The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-08
CORIzIA A SYMBOL OF AMBITION
! OF THE CONTENDINC ITALIAN and
AUSTRIAN ARMIES IN DEATH LOCK
Correspondent of A. p Describes Situation Existing
Few Hours Before the Great Hun Thrust Threw the
Italian Armies Back in Hope of Finishing Italian
Overthrow.

q ence Of The Asso ciated Press. )-Gori-
kia is a SYMBOL "On to Gorilla" was
the cry of the Duke of Aosta's SOL
diers as they pressed through the lit
tie town of Lucinico a few months
ago, lighting their way down to the
Isonzo river. then across the western
bridge leading to the city when the
cry was changed to 'Gorizia at last!"
Then, a short time ago, this was
reversed when the overwhelming In
yading force of Austro-Germans took
up this same cry, ION to Gorizia,' -
Pressing down from the north, across
" the northern bridge to the city, and
Ending with "Gorizia at last!''
Z Thus Gorilla has become a symbol
Of the huge change which has occur
red. It was one of the furthest points
\ forward on the Italian line, the CEN
ter of a vast arc of fighting front
stretching from Plezzo, far in the
north, down to the Adriatic at Mon
tefalcone, and it was the most>popu-
lOus and important city in the great
crescent of territory which the Ital-
ian army has sliced off southwestern
Austria-some six hundred square
miles in all. And so Gorilla was SYM
" aDOltG .OL lIldL e1IlTe region WHICH HAS
twice changed hands in this war, and
of -the furthest> advance in the first
Italian campaigns.
l visited. Gorilla and saw the city
on the eve of it's agony. 1t was the
last visit made there by anyone out
side the military before the retreat
began. The rear of the great Austro-
German offensive already had COM
menced, though for the moment it
was taken for spasmodic renewal of
the cannonade which has been going
= z for weeks Within "a hours the
j n fny had crossed the 1sonzo fifteen
mics further north, turned the Ital-
ian left wing, beaten back the second
army under General Capello, threat
ened to envelope the Third Army I'M
der the Duke of Aosta, brother OF
the King of Italy, and put in execu-
ton that gigantic hammerstroke by
which they hoped to finish Italy and
cripple the whole Entente.
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 I noted there were nc
troops along the road bordering fields
as one sees approaching Verdun OF
in the SomIne or Flanders This alb
sence of troops in the rear was par
of the system adopted, it was ex.
planned. All the re-provisioning 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-
1 ian-Austrian frontier and entered AUS
tria. The frontier was marked 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 tc
the Julian Alps. Near the frontier
bridge was a party of soldiers going
home for two weeks leave; they look
ed very happy and were quite uncon
scious of the escape they were max
ing from the crash to occur a few
hours later.
At -Cormons an Austrian village or
= the road, the signs above the shop:
were all in Italian, showing the 1tal
ians were right in the claim that al
this section was racially Italian A
this town, too, was a statue of the
Archduke Macmillan which had JUS
passed through a queer experience
Some Italian soldiers passing through
the town had seen the statue, anC
not being familiar with MaximiliaI
they had taken it for the great Geno
csc navigator, Christopher Columbus
With true Italian fervor they had dec
GRATED the statue, and there stooC
Macmillan with garlands about hi
neck placed there by Italian soldiers
The cannonade began to be heart
for the first time ten miles west o
Gorizia-a low rumble to the nbrtl
and east with now and then the muf
fled boom of a great gun Day by da!
the fire was getting heavier, said ou
escort, who knew the ground b!
heart; and he added that the enem!
forces had been increased from 12(
battalions to $50 battalions.
AS we passed through the town O
Lucinico, a far.out suburb of Gorilla
1t was seen to be half destroyed Atoms
the main street ran rows of battered
N buildings, with walls half down ant
shell holes making ugly gashes. Blu
|SN business was going on, men were a
the cafes, and women and girls stroll
ed the street unconcernedly. Now tn
-automobile turned up the steep sid
3of Padgera HILL, one of the outer de
lenses of Gorilla where bloody hand
to-hand fighting occurred. One coul
see the old trench and wire system
now grass grown. All this hill ha
been swept bare by shell-fire, but ma
ture had kindly ob1iterated the scar
and the hillside was again smilin
with its verudre. The sound of firm
had now increased to an ominou
roar as we passed Padgera Hill
Turning the corner of a shattere
wall we saw the Isonzo river lyin
ahead, and on the further side Go1
liza rising in terraces with the hug
battlements of the citadel towering o
the right. The river looked about tn
width of the Potomac at Washington
but with swifter current from tn
mountain feeders. Along the edge c
the river ran rows of shell-torn wal
with gaping windows. This whol
water front had been torn to piece
and yet many of the demolished rem
nants Of the buildings were occupies
and work along the river wharves wa
proceeding.
To the left, as we approached til
river, stood out the palatial castle {
Count Coronini of Vienna, the clos
personal friend of Emperor Franc
Joseph up to his death, and the MAJ
ter Of ceremonies of the imperi
Aousehold. In this castle had die
King Charles X, and his body sti
reposes in the nearby convent of
Caterina One of the lions of S
Rark, which had capped the entranC
% the castle, was taken down by tt
hrstrians before they quit Gorilla an