The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-25

crest. And into the ears the party
| crept, two to a car and in a reclining
| position-then to be swung off into
space on the first stage of the Jour
| ney to the top.
There are several stages to the Jour-
| ney, each requiring about half an hour
and each becoming reasingly nerve
| racking since the cars, which start of
ct rather smart pace, slow down in
the middle of the stretch, come almost
to a stop, and leave the amateur trav-
| eler suspended dizzily anywhere from
| one to five thousand feet above the
| nearest Jagged rock. Generally also
on the higher lines, the pause comes
during a snowstorm at this season
However. the danger according to
the "old timers" who travel daily, Is
small. The, teleferico will carry a
maximum weight of over 500 pounds to
| each little car-and but two human
beings are permitted to ride except in
the case Of urgent wounded, who are
slowed away three to car. The
greatest danger Of accident lies in
rocking the boat" as II were. agitat :
ing the car so that il might tip or
rock sideways and spill one out
The trans are supported in their
hair raising journeys by a half-inch
steel cable, and are pulled upwards
and allowed to descend-by a smaller
cable that runs huge wheel at each
end of the line and that is driven by
hydraulic motor. Accidents are eX-
tremeNy rare.
Dizzy Angles.
Many Of the lines, those that run
upwards at the dizziest angles and
that haYe fewer steel supports, are not
used by passengers, but carry only
ammunition and supplies. At certain
times of the year the lines highest up
cannot be operated by day because
they are In view of the Austrians and
make excellent targets, but al this sea-
son il Is possible to run them con-
stantly because OF thessnow and fog.
The last of the lines runs almost to
the front trenches, which are hewn
out Of rock. but which in winter are
generally showed in so that the troops
embed themselves in snow trenches
and live somewhat the life OF the Es-
quimaux. At points the first positions
run within 80 yards of those of the
Austrians. and the warfare that is car
ried on is largely that of sniping and
machine-gun interchange. 1t is quiet
err than at any other part of the pres
ent Italian front.
The Italians have little fear of the
Austrians in the Mount Pasubio re-
gion, because of the character of the
Italian troops in this sector. who are
among the finest in the Italian army.
System Not New.
The teleferico system does not date
from the war, but was in part installed
beforehand. and was used for purely
commercial purposes. to haul up sup
plies and food to the settlements up In
the mountains. But with the begin
ming of the war, the tremendous advan-
tages of the aerial transportation lines
were instantly recognized, and the ex-
listing lines were increased in number
as fast as possible, both in the Mount
Pasubio sector at Mount Grappa, and
elsewhere.
Important as it is. however, it is bu,
one factor in the tremendous defensive
system that has held the Austrians in
check for more than 80 months. The
| roads, those which already existed and
| those which have been built out of the
rocky sides of the mountains, are an
other very important feature. especially
when one considers that on their dizzy
| curves the high-powered, especially
| constructed Italian camions can haul
| huge loads to an altitude of more thar
1000 feet.
Mules by the thousand have been i'm
ported from North and South Amer
| lea, Spain and elsewhere. and are es-
pecially valuable because unlike the
! horses they seem to suffer little IL a
all from the bitter weather eat little
and can go for long periods without tn.
| water that Is so precious at great
heights.
Even dogs have been introduced as
beasts Of burden in the higher regions
because they are very sure-footed and
willing. The number of horses il neg
ligible. most of them being used lower
down for artillery. And then there
always remains man power which stag
gers upward with uncounted bundles o.
wood.
| The soldiers who hold the Noun
Pasubio sector are a hardy lot, and tn,
majority have been nesting in tn,
comfortable little wooden barracks tina
dot the mountains for periods Of from
IL to 80 months. because while fur.
loughs are easy enodgh to get tn.
transportation problems in Italy are $,
serious that a man coming down int
the plains can get farther south Il
his home only with difficulty.
AS compensation in part for the de
MED opportunity Of getting home FIRE
quently and for not being able, fo
months on end, to enjoy the ordinar,
social Intercourse of peace times. th'
men are comfortably housed and ap
parently well-fed and speak French
as well as Italian.
The heavy work. such as shovellint
away the incessant snow, is now beini
done by deserters who were sentence,
to imprisonment after the German
Austrian drive. but who in many case
are put at work-and find it 30 dis
tasteful that they have almost unani
mously applied for permission to g
into the front fighting lines again.