Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-06-13
DEADLY WORK OF
AUSTRIAN GUNNERS
Shot and Shell from Guns Accu.
rately Aimed Destroy Buildings
Five to Eight Miles Away.
NOTHING CAN RESIST FORCE


Correspondence Of The Associated Press.)
TARNow, Austrian Galicia, June ~
The German forty-two centimeter
i mortars, with which Lege was battered
into submission. are declared not TO have
been as effective as the Austro-Hun-
garian weapons OF the same csliber-two
Of which were used against the Russian
troops In Tarnow in the great May vic
tory in west Galicia. They have left a
few. but unmistalxable signs OF their
power. in the shape OF demolished houses
and big craters in Tarnow, fired at range
OF from five To eight miles.
The first she'll landing IN the city at
the time II was occupied as a Russian
headquartsrs caused the Russian general
and his starr 20 abandon their comfort
ablo quarters in Tarnow, the largest city
in the radius OF many miles, and decamp
10 spot ten miles to the rear. There
after the Austrians fired only five shots
more from their big mortsrs into the city.
for IL Is. after 'nil an Austrian town and
they had no desire "a damage unneces-
sarily their own property.
shells Drop Into supply Trafns.
A. the advancing Austro-Hungafian
army siowly pushed forward against
Tarnow-the spot 20 which the Russians
chung longest during the big May battle
IN on attempt to save the enormous
quantity OF supplies stored In this vicinity
and to give other parts Of their army a
better chance 10 retreat undisturbed, the
big sixteen and one-haif-inch twins were
twice moved forward to spots from which
they could drop shells into the supply
/ trains and on the men attempting to save
tho stores.
The correspondent OF The Associated
press. now visiting the battlefield in vest
en and middle Galicia on which the great
victory of the allied. German and Austro-
Hungarian armies was won, has not
been permitted 10 see the new guns. but
he has seen the sites from which they
were fired and the destruction caused
: by the shells. At ono place the guns were
concealed behind a village. where the
glazier Is now replacing window panes
destroyed by the conclusion Of the dis
charge. Al another place the guns were
emplaced near railroad station-this
spot having. been chosen for convenience
in erecting the guns In their foundation
OF cement In tho third site they were
located IN a valley
strike Tpue 90 Mark.
In Tarnow one shot struck, apparently
by, error, a peasants house OF brick. II
IL now a mass Of bricks, curiously level
with the ground, house and all having
apparently been swallowed up In the
crater made by the bursting shell. Three
persons were killed in this house. A
block away IL one of the city schools.
which the Austrians believed rightly was
being used a. quarters for Russian sol
diers \ gaping cleft. thirty feet vide
and extending from cellar to roof OF the
four-stofy building. shows with what
precision the gunners found their mark.-
A second school building. half fnilo
away, was hit squareiy on the roof. The
i wall on tho side toward the court yard
r. torn out bodily. On the side facing
the street hole twenty feet IN diameter
was carved out neatly In the thick.
brick and concrete wall, tho aperture
being a. nicely rounded as II the circle
had been laid out with a pair OF COM
passes, The brick work circle came out
with such accuracy and force that II hal
left its imprint. again as a carefully
rounded AcTni- circle, IN tho high ronce Of
grated iron before the school building
Tile roof Il. OF course, gone and from
various windows the interior woodwork
projects IN tangled masses. II
Horses and Men blown 90 Pieces.
Another shell struck the cavalry bar
racks Ia the great court yard in which
Russian soldiers at the moment wer'
busily loading supplies for tho retreat
Horses and msn were blown 10 pieces b!
the air pressure from the explosion o
killed by the shower OF bricks. roof-tile
and fragments OF shell. In the lew ono
story building surrounding the barracl
square. Is at one point great gap which
the correspondent paced out as twenty
four yards wide-the measure OF the forc'
OF the explosion.
The new forty-two centimeter she'll
tweigh over $500 pounds-more than thos
of the Krupp gun. and each shell cost
over ssOa y