The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-01

seem to have felt absolutely secure.
The fact that in their rear an enemy
was destroying their one direct line Of
communication does not seem to have
troubled them much. Probably the
thought that the road through the Alt
valley and to Kronstadt was open may
be responsible for this.
The original program had called for
a general attack at in the morning
on the 26th. The thanking troops
were in telephone connection with
headquarters, and so learned that the
attack from Hermannstadt had been
postponed. The situation Of the al
pine troops was far from reassuring. A
movement on their own flank might
be undertaken by the Rumanians at
any hour. The 26th passed. The
thanking body had been divided into
three columns, as the pass was ap-
preached. The one advancing close
to the Rumanian border reached the
pass close to Riul vatului, the Ru-
manian border front The central
column neared the gorge three miles
above, while the third body squeezed
itself through between the Ruman-
ians at Hermannstadt and the central
range. #
September ~ passed without the
frontal attack occurring. It was learn
ed, however, that the Rumanians were
taking their artillery through the de-
file. On the following day the flank
ing bodies began to be pressed by the
Rumanians. Requirements could
not be brought into the mountains at
short notice, so that the prospect
seemed not the brightest.
On September 20 strong artillery
fire in the north announced that the
frontal attack was being made. The
alpine troops advanced to positions di-
rect1y overlooking the road in the
def1le. Already the road was filled
with the van Of the retreating Ru-
manians. It was caught IN the ma
chine-gun and rifle fire of the Ger
mans at two points, one south, the
other Immediately north Of the village
Of Veres Torony. The slaughter was
terrific as The Associated Press cor
respondent is able to testify from a
visit to the spot. In a few minutes
the narrow road was filled with dead
men and animals.
From Boicza the Rumanian retreat
who on their right had unscalable
precipices upon which perched the en-
envy, and on their left another preci-
pice and a deep river. Men, animals
and wagons plunged through the
roads guard rail into the surging tor
rent below, never to come to the sur
face again. Their bodies still resting
on the rock lodges and sand banks
when the correspondent went over the
ground.
At Veres Torony there is a stone
bridge across mountain stream emp
tying into the Alt from the west A
German machine-gun platoon reach
ed height nearby and took the
bridge under fire. Soon the space
between the ramparts was filed with
dead and wounded men and animals.
Death reaped its fullest harvest here.
Those who were not cut down by the
hail Of Iu]1ets plunged over the bridge
into the water, where wounded men
AMI animals formed a writing mass.
The cry came fsauve qui peut". An
entire army, or that part of it which
had been driven into the gorge melt
ed of sudden into a paniclSy, dee-
ing mob. Again the river claimed
hundreds Of victims, and those lucky
enough to reach the other side fell un-
der the machine. gun fire of the Ger
mans.
The pressure forcing the Ruman-
ians into Red Tower Pass was exerted
by the frontal attack which Falken-
hayn engineered from the north. Had
it been possible to close the Alt val