Newport daily independent., 1918-01-07

pondence of The Associated Press. J. Gorizia is a symbol, "On to Gorizia," :" was the cry of the Duke of Aosta's soldiers as they pressed through the little town of Lucinioo a few months ago, fighting their way down to the Isonzo river, then across the western bridge leading to the city, when the cry changed to "Gorizia at last"
 Then a week ago, this was reversed when the overwhelming invading force of Austro- Germans took up this same cry, "On to Gorizia," pressing down from the north, across the northern bridge to the city, and end ing with "Gorizia at last!'
 Thus Gorizia has become a symbol of the huge change which has oc- cured within the last ten days. It was one of the furthest points for ward on the Italian line, the center of vast arc of fighting front stretch ing from Plezzo, far in the north, down to the Adriatic at Montefal- cone, and it was tho most populous and important city in the great cres- cent of territory which the Italian army has sliced off southwestern Austria-some six hundred square miles in all. And So Gorizia was sym bolic of that entire region which has twice changed hands in this war, and of the furthest advance in the first Italian campaigns.
 l visited Gorizia just nine days ago and saw the city on the eve of it's agony. It was the last visit made there by anyone outside the military before the retreat began. The rear of the great Austro- German offensive already had commenced, though for the moment it was taken for a spas modic renewal of the cannC ade which has been going on for weeks Within "A hours the enemy had crossed the Isonzo fifteen miles fur ther north, turned the Italian left wing, beaten back the Second Army under General Capello, tn eatened to envelope the Third Army under the Duke of Aosta, brother of the King of Italy, and put in execution that gigantic hammerstroke by which they hoped to finish Italy and cripple the whole Entente
 l The visit was made by invitation of the Supreme Command with a staff editor from headquarters as escort. As we sped along the road in the big army auto l noted there were no troops along the road and bordering fields as one sees approaching Yer dun or in the Somme or Flanders. , This absence of troops in the rear was part of the system adopted, it was explained. All the re-provision- ing of the army was done at night, and the roads were left clear by day most of the time.
 Ten miles out we crossed the Ital- ian-Austrian frontier and entered Austria. The frontier was marked l by an empty river as the mountain current had run dry. There were scrub trees along the banks and our escort noted the strange fact that bears were quite numerous in these parts and back to the Julian Alps. | Near the frontier bridge was a party of soldiers going home for two weeks leave; they looked very happy and were quite unconscious of the escape they were making from the crash to occur few hours later.
 At Germans, an Austrian village on the road, the signs above the shops were all in Italian, showing the Ital- ians were right in the claim that all this section was racially Italian. At this town, too was statue of the Archduke Maxismilien whiaf had j1st passed through queer experience. Some Italian soldiers passing through the >sown had seen the statue, and not being familiar with Maximilian they had taken it for the great Genose navigator, Christopher Columbus With true Italian fervor they had decorated the statue, and there stood Maximilian with garlands about his neck placed here by Italian soldiers
 The cannonade began to be heard for the first time ten miles west of Gorizia-a low rumble to the north and east with now and then the muf- fled boom of great gun. Day by day the fire was getting heavier, SD our escort, who knew the ground hy heart; and he added that the enemy forces had been increased from 120 battalions to 33O battalions.
 | As we passed through the town of Lucinico, a far-out suburb of Gorizia,