OVERWHELMED BY A BLIZZARD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 70, 21 March 1908, Page 13

OVERWHELMED BY A BLIZZARD.

FRENCH REGIMENT'S TEREiBLE EXPERIENCE. Details have been received of the disaster to the Second Regiment of the Foreign I Leg-ion in Algiers, says Reuters corresI pondent. telegraphing from Am Sefra. j The 2Cth Company, under Captain Capil- | liery, was marching from Berguent to Fort Hassa. which it had been ordered to 1 garrison, and it left Ainben-Khelill on Febi raary Ist for its new post. The weather j v.-es cloudy, aud an icy wind war, blowing ! from the cnnJj. The troops reached their halting place for the eight, in perfect conI dltion. aud camp yas pitched, affording i them ample shelter. Shortly afterwards the gale increase] ■in fury, accompanied by violent snow squalls, end sno-.i a perfect hurricane was I raging. The touts were blown down, aud ' all efforts to r"J r fbtiu nj, proved uu- ; uyaiiiu;;. It beicg impossible to remain ou j -.bo ground, Capialn Capilliery decided to I u'uke a (1-M-h for Fort Hassa through the j blinding snowstorm. Darkness came ou I while the column was oa the march, and the troops, who were without an experienced guide, lost their direction. Something like a panic ensued, aud though the officers worked hard to keep the column together they could not prevent the ranks from being broken. The men rushed distractedly into the desert seeking iv vain for -native huts in which they might find shelter. Fifty men, w-Uh the captain, succeeded in reaching a native dnar, and a number of stragglers were found the nest day in various other natlvceucampments. A search was immediately organised for the remainder of the column, and twentyeiglit bodies, including two sergeants and three i-orporais, were discovered in the i snow. The others a:-e stili missing, and it lis fcareii that taey also have perished. I Nothing has been beard of the provision c-ciivoy. which was escorted by a sergeant, two corporals, and fourteen men. Two surgeons and five hospital orderlies were at once despatched to Fort Hassa. A later message states that ten more bodies have been recovered. Tne number of dead is now placed at thirty-fcur. Several men are still missus.