Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-04

Kazan pass begins. The river squeezes
itself through a narrow defile of the
KaZan mountains a geological fault
apparently. Through the gorde the
Romans had to build a road that would
connect the Pannonian colonies. Ira
JAMS tablet, still legible, celebrates this
ancient piece of military engineering.
close to the waters edge a gallery was
out in the lime rock and where the
masses of stone could not be conquered
in this way a trestle, supported on
beams was constructed. The manner
in which the structure was made pos
sible is interesting for the reason
that it has Deen revived by American
engineers who built railroad through
the Andes. Square holes of n depth of
about four feet were cut into the race
of the cliff. Into these stout beams
We're placed and on these strong
wooden floor was laid.
No attempts to cross the Danube
We're made by the Austrians and the
Germans in the Kazan pass, but east
of it, at the head of Moldava island,
and opposite the Serbian town of Du-
brovica, the main descent occurred.
The exact scene is marked by pom
toon bridge, which must be looked
bridge is about 1900 yards long and
rests upon about thirty large barges.
Ii was built by Austro-Hungarian pio-
neers while under fire, and is asserted
to have no equal in the history of mill
tary engineering. Field Marshal Won
Mackensen when he inspected the
stretch of river which his troops would
have to cross at this point, is said to
have shaken his head. The remark he
made was simply:
Crossing the River
well, the river looks different than
it does on the map"
The crossing of the Danube at this
point was no mean undertaking, ac-
Cording to those who witnessed the
affair. The first troops went over in
barges, in the face of a terrific infan-
try, artillery and machinegun fire.
Many man went down and several
boats sank, but the first who landed
rushed the Serbian infantry positions
with hand grenades, displaying a de-
fiance of death that thrilled to the
core those privileged to view the oper-
alton from comparative safety. as did
a German pioneer officer who told the
FStory. The various organizations
rivalled with one another in the dash,
men were seen TO fall wounded, but
rather than remain useless, they
crawled after their comrades on all
though desperate, was soon broken,
and here, as further upstream. the
Central Powers troops obtained
firm footing which later developed
into y crashing advance southwark
into the valley of the Morava and the
heart of Serbia.
At Semendria a crossing had been
effected in much the same way. But
in that town. which the correspondent
visited, the terrible work of modern
heavy artillery played a greater part.
The Serbs seem to have had the plan
of holding the old citadel. The Ger
mans brought up few 42-centimeter
pieces. single shot made a section
of the fortress untenable. 1t hit the
base of a tower. sending fragments of
masonry broadcast, and drove every
Serb into another part of the position.
To-day the tower leans at a dangerous
angle. Another "42" she'll hit a para
pet wall, tearing a large breach in it.
The yard of the citadel is a series of
craters, deep and large enough to hide
companies in them.
on the whole water front of Semen
dria not a single building was left in
tact Under the shock of the heavy
shells houses crumbled like egg shells.
Hills Wen Fortified
With the citadel disposed of. the
German and Austrian troops rushed,
the Serbian positions west of the town.
The hills, on which the Serbs were to
make their last stand, were we'll forti-
fed. Seven lines of trenches and OBJ
stacles lie behind one another, but so
cruelty effective was the artillery fire
of the Austrians and Germans, that
the Serbs were obliged to retreat long
I before the Central Power troops de-
veloped their attack to it's maximum
shock. In one section of the positions
the Associated Press correspondent
hot ,N11
tae river had hit exactly into the Ser
ban infantry trench. 1t is inconceiv-
able that artillery fire at the range
which obtained could be so accurate,
and the conclusion is therefore justi-
fled that here we deal with a remark
able freak.
Near Semendria two pontoon bridges
connect the banks. One is built of
barges and carries a railroad track
while the other, of military pontoons,
serves as foot and wagon bridge.
Much has been said of the destruc-
ton wrought by the Germans and Aus
trian heavy artillery in Belgrade. A
days inspection of the city shows that
the damage done to city buildings of
any sort is virtually nil. An eXpendi-
turc of $4,000 would make good
whatever masonry and windowglass
there was destroyed. But the old fort,
Eale Megdan, Jared worse. It's an
modern she'll The deep moats are
filled with broken and powdered brick.
kale Megdan to-day is good only for
exhibition purposes, though for CEN
turies it held its head high among the
strong places that could not be re-
duced. The strong walls and deep
bitches present q sorry spectacle.
Parts of the wall were carried off
bodily to great distances and the park
in which the Belgradians used to listen
TO good military concerts is Uttered
with bits of brick and rock which the
'30.5" and the "42" projectiles sent
flying. At the head of a walk stands
n monument commemorative of Ser
bias delivery from Turkish rule The
various types of Serbia's civil classes
are shown in alteration of a figure
above them, the last being a peasant,
hard of face and raw of bone. Through
the muscular leg and the sinewy arms
bits of steel have crushed, emblematic
of Serbia's fate, perhaps.
Prisoners Work
The Konaks, old and new, have not
suffered by the bombardment. as in
deed has none of the citys other big
or prominent buildings. But Belgrade
is deserted. Its principal streets, well
paved and cleanly kept, remind one
of early Sunday morning in any we'll