The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-02-23
ITALIANS Fight
IN CLOUD MISIS
"CELEsTiAL COMPLETELY PART
OF BATTI.Rs WITH ENEstY
$4,000 FEHsT HIGH.
ENGINEERS WORK HARD
Avalanche Ferris Add To The Grave
Dangers Brave Troops Are
Facing Each Day.

London, Feb. IA. n. Savage
Landor, the famous explorer. in tell
ing of the splendid work being don,
by the Italian troops in the noun
tains of Italy and Austria, says;
"Iu Britain it Is easy to under.
stand why people find IL difficult to
become interested in the Italian front
The official reports contain strange
and unfamiliar names which the mass
of the people have never heard of
and the strategicai situation, apart
from the knowledge that it has u
great deal to do with mountain war
fare. is beyond their cOmprehen-
sion.
There are one or two plain state
ments which ought to give q good
indication of what italy has accom-
plished One is that of all the arm
les of the Entente in Europe, Italy's
is the only one which is fighting an
offensive warfare on the enemy's
soil. To reach this proud position,
the italian soldiers have had to fight
their way between and on the tops
OF some of the highest mountains
on our Continent
ITO imagine what that means an
Englishman Who has not seen this
country must get the Malvern Hills
out of his mind and try and picture
peaks three times higher and more
than Snowden's. and Austrian troops
on the top Of thom and Italian troops
down below scaling the sides OF the
mountains.
ION our western front II is a case
OF an offensive underground. with
the soldiers burrowing Hike moles;
on the Italian front it is more a kind
OF celestial warfare.
"Our allies have been lighting at
all imaginable elevations. from the
sea level TO 10000 feet to 10000
feet high.
In. the Galore, where they are
fighting now. the sides of the noun
.ains arc In many places vertical.
At the beginning of the war the Aus
trians were on top of them. but.
thanks to the wonderful engineering
work of the Italians, they have been
lislodgod. Beautiful roads have been
built, tunnels have been bored into
the mountains, tons of explosives
placed inside, and the entire tops of
the mountains. with the Austrians
perched on them. have been blown
to pieces,
, these vertical mountains can on
ly be scaled by placing ladders one
above the other, tying them against
the rock. and stepping up them untit
a suitable place Is found to begin
work with the perforating machines.
When that place Is settled upon a
proper wooden staircase Is construct
ed along the face of the rock below,
so that tho machinery can be carried
up the more easily.
Pack mules are very valuable III
the transport in this country, and the
development OF aerial railways with
the cables swung across from the
mountain tops to the valleys has con-
siderabIy simpliGed the early prob
lens OF supplies.
"But sometimes death comes sud
denly to the brave Italians just when
they have attained their object.
great ftsend of mine, an artillery OF
deer named Morell had succeeded III
bringing his battery to the top OF q
peak after days OF laborious chmD'
ing. when The firing OF bis guns caus'
rd a landslide and the whole part.
was overwhelmed.
Another peril to these hghtlhS
men that can not be foreseen Is th'
avalanche. OF course II Is possiDi'
10 build huts and camps IN place
where there is no such danger bu
when the men are on the march the!
may be enyeloped by rush OF snow
about fifty or hundred or NOR
times the size OF st. Pauis Cathe
dral, and death is certain some
times the sound of shout or spoS
en- word is enough TO cause It, IN
explosion. OF the guns has naturaii
added To the danger.
After Rumania ! certainly thih
that the Austro German forces wi
attempt big advance on the itai
ans. perhaps thru Switzerland p'
from what saw of our ailys PREF
arations, the enemy viii get a ver
hot reception. During a long aud
ence with Geo. Cadorna. was vel
much impressed not only by his wo'
derfui genius but his calm ana 81
and his polite and charming ma
ners.
II also had long audience WI
the King at his villa near the irol
He showed me the beautiful PINOT
graphs nc has taken, some oil me