The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-01-06
with its parks and avenues, and the
Italian flag flying above ii.
Wrecks Of Bridges.

with its parks and avenues, and the
Italian flag flying above ii.
Wrecks Of Bridges.
The Isonzo river was crossed by the
wooden bridge which Italian engineers
built after all the old bridges had been
blown up. On one side lay the wreck
OF a big pontOon. 1t was on pontoon
bridges that the Italians entered the
city, and this wreck was one of the
remnants of that crossing. The big
railroad bridge was lying in a wreck
from artillery fire. Farther on was
the massive stone bridge with one Of
its main arches blown to pieces. Near
these bridges lie number Of important
/ paper mills, where paper Is made for
government notes. All these mills We're
masses of ruins with few tall Chin
neys still standing among the debris.
Gorizia itself was under the rain Of
| terrific bombardment, for the full force
/ of the great offensive was now only a
few hours off. The cannonade ran the
whole range of violence, from the deep
! bass rumble of monster guns up to the
/ staccato rattle Of machine guns which
sounded like strings OF big tirecrackers
| in barrel. A crash Of falling walls
| could be heard every now and then as
one of the big missiles "arrived"-the
familiar term used by those who live
with this shell fire.
And yet with the Rnmlnent danger
many people still clung to their homes
and belongings with that same tenaclty
which makes the NeSuyian peasants
cling to the mountainside when the vol
cano is raging and threatening to bury
them But most Of these people on
the streets are the poor who could not
get away, and the small shopkeepers
who cannot afford to abandon their
goods. The big stores are all closed
and the place has the air Of deserted
city, with only a few stragglers bring
ing up the rear. GoriZia had 10000
people, but only 5000 are left, and these
make only a scattered showing in the
wide main street fringed on either side
with It's shell.torn fronts. 1t was rain
ing hard and this added to the lugu
briou5 spectacle.
Famous Jesuit Establishment.
or the ravage wrought by the shell,
the main facts were cabled on the day
Of the visit But there are some addi
tional details worth recording, now tina
Gorilla stands out 50 symbolically. En
tering the city we passed the eyteusiV,
Jesuit establishment where coo semi
narians were located. one corner wa'
knocked off, the cornices were hanging
. ana several big holes told where tn,
shells had found a mark. The mair
q contour of the street was preserved ant
: tho buildings were intact as whole
! but every second or third had been hit
/ some collapsing entirely, others will
o. their front wall gone and their uppci
! rooms with household goods showinl
, from the street But there was no vas
area Of completely levcled debris as a
Verdun or Monastm The outlines o
q a city were still there, but it was cit,
2 sieyed by bombardment.
One modest dwelling stood out as w
> hurried along, not by its ruin but b!
{ its cheer in the midst Of this desola
2 ton There were simple lace curtain
- in the windows, from one Of which
r pretty little Italian girl was looking
/. down on her garden. She was quit
) unconscious Of the shell fire all abou
e and called down to her companion b,
t low. Some OF the big buildings ha
/ their walls shored up with long timber
\ | to keep them from topping over. \
I the theater in the center of the city TN
l. bilboards showed the remnants OF tn
e last performance, months ago, when
}, company Of Viennese players appeare