The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-11-19
TEUTONS REPULSED
IN CROSSING PIAVE
Austrian Troops Which Sue
ceeded in Crossing River
at Two Points Have Been
Cut to Pieces by Furious
Assaults by the Italian
Defenders

Rome, Nov. l9.-The Italian forces
have begun an offensive on the Asiage
plateau and have occupied the advanced
elements Of trenches, the war Office an.
nounces. Further attempts Of the Aus.
tro-German troops to cross the Piave
river have been stopped On the front
west of the Piave great numbers of Aus
tro-German troops are attacking the
Monte Monfera and Monte Tomba lines.
Italian Headquarters, Sunday, Nov. Is
tBy Associated Press The Austrians
who forced their way across the Piave
river above Zenson have been thrown
into the river, drowned, bayoneted, killed
mains on the west bank at that threat
ened point The fight was one of the
most fearful chapters of the war.
The Austrians on Friday made two
separate crossings, first at the village of
Fagare and then at Sega Mill, near Fol-
lima. A heavy mist and a sandbar in
midstream assisted them in crossing. In
the first surprise rush they swept past
four Italian machine gun batteries on
the west bank, capturing "a and driving
the Italians into the village There the
real fight began as the Italians had re-
covered from their surprise and fought
like demons. 1t was hand to hand fight
ing through the streets of the town. The
enemy held at first, then began to seek
cover and finally broke as the Italians
plunged into the water and sought to
reach the sandbar.
Further up the river at Sega Mill the
other crossing brought on another bloody
fight. After crossing, the Austrians took
positions near the town cemetery. The |
bersaglieri and troops from nearby towns
charged machine gun fire with bayonets |
and the enemy was pressed back stead |
sly to the river, where they were cut |
down, drowned or captured.
A trusted man was sent by the CORE
Spondent in an automobile to the lower
Piave to inspect the inundated district
and he has returned with details of the
Searful scene of desolation made by the
release of the flood waters by the Ital-
ian engineers to bar the progress of the
enemy.
What was a smiling farmland 10 days
ag go now is transformed into a vast sheet
Iof water stretching for miles. Above
the level of the water roofs and the up
per stories of farmhouses can be seen
here and there. Great fiocks of sea fowls
have come in from the Adriatic and their
snournful cries add to the weirdness of
the scene.
Intense silence hangs over the desolate {
waste, broken only by the sea birds and +,
the muttering of guns at the mouth of 1
the river. Some of the upper floors of '
the farmhouses are still occupied by the Y
local eonstabulary of the valley. t
The extent of water interposes an i'm
passable defense to any advance of the $
enemy in that quarter and under this h
sheet of water is soft mud, now soaked
to quicksand, about six feet deep, max i
ing it impossible for enemy artillery or n
horses to enter without sinking. The o
first party which got across has been e
forced back and now is held at bay by
the flood. t
The Italian navy is doing splendid e
service seconding the army in the bonn II
bardment of enemy positions toward the
mouth of the Piave river. The navy,
which held the coast front from the a
mouth of the Isonzo to Grado, saved all n
If its material and cannon and these are p
now being trained on the enemy at the la
mouth of the river and for some distance Sc
up where the water is deep and wide m
Near Revedoli an Italian marine bat III
alion repulsed on Saturday rush made
" an Austrian storming party and Ital- IS
an torpedo boats off Porto Di Cortieloz- u
70 drove off an attack of an Austrian u
orpedo fleet. This latter action was ac- !"
by operations of fleet of az
Italian hydroplanes and seconded by
Italian coast batteries.
Conditions all along the line show that
he spirits of the Italians have been re- Pl
minated by the recent successes.