Norwich bulletin., 1917-12-19

cording to the distance from the Aug trian Iines have been esta blished. They never relax their vigilance in watching for the enemy. The same engineers have cut away the dikes that formerly controlled the water to irrigate the fertile Italian plains, ere ating a vast lake. The inEndation has made a thous- and peasants homeless but it presents an almost insurmountable barrier i& the Austrian artillery from it's scores of vantage points and illustrates every attempt of the Austrians. to steal across unnoticed. Finally, in addition i to the foremost infantry lines in the inundated section, big and little bat teries are scattered everywhere and I Hating monitors constantly are on pa trol Thus far the enemy has been prevented from bringing his big guns up to position from which he might bonlbard Venice.
 The trip through the defense sys- l tenn of Venice and along the lower Piave which the correspondent, ! though accredited only to the French ! armies. was able to make through the 1 courtesy of the Italian naval and mill | itary authorities, began at Venice l from which city a speedy. naval mo- | tor boat ploughed it's way at sunrise | into the confusing maze of canals that 1 iDtersect the vast marshiand area to 1 the north. The grumbling of the big
 guns, constantly growing louder. could be heard in Venice. where it sounded i like thunder
 Virtually all signs of life were left ! behind as the boat worked it's way | into the narrow channels running be- | tween islands rank with great weed
 growths and through which human being could hardly force his way. | wilderness seemed to be lacking ex- cept for a few ducks seen flying, oc-- casionally. around some corner. 1 Suddenly the press boat almost col i IVY a r. iSf s.Tn hg1l l by chains and ropes to the shore. The vessel on which was mounted a huge i sun had taken up his position on this
 spot the night before. It had success
 River and many times had deftated i the efforts of the Au5trians to com plete a pontoon bridge to the south crn shore. In case enemy airpip pes l were seen during the day the m E.i- ! tor was prepared to slip it's cables at i nightfall and steam away to some ether spot where the Austrian shells
 would be unable to reach it but frore which point it could continue its work of destruction.
 i The monitor was but the first of a series. Others with lighter guns and ! lighter draft were lying in reserve 1 l eady at a moments notice to slip through the winding channels to some point nearer to the enemy and from there direct an unea pected fire on his positions.
 | He diIIl31lGnI OI tI1e u1OnltOIS gen.
 orally decreased ill size as the press l boat approached more closely to the I front lines and similarly the bat-
 teries which here and there began to make their appearance became lighter
 and lighter as the tortuous lag9ons
 merged either in the Sile River or in
 the Sile Canal far to the north of 1 Venice.
 The artificial waterway runs almost due east and west from Porto Grandi to the ocean, while the New Piave, several miles to the north, flows east
 ward to the sea. The area between ICanal and the Old PiaFe and the l course of the New Piave, which ncT- mally is fertile and productive. is that which has been inundated; and as far as the eye 9an- see the trees, houses and farms are standing in about four ! feet of water. Some peasants, whose homes abut on the canal. still occupy l thenl using boats to reach the canal 1 bank Most of them, however hays left because of the impossibiiity of obtaining food.
 Tine Austrians have occupied the
 entire northern bank of the New T,faise.
 and here and there have been able to put little detachments across, which have struggled through the inundated l territory and occupied isolated farm- houses. The main body of the troops, over because of the activity of the
 monitors and stationary batteries. and they are unable to infiet any serious damage because they are too far laway from Venice for their big guns to be effective. They have reached Santa Dona di Piave. which is about iG 3-4 miles as the crow flies north east of Venice, but the Italians hold I aipsile. on the south bank of the i river opposite Santa Dona di Piave and have been able to prevent the l Austrians from bringing any heavy lartiliery up to that point, from which Venice possibly might be bombarded. l To make the trip complete the cor respondents were treated to a glimpse of the British monitors which were in operation in unison. with those of the Italians The sunset had turned tks waters of Venice into what looked like Ia sea of blood as the press boat steamed back into what probably is the best protected city threatened by the war.