Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1917-03-22
BEATsF06T TRAVEL
HOW ITALIANS ARE MAKING WAY
THROUGH ALPS.
System Of Cable Railways Has Proved
Invaluable for the Transportation
Of Troops and Ammunition
During War. FL


The teldferica, or cable railway, that
the Italians have contriyed to supply
their mountain troops quickly and cas-
lily with ammunition and provisions, is
one Of the most interesting Inventions
that the war has brought forth be-
tween high mountain and low noun
tain.
The steam railways, says writer in
the Railway Age Gazette, run in the
valleys at the foot of the Alps. The
freight, however, has to be picked up
and distributed by wagon or automo-
bile truck, and 1t must go up the high
er mountains on mule and mans back,
and finally on mans back alone, bit by
bit. But here the teleferica steps In
and says, Let me do 1t. I'm quicker
and surer. l can 90 in all weathers.
Avalanches can't stop me-"
Along the 400-miie front the tele-
ferica daily does the work of an army
of at least 100000 men--or 10000
mules. The last figure is interesting
when 1t is considered that there are
only 175.000 mules and horses used for
transportation purposes in this entire
army that the Italians have organized
to fight the Austrians.
According to the official statistics
there are 125 miles Of teleferica scat
tered along the front, with a total
daily carrying power of 5000 tons.
Each teleferlca built can carry rough
ly 80 tons. There are some 100 diff
ferent stations, each with a line mile
or so in length. The one saw reached
a height of 1900 feet on the side OF
Monte Adamello, in the central Alps;
1t did the work of 1000 men every
day.
The operation of the teleferica Is not
much more difficult than that of an
electric elevator In n "skyscraper."
Once the heavy motors and machinery
are got up the mountain sides and the
three-quarter-inch steel cables strung
across deep valleys and chasms and
rivers, the mounting Of the car upon
the overhead cable and the attaching
Of the pulley cable are simple enough.
We had been coming up all morning
by burro from the valley, the Aiplnist
colonel and l. riding ulong narrow
roads built on the side of a huge noun
tain.
We came at last to small shack
that blocked the road. The colonel dis
mounted, greeted the officer In charge
Of the station, and let me take a look
round. saw couple OF heavy mo-
tors with cables My eye followed
those cables, however. and they kept
going across the valley and up the
side Of the opposite mountain until the
eye, daz2ied by the snow, could follow
no longer. SWELL" remarked the col
onel, as he cheerily knocked the snow
from his thick, hobnailed boots. "sup.
pose we go up
We climbed into the basket. four
feet long by two wide, with side rails
not more than six inches high. Wheels
began to whir, and cur car ran smooth
" ont into space
held on for dear life to those low
sides and fervently hoped the colonel
would not rock the boat. ''Thls thing
wouldn't pay IN peace tines" safn
The car ran upgrade ON a 30degree
incline for couple OF minutes and
stopped, for we had completed the first
teleferica section Of the three that
would take us 10 our destination. In
seven minutes we had trayersed dis
lance that on foot required an hour.