Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1915-12-23
A TRIP THROUGH
GRAND CANAL.

The Associated Press).-Take a gon-
dola for trip through the Grand Ca
nal during these war days. and one
sees many changes In the centers OF
interest well known to travellers and
readers-the war dress OF the homes
of Lord Byron and the composer wag-
ner. Of the poet Browning and tn
American writer W. ID. Howells. the
romantic palace where Desdemona
waited for Othello. and further along.
in the market quarter near the Rialto
bridge. the house Of shylock. the quaint
building standing there unchanged to-
day. but now used as a butchers shop
where a lusty Italian butcher exacts
Shylock war prices OF 80 cents hlo
for the pounds OF flesh dealt over the
counter.
Starting from the quay San Marco.
the broad lagoons entering the Grand
Canal have an air OF martial and ma
val preparation rather than the usual
carnival aspect which marks this CEN
ter. The quays are lined with soldiers
and sailors. and the gondolas are car
rying loads OF war supplies back and
forth and transporting troops and ma
rines from point to point while the
launches from the warships dart In and
out among the gondolas.
Ordinarily there are $500 gondolas
In regular service-600 private and
2Ooo public-but only a very few OF
these remain In use owing 10 the ter.
ror inspired by the bomb raids. Most
Of the wealthy residents have hurried
ly left for the south. and there are no
tourists to make use OF the public gon-
dolas. Only one first class hotel re-
mains open. and half OF II Is given over
TO a hospital for the wounded brought
in from the nearby fighting lines.
Entering the Grand Canal. the great
domes OF Santa Maria della Salute
stand out on the left. but always with
their war trappings. for here is located
the headquarters OF the army Red
Cross. where most OF the work OF the
field hospitals is regulated The pal
ace Venier next to the church Is sim
Harry used for army hospital admins
tration. and the Red Cross flags are
flying everywhere. as a warning OF I'm
munity from bomb raids. Further up
the Canal on the right is the house OF
Desdemona. Just what Desdemona
did In her day is matter OF tradition
and Shakespearian romance. Now the
old palace is occupied by rich mer-
chant family who have fled TO the
south; the curtains are drawn. the
lower windows guarded by steel shut
ters and the gardens neglected
On the left OF the Canal is a row OF
palaces often occupied by prominent
American families. Two OF these. the
palace Balbi.valier and the Polignac.
are closed and closely shattered. while
most OF the others In the quarter are
partially abandoned. Opposite this
group is the palace Fallierfi where w.
ID. Howells lived while he wrote his
scenes from Venetian life. II Is one
OF the few places still showing life and
activity. and the wellkept gardens are
full OF flowers which hang into the en-.
nails thanking Il in front and along one
side. Just across the Grand Canal is
the palace Rezzonico. where Robert
Browning lived and died. Usually this
Is very gay quarter. with crowds OF
gondolas passing. and the palaces
alive with brilliant entertainment. But
now all Is silent and lugubrious. and
the few gondolas creep along like In.
dian canoes on a deserted river.
One touch OF life has been given to
this quarter by some American artists
who have pulled down an old palace
and built a very snowy front reaching
down to the water. The bright yellow
and red are In marked contrast with
the sombre palaces all around. The
military escort accompanying the party
pointed out an abandoned garden with
fine old palace built only to the first
story.
There Is a story there" said the
military escort. That palace was be-
gun by son OF one Of the Doges. But
the son got to gambling. lost all his
money and mortgaged the palace yet
unfinished. And so the old Doge or.
dered that all work on the palace
should be stopped, and never again
started as an everlasting warning
against gambling And there Il stands
today. after four hundred years. lust n,
II stood when work was stopped. stilI
giving its Earning"
Further along on the left. is the gray
stone building used as the Austrian
Embassy until Italy declared war
against Austria. The flagstaff whl-s