Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-04-28
BohBARDMENTS II.
Near VERDUN
Artillery Preparations by
Germans Prelude to In
fantry Attacks
CONDITIONS IN CITY
City Itself Deserted-Silence Broken
Only At Intervals By Explosion of
Big Guns III

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The sectors of Avocoult, Esnes and
Cumieres, northwest of Verdun, are
still under heavy bombardment. The
Germans have attempted no infantry
| attacks here, according to the Paris
official communication, but these ar
tillery preparations usually presage
an attack.
The Germans to the northeast of
Verdun, on the, front of Haudremont
and the Thiamont farm and between
Douamont and iVaux, attacks follow.
ing violent bombardments, but the
French curtain fires held them to
their trenches.
Artillery engagements have feat
ured the fighting on the other parts
of the line in France and Belgium, al
though the French aircraft have car
ried out bombing operations against
numerous German positions.
The German guns are keeping up
their heavy bombardment of the Rus
sian position at the Ikskull bridge
head.
Farther south the Teutons launched
an infantry attack near Baranovich,
but were repulsed. The Russians have
captured the village of Chromiakoua
along the Rovno-kovel railway, and
put down a counterattack there.
With the return of good weather,
heavy artillery actions ard. infantry
attacks are again in progress along
the ustro-I Italian line, but no impcr-
tant changes in positions have taken
place. A massed Austrian attack III
the Carso-Selz zone was put down
with heavy losses, according to Rome.
In Asia Minor, to the south o.!
Bitlis, the Russians have dislodged
the Turks, from all their positions in
the mountains, says the Petrograd
communication
Paris, April 2S-The extent of the
havoc wrought in Verdun during the
fighting of the last few weeks is pic
tured by Castor Deschamps, a war
correspondent of the Temps. in that
paper.
';."As our automobile drew up before
the Cathedral" he says, "a terrific
explosion of mortar shell caused
serious damage near by. Entering
the remnants of the famous old Cath
edral one was fairly confounded by
the enormous havoc wrought by the
bombardment. Even the huge mosaic
paving stones are wrenched into mas
ses of debris. Columns and pillars are
broken into fragments, rich Candida
bra and lustres reduced to bits and
the carved pulpit and sculptured rail
ing around the chancel are lying in
shapeless piles.
"Near the Cathedral is the mon
astery whose sculptured walls were
famous as fifteenth century master
piece. All these have been reduced
to masses of rubbish. Even the chos-
tered garden disappeared under the
avalanche of debris from falling
walls.
"The Bishops palace also is ruins.
One of it's chief beauties consisted of
the sculptured mural decorations rep
resenting the River Meuse in sym
bolc manner. These decorations have
been literally hashed to pieces by
violent shelling as if some burlesque
Hercules had used a giant hammer
to crush these exqaisitely delicate
bits of sculpture.
"Verdun itself remains completely
deserted. From Porte Neuve to Porte
St. Victor, in the lower city and also
in the upper city, in the once busy
Rue Mazel and Place d'Armes, there
is condition of absolute abandon
ment and Silence broken only at in
'tervals by the fearful explosions o:
big guns"
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