The Elbert County tribune., 1915-07-30
AMERICAN SEES
ATTACK FROM AIR
ON OLD VENICE
Eyewitness Describes Bombard-
ment of Ancient City by
Austrian Aeroplanes.
DAMAGE WAS NOT EXTENSIVE
Drop Bombs and Steel Arrows-One
of the Machines Wrecked and the
Pilots Legs Broken-Officer
Captured and Shot

New York.-An American traveller
who has just returned to New York
and who CHANGED to be in Venice at
the time of the declaration of war by
Italy upon Austria tells the following
story of happenings which he wit
nessed
Some time before the actual declara-
ton of war it was very evident that
the event was imminent. The authori-
ues were busy preparing in every pos
sible way to safeguard treasures of
art, The wonderful Quadriga over the
great central door of ST. Marks was
taken down and carried away to some
place of safety on the mainland The
whole facade of the church under
went great change, being entirely
covered by scaffolding. braces and
sand bags, the latter piled 80 feet high.
The Doges' palace was similarly treat
ed and in addition each of the hundred
arches which hold up the famous bal
cony received the support of a pylon
of brick. six feet square.
Objects of Art Removed.
All movable objects OF art, paint
1ngs, sculptures and SO forth were re-
moved from the museums and
churches and taken away to some city
in the south.
On the Campanile, the highest struc-
ture in the city, on the roof of the
Dogma, and on the tops of many of
the highest palaces, platforms were
erected on which antiaircraft guns of
the latest designs were stationed. The
Campanile, in addition to the guns.
had specially constructed bomb
throwing mortar. This elects huge H.
Illuminating bombs a thousand yards in
to the air, where they burst and float
for quarter of an hour or more.
lighting up the surroundings with
magnesium glare of tremendous in
tensity.
Lights were ordered out at eight
o'clock in the evening and the streets
cleared of every living soul at nine.
Warning of the approach of hostile air
craft was to be given by the screech-
ing of the huge siren at the govern.
ment arsenal.
Foreigners Required to Report.
Immediately on the declaration of
war, all foreigners residing in Venice
as in all other cities of Italy-were
required to report to the police. II
thelr passports were in order they re-
ceived formal permission to remain
i was warned to be careful on the
streets, for the populace was obsessed
with the spy craze and several inno-
cent foreigners had been attacked and
beaten. Stories of spies caught giving
poisoned candy to children on the
streets and of German and Austrian
women who had remained in the city
ready to signal the hostile aircraft had
added to the excitement and the once
peaceful venetians bad completely
lost their heads.
Scarcely had war begun before IT
was my fortune to witness a truly
thrilling night attack by Austrian aero
planes. / was out ON the Grand canal
in gundola with some American
friends when we noticed sudden ac-
tivity in the watch towers Men were
shouting from one to another. We
SUSPECTED something unusual was
about to occur and Immediately head
ed back for our hotel.
Arsenal Siren Screeched.
Scarcely had we arrived there when
the unearthly screech of the arsenal
siren verified our suspicious. An air
attack was about to take place. AS
the Shrek of the siren gradually died
away the buzz of an aeroplane engine.