Gilpin observer., 1915-06-10

- p at the head OF the Adrlatlc lie
Austria -Hungary's only sea.
| coast possessions, Trieste, Is,
tria and Fiume. and, not far in.
land, Trent, all of which Italy
has long coveted. OF these provinces
and cities writer's for the National
Geographic society have this to say;
Across the Gulf of Venice from Italy
lies the rich Austrian province Of Is
tria, formerly Venetian, thick, irreg-
ular triangle wedged into the North
Adriatic, with its mainland base de-
| finedly line from Trieste in the north
to Fiume in the south, and with Pola
at its apex.
| Istria, the ancient Histria, contain
ing, with its neighboring islands, 1912
square miles, is an Austrian crown
land, and forms part of the modern
territorial division known as the coast
districts Its coastline is we'll indent-
ed, but the shores in much of their
extent are steep and forbidding.
Mountainous rock masses cross the
land from north to south, eliminating
in Monte Maggiore, about 1900 feet
high.
Olives and figs are cultivated in the
region, and Istria's grapes and wine
are famous. There is little garden.
though considerable rich pasture land.
and the forests of the peninsula sup
ply the material for a large native
ship-building industry. Its fisheries
are very valuable. and II has a small
mineral yield. coal, alum and salt.
There is little or no local manufacture
ing, except the building of ships. 1t Is
as shipping point. as land Of ports
and strategic commercial and military
naval bases, however. that Istria is
most desirable. The shipping Of its
harbors amounts to more than 7,000.-
900 tons annually. The population CT
Istria is about 350.000, 40 per cent of
whom are Serbo- Croats, and "a per
cent Italians. In its early history Is
Romans subjugated the freebooters
here. From the late middle ages un-
till the extinction OF the Venetian en-
pire In 1897, Venice ruled the greater
part of the peninsula, while only the
northeastern portion belonged to Aus
tria.
Poia Strong War Port.
Pola, the formidable Austrian war
port, is but q few hours steaming
across the Adriatic from the rich east
ern coast cities Of Italy. 1t is the
chief naval station and arsenal Of the
dual monarchy and one of the best
protected ports in the world.
Pola lies at the southern apex of the
Istrian peninsula. about SO miles
landlocked harbor is one Of the finest
of Europe. and upon its roomy. we'll
guarded surface a great fleet could
ride safely at anchor. The harbor has
an area of three and one-third square
miles, while beyond the channel en-
trance is a fore-water dominated by
the guns of the Brionian islands.
History begins for this little-known
city with its first capture by the Ro
mans in 178 B. c.. Poia has been a
war port since its appearance in the
ancient chronicles. 1t was once the
strongest and widest of those Istrian
pirate retreats, where the rebellious
splits of the Roman world-empire
gathered. and whence they made their
flowed from every eastern Mediter-
ranean port to Rome. The Romans
destroyed the place. Under the EN-
peror Septimus Severus, 1921 A. D.,
1t again became an important war
harbor, and its city grew to $4,000 in
habitants. The trade rivals, Venice
and Genoa, fought each other for its
possession, as 1t was key to the free
dom of the Adriatic. Destroyed by
the Genoese in 1879. It continued un-
der the sovereignty of Venice until
1897. when It fell to Austria upon the
dismemberment OF the Venetian state.
At Pola are situated the principal
dockyards, dry docks and repair shops
OF the Austrian navy. together with
technical and scientific institutions
connected with the admiralty. Its
arsenals contain vast naval stores
equal to the Quitting OF a large fleet.
There are large naval and infantry
barracks, and several well-equipped
hospitals here.
T,teste is the only great seaport OF
Austria, powerful commercial rival
OF Venice and Genoa, the pride Of Aus.
tria's Adriatic possessions, and city
as important to Austrian development
as is New York to the development OF
the United States. 1t has been an
Austrian possession for more than SOC
years, and during this long association
It has earned the title from the central
imperial government Of "the most
faithful city"
Situated at the northeast angle OF
the Adriatic sea, on the eastern shore
of the deeply indented Gulf of Trieste
the port has been growing steadily In
Importance as an outlet for the over
sea trndo nj central and south eastern