Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-16


bursts of smoke from the hills on thu
other side of the Piave marked tn
line of the ensmy's batteries.
People Hurry Away.
The route now turned along the
west bank of the river. where lone
lines Of peaceful villages had peer
enemy bombardment. The townspeo-
ple were hastily gathering their per
sonal belongings and the women aho
children seemed terrified as they hur'
ried away from the sound OF tns guns !.
which indicated that the nshlins
ground was getting very near. Ardit,
is the Italian word for ardent ana
they are men who volunteer 70 ,sn
everything and to push to the extreme
front Their shirt fronts were open
although 1t was q cold autumn day,
and they looked the daredevils they
are known to be.
Houses all along the road had oeen
Transformed into temporary held hos.
pitfalls and marked with improvfsed
Signs Soldiers near one house weIe
carrying flowers. which looked IKE
gaiety. but other soldiers who folfoWed
with funeral wreath made IT look
more like death. There were amou .
lances along the road. hut no sign OF
wounded At one village regiments VI
Alpini were waiting 10 go Ior arr
moving down to the river. with ever
green boughs screening the guns Inc
whole western bank of the Pave u
lined with beautiful villas and eA-
tcnsive parks filled with statnary'
Smelling Continuous.
The party had now reached village
three miles from the Pfave line and the
shelling was continuous. AS the army
Ia
railway station a shell burst squarely
in the road 100 yards ahead.
They are Smelling the road" said the
escort as he wheeled the automoolle
soldiers were crouching in the door
ways One of the fragments of this
she'll came whizZ.ng toward the sta
ton and buried itself In the wall
a soldier led the way through a
thicket up the side of a hill where an
Italian observation post had been es-
tablished. and from this point OF van
tage the correspondent looked out on
the long lines on both banks OF the
river The town of Vidor. now held by
Gen Won Buelow's German troops, was
lust across the river from the point OF
observation, and big German sau-
sage balloon was insoiently hanging
over the town observing the work OF
Vidor was distinctly visible. and with
field glasses several men could be seen
moving about tie outskirts of the
town. How this could be with such
Smelling going on was difficult to I'M
derstand The advantage the Germans
had at this point was evident. as the
hills rose back of the town. giving
them a screen for their batteries.
These played down on the Italians in
the plain on the eastern side of the
river.
Sacrifices to Emergency.
Again the route turned southwark
along the river. At one point the party
passed one of those heroic regiments of
cavalry which acted as a rearguard,
while the main Italian army retired to
the western bank of the Piave. The
cavalry horses had been tethered in a
vineyard. All the vineyards. haystacks
and gathered crops are being sacrificed
in the present emergency Nearing the
river the roads were full Of frightened
people hurrytng away with their pittfui
families on the top of household goods
carried on carts and wagons.
The actual river bank was now near
and the escort gave special warning
Of rife and machine gun hre in addition
TO shrapnel from the batteries. The
town of Neryesa. on the rivers edge.
was deserted completely as the party
passed down. to the wharves. and the
silent town had a sepulchral aspect.
COuee LILLE AOdt.
The roar of artillery was now supple
mented by the rattle Of coffee mills" as
the soldiers call the machine guns, and
tho crack of rifle fire.
Officers led the way, creeping In single
file into an old warehouse standing on
the edge of the Piave river. 1t had al
ready been a target, and the side toward
the river gas sisred with machine gun
IRE. There were two huge she'll holes
The great wine watts OF the warehouse.
still fun. had been abandoned in the hasty
flight of the viilasers The river at this
point is extremely narrow. with long
ahoal through the middle. Offering the
enemy handy means of getting half way
over. The escorting officer said both
channels measured a total Of 500 meters,
or about half a mile. but the little stream
lying at the feet Of the observers did not
look half as wide as the Delaware river
1t seemed narrower than the Chicago
canal as it passed through the city. 1t
appeared trifing as a military barrier.
even with the best Italian support. Its
narrowness is evident from the fact that
those in the party were compelled to
speak in whispers for fear Of being heard
BY the enemy on the other side Of the
stream.