Milan, Feb. 4.
That the renowned St, Bernhard monastery and hospice in the Swiss Alps has been isolated and partially destroyed by a gigantic avalanche, is to a certain extent confirmed here by, meagre reports received to-day, Rumours that the hospice, which for centuries played an outstanding role in rescuing lost travellers in the high Alps, had been inundated by descending' snow masses, have been circulating for several days but were always emphatically denied.
It is now evident that an avalanche of unknown proportions has descended completely isolating the monastery so that the monks will be cut off from the outside world for several months.
It is held that the instinct of the famous St. Bernhard dogs prevented loss of life because on the day of the avalanche, which practically buried the monastery, they had sensed the danger and refused to leave their kennels to accompany the monks on tours through the hills—Trans-Ocean,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.