab towering like vast tombstone
over !lfelcss stretches of steep gray,
treclcss rock. Down these precipices
tho wounded. after the fight for Frciko-
fcl in June. were tied to ropes and
lowered sometimes for spaces OF 500
feet or 400 feet to the hospital posts
established below
ney ip To the balloon heights. where Tho
Italian soldier lights. as slow and pain
full, while the hg guns were going
above. and soon few lone bullets
brought the war down with a whine 10
ones own dimensions. \ tagged
brcastwork Of piled earth. & f"w strides
over rocks. aud-"Goud heavens" cX-
claims Jctfriss. 81 was in q street"
street on Mountain Top.
lie calls II street because il VAS,
pcrchcd upon high. buttresscd in front
against AN enemy no more than nftr
yards away, with lofty mountains al
around and shells crossing the h-av-
ems from S.0oc-foot peak TO 5000 foot
peak above. ana yet there IL was. on
the mountain summit, bright. suulit
little street. y very small street OF
course, made of huts with half-opcn
doors. where were men writing and
reading, using sewing machines and
cooking ana hair cutting, and one hut
full of old boots. tumhlcd anyhow.
neck over heels, with tongues torn
out and nails gone. all piled up in a
great heap. The captain in charge Of
the street. suppose ! must call the
street trenches. for there lighting goes
on every day. and he had been promoted
for gallantry and riskcd his life I. thou
sand times ana lost half his men fight
ing to establish himself on this very
spot--came out ana greeted me.
How do You like nay rock" he said
we should be perfect here il it wasn't
for tho AuStrans, nasty souls who try
to disturb our happy home MAST souls,
hui we've kept them out. We're or
EanlZed here now, hut il was Il little
different in the carly days OF tn. war
We were taking the positions then W..
are now consolidating. We had to take
fr.Ikofcl and under the most Giiiict,It
conditions. Tho Nustrians had mule
tracks up their side OF the mountain:
sc had TO be pulled up by ropes on ours
while they spipcd at the men holding
and the man coming up"
Five Days. OF Since War Hogan.
Some Of my Alpini". said the cap
tain. have had only five days leave
since the war started, and they're as
Keen as In May. They're mostly drawn
from nearby, and they are protecting
their own valleys. They are wonderful
men to have under one. with two com
panics only we held nearly three miles
Of mountain crest from Freikofcl to Pal
Grande from June 3 to June ;. after
forty-eight hours continuous Smelling,
against six attacks Of the AustriHnS.
With only two companies! We made
our stand by there" and he showed
me two mounds below torn and punched
with the craters of shells. But every
Alpine stood sturdy as fort. and
actually from below, where was such
as we had In the way Of dressing sta
lions, at critical moment tho wound
Cd those that could put foot TO ground,
came up. led by our doctor, and charged
with the bayonct. 1t was touch and
go till at half-past on the 9Th I saw
mules appearing from the pass below
and knew re-enforcements were at
hand. Tho Austrians drew off at once
and we carried tho day. and later be-
came masters of Pal Grande. IL was
the same Alpini, too. who took Frei-