The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-11-16
ITALIANS LOSE
FLOOD Gates OF
PIAVE and SILE
Continued From Page one.)

The outward appearance of the city
as very desolate. much like when the
Austrians made their. last descent on
1t more than SO years ago. All the
main hotels. cafes and factories and
jewelry and glass shops patronized by
tourists are closed. The Hotel Royal
Daniel, on the grand canal, remains
partly open. and two wen known
cafes on the Piazza of St. Mark, the
F1orian and the Quadri, are still open.
There Is nothing open along the Lido.
TSe citv authorities are furnishing
trains and ships to take away any OF
the remaining population VINO want
to no. The best known centers, such
as the Rialto bridges, st. Marks
square and the square where the gon-
dolaS are hired. are now deserted ex-
cept by few straggiers. There are
I've open shops and they are selling
goods at any price to save them from
passing into the hands OF the enemy.
There has been much activity outside
the lagoon and yesterday several
guns bombarded the enemy positions
at the mouth of the Piave river.
Some foreign consuls remain but
most others residing here temporarily
have gohe. All the government offices
have been removes outside the city,
but the government project, Count
Ciosa. remains at his post
Italian Headquarters in Northern
Italy. Wednesday. Nov. 14--(By the
A O.)-The italian general staff gave
the first opportunity today to see the
Piave battel front. and the corre-
spondent was among the first four
civilians authorized to make the trip.
1t came at an opportune moment,
when the enemy had succeeded In
getting small parties across the r1vei
at two points and when the holding
or breaking of the sPiave line prom
ised to bring the whole issue into the
balance for Italy and, to some extent,
for the entire Entente.
An OFFICER from the headquarters
staff was in charge of the party, which
gave it free access through the rear
lines to the Piave, where the CHIEF
points along the 80 miles of front were
visible and a view was obtained of the
whole range of the gigantic opera
tons
Some 10 miles back from the river
the correspondent passed through solid
miles of troops coming from and go
ing to the front Those going to the
rear were mud covered and tired, but
ward appeared resolute and some
were singing. Refugees afoot and in
OK carts crowded the fields and roads
seeking safety from this sudden on
rush of the enemy. The party passed
Riete a little hamlet where Pope Plus
X was born, and small cross road
church marked the place where he
used to be a curate before his eleya-
ton to the papacy.
An air raid took place as the party
passed near the church Five shots
were fred, but the raider got away
Knots of soldiers filed the streets OF
villages as they stood gazing at the
black pail of smoke in the east Al
the outskirts of the villages there were
long lines of chevaux de frize ready
obstruct infantry PUSHES. Along the
road toward the front military teie-
graph lines were strung ON the tops of
bushes, as there had been no time to
erect poles.
The first stop was made at Asolo, 10
miles back from the river. where the
ancient castle to which Queen Cath
crime Of Cyrus retired on her abdica-
ton, located on a high hill, gave a
commanding view of the whole pan
Drama Of the battle front The climb
to the castle was 500 feet and from
this erninence spread out a peaceful
plain to the west and the battle line OF
the east
The Piave lay straight ahead. II
appeared rather wide at this point, al
though farther on it was SO narrow
that IL was difficult to believe a des-
perate foe could be restrained by such
a barrier even in the face of the
Italians, heroic resistance. Across
the river five small villages, now held
by the enemy, could be seem Houses
churches and towers stood out plain
ly. These were on the plain border
ing the eastern bank for a half mile
back, where the foothills rose to high
hills on whic the German and Aus
trian batteries were located. The
cannonade had now become heavy
ana continuous, and bursts of smoke
from the hills on the other side OF
the Piave marked the line of the enc
my's batteries
The route now turned along the
western bank OF, the river, where Ions
lines of peaceful villages had beer
transformed suddenly by terror of the
enemy bonn bardment. The towns