The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-12-18
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN IEU1ON|C
ARMIES CROSSED THE DANUBE

4 SSSe~~~-e~.~S--eSeSe
the Danube in the fall Is not sun.
interesting. This Is especially true
in the hill regions close to the famous
"Iron Gates" The yellow and gray
foliage Of the willow trees Is erect.
lively contrasted by the blue OF the
hills In the background. Where the
hills come close to the river their
sides form a crazy.quilt OF all shades
of the reds and tans OF autumn foil.
age and the sombre green OF the con.
ifers. 4
The correspondent talked to an
Austrian official who on the previous
day had been in Turn.Severin fRuma.
MAJ for the purpose OF inducing the
Serb population of Kladowa, who had
fed there, to return to their homes.
Every guaranty was offered but 1t
seemed that the Austrian had to
compete with a Russian agent who al.
so made offers. The Austrian lost
out, despite the fact that Kladowa al.
ready had a Serb burgomaster and a
civilian administration.
Thee has been little fighting In tiis
Kladowa region. The fort or citadel,
an ancient Turkish structure, recent.
lily reinforced by some modern re.
doubts, was abandoned by the Serbs.
Cattle and sheep grazed on the glacis
and in the moats. Anciently, the fort
commanded the western limits and
Kazan pass. Then it would save
beenta military achievement OF The
first order to take Klalowa; today q
few shells from twclvc-inch gun
would leave little but fractured ma
sorry. l5
The channel of the Iron Gates was
a millrace of turbulent mud. Though
(, the Sava pulled hard against the
treacherous current, she needed eight
cen minutes to get into Ouieter ws.
ter. A turn brought the ship withi:,
sight of O.sowa and Ada Kale, the
latter up to 1913, the last outpost OF
Turkey in Europe. Fearing that Ser.
bia might annex the island, the AUS
tro.Hungarian government took pos
session nominally, though leaving to
the Turkish population every tight
and prerogative It had ever enjoyed,
Including the privilege ofsca:ryins on
smuggling III tobacco with Shomsoey.
| er It pleased.
AT Orsowa some OF the Central
troops crossed the river. The town
itself showed signs of the recent and
former artillery fire. Of the Serbs from
]. the opposite bank. How the Austrians
and Germans succeeded in scaling TIE
clifr.iikc elevations on the Serbian
shore Is hard to understand, Dislodg:
ling an enemy entrenched on top OF
1.-THE Hudson Palisades looks less diff.
Gcult But many man tumbled anu
more were drowned before they set
4 foot on Serbian SOIL. Nevertheless
| the attacks was successfully carried
4 through and will probably remain one
OF the monuments. OF the great war
/ Orsown lies on historic: ground. Here
The Icon Gates end and the Iiazan
4 pass begins. The river saueezes itself
/ through narrow defile OF the ISazan
mountains-a geological fault appar.
entity Through the gorde5 the Ro.
mans had to build a road that would
connect the Rannonian4,. colonies.
| Traian's tablet, still H legible. . ,cele-
!brates this ancient: piece Of military
engineering. Close to the waters
edge a gallery was cut in the lime
rock and whererth the: masses soE stone
could not be conquered inS this ways
trestle, supported! on beams, was con.
4 structed. The manner In which the
structure was made possible Il inter
estings for tho reason that itghasS been
revived by American engineers who
built railroad; through the Andes.
Square holes ora depth ofsabouts four
feet were cut into the face of the
cliff. Into these stout beams were
placed and on these "a strong wooden
floor was laid. VS. III. .;.,. 81
No attempts TO cross the Danube
were made by the AusLrians and the
Germans In the, Kazan pass but east
Of 1t, at the head of Moldava island,
and opposite the Serbian town Of SDn-
brovica, .the main descent occurred.
The exact scene Is marked by, a pom
toon bridge, which must be looked up.
on as a, marvel of enterprise. The
bridge Is about 1900 yards long and
rests upon about thirty large sbarges.
It was built by fAustro:H Hungarian. Pic.
neers while under fire, and Is assert
ed to 'have>no equal in the historysor
military engineering. Field !. Marshal
SuH 'MdSktnseL,W uell'He iuspeCtSu tHe
stretch OF river which his. troops
would have to cross at this point is
said to have shaken his head. The
remark he madeSwast simply y 81
4, Gt"Well, the river looks different than
it, does on the: map" The: crossing Of
the Danube at this point was no mean
undertaking, according to those who
witnessed the affair. The first troops
went over in barges, In the face! O.: "a
terrific infantry, artilleryland machine
/ gun fire. Manga: man went down
and several boats sank but the first
who landed rushed the Serbian"infan.
try positions with hand grenades, lis.
playing defiance Of! q death that
thrilled to the core those privileged
to view the operation from compare
tive falsely, as did al German pioneer
officer who told the story The va.
rious organizations riyalled with one
another in the dash, men we're seen
to fall wounded, but rather than re.
main useless. they crawledi after their
comrades on all tours. The resist.
ance OF the Serbs, though desperate,
was soon broken; and here, as further
upstream the Central Powers troops
obtained a firm footing which later
developed into a crashing advance
southwark into the valley Of the Mo.
4 ,rava -and the hea RI of Serhia x ~ .