Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-16

TN HE DO(IS at Inc AIplne HOS
pice of Mount st, Bernard
this month have justified their
l. fame remarkably, over all
Europe people talk about
them.
Regularly, the dogs save ordinary
travellers from the snow and bring
them to the Monks Hospice, founded
at the top of the Pass by st. Bernard
Of Mention nearly 1000 years ago
last July This year Europe cele-
brated the one thousandth anniver-
sary Of his birth on Lake Annecy,
where SO many Americans go in Sum
mer. Astonishingly the family still
exists. The present head, young
Count Bernard de Mention, named
from his relative of | 900 years ago,
was married this month of Deem
Der, 1926
The dogs also this month have
done the unprecedented stunt of seek
ing finding and digging out a group
Of their own masters, lost together in
the snow-after the same dogs had
already rescued five ordinary travellers
In the nine days previously.
1t was unprecedented because the
monks, their masters, who receive and
nurse lost travellers in the Hospice,
are themselves almost never lost in
the snow. They were the same
dogs" because this was great res
cue. and all the experienced grown
animals had to be used--for 1t is an
unhappy fact that the great pack has
alarmingiy decreased.
It was the most drama tic episode
In the eventful history of the region.
party of Ave monks and five stu
dents set out on skis to make a tour
of the neighborhood when one Of
them suggested that they should visit
the scene of an avalanche which had
fallen earlier I'm the day--it is part of
their work to keep posted.
The track of the avala nche lay be-
tween Hospice and the little Italian
customs house lower down. The five
monks had already traversed the dan
ger zone, when with a roar like thun-
der another avalanche of powdery
snow zoe yards wide fell, sweeping
the Ave students away!
Two of them freed themselves, but
despite the frantic efforts of the monks
no trace could be found of the others.
A messenger on skis was sent rush
ing to the hospice to fetch the famous
dogs which have been doing rescue
work as a race or family on the spot
for really 900 years, as will appear.
The powerful and intelligent animals
arrived on the scene laying loudly.
Now comes the sensational part.
Not only were three students lost in
the avalanche, but three of the Ave
monks were down and out by this
time. as we'll as one Of the escaping
students They We're unconscious,
sunk in the deep, soft snow, and los
ing their ability TO brea the-from eX-
haustion due to their frantic efforts.
The dogs arrived alone. ahead of
messenger and monks who followed
from the hospice. The dogs separated.
Four dogs stuck to their exhausted
ma sters. Struggled against them, warm
ing them, breathing on them and
pushing them about to make them re-
gain consciousness!
The other dogs, with unerring In
stinct, began to burrow feverishly-
in different places! Very soon the
body. still warm, of one man, named
Luisier, was recovered Artificial res
piration was tried for six hours, but
was unsuccessful. The bodies of the
two remaining students were recoY
cred similarly by dogs, but both were
dead
The wonderful thing which the dogs,
did was to save their seven remainings
masters, exhausted, unconscious and
sunk in the snow, but rot entombed,
It required a considerab BILE time for
the messenger to arrive at the hos
pice for aid of men and dogs. Once
such aid had started. the dogs rushed
on ahead, going back on the messen-
gers track. They could not he re-
tanned. Then. after the arrival of the
dogs on the spot. 1t took similar
rather long time for the men to ar
rive behind them. So the dogs made
an astonishing record of individual
life saving. all alone. and by their
own ntelligence-undirect
! The same dogs had already rescued
FIVE ordinary travellers in the nine
DAYS previous. SO Europe is saying
that the dogs will always have to be
used up there, or else abandon the
hospice Even when all the Alps are
tuneled there will always be people
going over the Great st. Bernard in
particular, and at present there is still
comparatively large amount of
traffic.
1t is the best crossing of the noun
tain wall across Europe. Why have
its passages by Napoleon and Haunt
bal remained so affecting to the imag
nation? Because great armies, with
camp materials. baggage, supplies.
cannon and ammunition carts Tor yet
more ponderous elephants9 fell from