Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-23
Italian Army Fights
Vahantly in Passes
Of Lofty Mountain:

dorna is an old Roman, man cast
in the big, simple mold of antiquity,
frugal In his tastes. clear in his aims
with thought outside his duty.
Every one loves and trusts him. Porro.
tho chief OF the staff, who was good
enough to explain the stratcgical posi-
ton to me, struck me as II man Of
great clcarncss of vision. middle sized
straight as a dart. with an eagle face
grained and colored like an old walnut
The whole OF the STAFF work is. az ex-
perts assure me, most cxccllcntly done
So much for the general situation.
Let me descend for Il moment TO my
adventures AT Padua. I was Weakened
betimes in the morning by the drop
ping OF bombs, the rattle Of aircraft
guns and the distant rat-tat-tat OF a
Maxim high up In the air.
This dropping of explosives on the
chance OF hitting one soldier among
nifty victims seems to me the most
monstrous development of the whole
war. and the one which should he most
sternly reprcssed in future interna-
tional leGislation--f such u thing as
International law still exists. The Ital-
ian headquarters town which I will call
Nemini. was a particular victim of these
feeling. as not only was the ceiling OF
my bedroom shattered some days before
my arrival. but n greasy patch with
some black shreds upon it was still
visible above my window. which rep
resented part of the remains of an un-
fortunate workman. who had been
blown to pieces in front of the house
My first experience of tho Italian
line was at the portion which I have
called the gap by the sea. otherwise
the Isonzo front. From II mound be-
hind the trenches an extraordinary
fine view can he got OF the Austrian
position. the general curve OF both
lines being marked. as in Flanders. by
the sausage balloons which float be-
hind them. The Isonzo which has been
so bravcly carried by the Italians, lay
In front Of me. clear blue river. in
hollow to my left were the roofs OF
Gorilla. the town which the Italians
are endeavorinS to take. \ long desc
late ridge, the CarsO extends to the
south OF tho town and stretches down
nearly to the sea The crest Is held by
the Austrians. and tho Italian trenches
have been pushed within fifty yards OF
them. a lively hombardmcnt was
S'''h VII iio'H tiinti sue, iul, so lar
as tho infantry goes. there is mono Of
That constant malignant petty warfare
with which we are familiar In Flanders.
BULLET-PROOF JACKETS
Used BY ENGINEERS
When ] was on the British lines
they were dealing with a method OF
clearing barhed wire. The experiments
were new, and were causing great in
tcrest. But on the Italian front I
found that the same system had been
tested for many months In the use
OF bullet proof Jackets for engineers
and other men who have To do exposed
work the Italians are also ahead of
us One OF their engineers at our
headquarters might give some yalua
bic advice.
was anxious in tho afternoon to
| visit Monfalcone, which is the small
dockyard captured from the Aus,rlans
on the Adriatic
| AS we approached Ronchi we could
see shrapnel breaking over tho road
! in front OF us, but we had not yet
realized that 1t was precisely for
vehicles that the Austrians were wait
ing. and that they had the range
marked out TO yard. We went down
the road all out at steady nifty miles
an hour. The village was near, and il
CONTINUED on Fifth rasc)