Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-10-07
MARTINsBURG. W. VA. SATURDAY. OCTOBER 4 1911
TRIPOD BOWS TO
THE GUNS OF ITALY
Defenders Return Fire Of Warships
Until Forts are silenced, Then
Mount Guns Beyond Town.

Rome, Italy. Oct. ga .ors has
been received in this city TO the eaect
that the city of Tripoli. which was IN
der bombardment, has surrendered TO
the Italian forces.
An account OF the bombardment OF
Tripoli says:
AT 3 p. m. on Oct. Vice Adafral
FarayelIi signalied to the cru rs
Varese, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Fran
cesco Ferruccio that the bombardInent
was about to begin. These. with the
battleship Benedetto Brim, the flag
ship, steamed within two kilometers
of the town. The Garibaldi. Mt $50 p.
M, fired first. and six we'll placed
shells struck the governors palace.
Immediately the palace and the
Amelia and sultan's forts replied with
fifteen centimetre guns. Their aim was
bad and the shells fell wide OF their
marks.
Then the varese and francesca
Ferruccio fired at the fortifications,
the lighthouse and elsewhere. These
replied with small guns. The consu.
lates flew their national flags and the
forts the crescent.
After an hour the lighthouse col
lapsed into ruins. The Italian fire be-
came heavier and that OF the Turks
more feeble. Many guns were seen to
be dismounted and the palace was Sc
verely battered. The central forts
ceased firing at p. M, but the outer
forts continued better directed fire.
"On the morning of Oct. the bonn
bardment was resumed. II was heavier
than the day before, but the outer
forts had been reduced to ruins and
were unable, to reply. The Turks had
removed their guns to the heights be-
yond the town and reopened firs from
there. They were, however, dispersed
by shrapnel from the fieet and fed III
all directions.
THE first white flags then began to
appear. The Italians are now prepar-
ing to land 1000 men from the war
ships.
The feet was unframed. the Turk
ish projecties all falling wide of the
battleships There were no casualties
in the fleet during the bombardment.
THE warsbips confined their fire, so
far as possible. to the forts of the pal
ace, and were careful to spare private
buildings. The destruction of the
lighthouse was necessary because 1t
was adjacent to the fort which kept
up its fire.
Numbers of daring Arabs watched
the spectacle from the minarets that
surround the town"
Rear Admiral Aubrey, in command
Of the Italian feet, reports that he
spared all the consultes, hospitals,
churches, monasteries and converts,
aiming only at the Notifications. Dis
elimination was made with relative
ease, as the range OF the Turkish can
non was so short that the ships were
enabled to approach the city closely
and 50 take accurate aim.
The bombardment was protracted
because of the extreme care to avoid
useless blondshed and to respect the
homes OF non-combatants and the
mosques. Moreover the firing was at
long intervals. as Admiral Aubrey and
Vice Admiral Faravelli expected at
any moment to see the white flag run
up. indicating desire to surrender.
Admiral Aubrey ordered that the
ships abstain from using guns of the
largest caliber. as they were unneces-
sary. From the battleships the officers
could plainly see the effect of their
shots and realized that in few hours
all the forts might be dismantled and
their batteries silenced. This. however.
would be at the cost of the lives Of
all of the defenders, result which
the feet was trying to avoid. Scarcely
any of the population remains in Tri-
poll, the city having been abandoned
Immediately when the bombardment
hn0an