The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-03-04
AERIAL TRANS LARGELY USED
 BY ITALIAN FORCES CUARDINC
 MOUNTAINOUS POSTS IN ITALY

WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES IN ITALY, Jan. 31.-Though the French troops who have come to Italy have brought much, gained during theil three years and a half of war. iron which the Italians have profited anG are profiting, they, themselves, art busily learning new ways of fighting totally foreign to the nodes of war fare in France. and made necessary by the altered conditions here. One of the most spectacular, inter esting and important of these is the "Teleferico," which the Italians have made an almost indispensable ad junct of their mountain fighting, and which the French now use on the mountainous part of the sector they have taken over.
 The "Teleferico" is an aerial tram way or transportation line which built of slender cables supported by steel towers, spans valleys and ir half an hour carries food and ammu milton. even men, to heights that would require hours on foot or by vehicle.
 The "Teleferico" is thorough and efficient on Mount Pasubia, just tc the west of Arsiero where, at a height of more than 1000 feet, Ital ian Alpini and other troops have held the Austrians in check since May, 1915. In this defense the won derful aerial tram has played its silent but important part.
 The Italian military authorities who week earlier had permitted the correspondent accredited to thi French armies to visit all the nava defenses which protect Venice and to see in detail the unique type oi warfare that goes on among the la goons and marshes between the city and the lower Piave river, granted similar permission to The Associated Press correspondent to see and stud this other and unique style of fight ing.
 Soon after leaving the pretty vii lage city of Schio, just south of tn foothills that lead up to imposinr Mount Pasubio, the broad, stont bedded road begins to rise perilously curving each thirty or forty feet with 7ickening "hairpin" curves. Soon tn cars of the correspondents refused tc traTel upward further over the icy roads, and were abandoned when the, showed an inclination to slide back wards over the precipice
 It was then that the "teleferico' was resorted to, just as it has or countless occasions been used tc bring wounded men down quick when delay and laborious mulc-bacl
 transportation would cost them thei lives
 Far out over the valley to the right of the steep road, seemingly beginning nowhere and ending no where, and supported at long inter vals by massive steel uprights re sembling the towers that carry higl power electric wires, were foul strands of cable and. as the cores pondents contemplated their useless automobiles, tiny carriage or ca. loaded with sacks of potatoes camc swinging dizzily along two of tho strands. mysteriously working it. way upward until it vanished out O. sight behind a shoulder of the noun tain.
 "In a few moments we'll be com fortably ensconced in one of thosc and won't need the automobiles said the dashing young Italian of ficer heading the party.
 A short walk up the road led to g low wooden shed-the starting poin' of one of the teleferico lines tha'
 ncircle Mount Pasubio from it. base to its crest. And into the car the party crept, two to a car and ir Ia reclining position-then to bc swung of into space in the frs stage of the journey to the top.
 There are several stages to tht journey. each requiring about half ar hour. and each becoming increasing y nerve-racking since the cars which start off at a ratner smar,
 ace. slow down in the middle of tn
 tretch, come almost to a stop, ant ,aave the amateur traveller suspended dizzily anywhere from one to Ave thousand feet above the nearest jag ed rock. Generally also. on the higher lines, the pause comes durin' snowstorm at this season.
 However the danger, according tc the "old timers" who travel daily. i mall. The teleferico will carry ; maximum weight of over 600 pound } each little car-and but two hu nan beings are permittel to ride Q. cept in the case of urgent wounded who are slowed away three in car The greatest danger of acciden: lie 'D rocking the boat" as it were sA.H -s--t-