Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-02-13
GORITz TORN To PIECES
IN LAST GERMAN DRIVE

| city and this wreck was one of the
remnants of that crossing. The big
/ railroad bridge was lying In a wreck
from artillery fire. Further on was
the massive stone bridge, with one Of
| its main arches blown to pieces. Near
these bridges lie several important pa
per mills, where paper is made for gov
eminent notes. Ali these mills were
masses of ruins, with few tall Chin
neys still standing among the debris.
Goritz itself was under the rain of
terrific bombardment, for the full force
of the great offensive was now only p
| few hours off.
And yet with the imminent danger
many persons still chung TO their homes
and belongings with that same tenacity
which makes the Vesuvian 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 an air of a deserted
city, with only = Few slragglers bring
Ing up the rear. Goritz had 10000
people, but only 5000 are left. and
these make only scattered showing
In the wide main street fringed on
either side with its Shell-torn fronts. 1t
was raining hard and this added to the
lugubrious spectacle.
Entering the city we passed the ex-
tensiye Jesuit establishment where GOO
seminarians are located. One corner
was knocked off, the cornices were
hanging and several big holes told
where the shells had found u mark.
The main contour of the street was
preserved and the buildings were in
tact as a whole, but every second or
third had been hit, some collapsing en-
tlrely, others with their front wall
gone and their upper rooms with house
hold goods showing from the street.
But there was no vast area of COM
pletely leyeled debris, as at verdun or
Monastir. The outlines of a city were
still there, but il was a city sieved by
bOmbardment
Trip to the Citadel.
The trip to the citadel was the event
of the day. This is a huge pile. with
old-time moat and battlements and
great tower dominating the whole
country for miles around. Here we
were to view Mount Gabriel Mount Mi
Gael. the Biansizza plateau and the
whole range of ground which had
passed through this upheaval. 1t was
uphill TO the citadel. Everything
showed the havoc of long continued
fire. In one great court there was a
pretty little chapel which had come
through the ordeal untouched. though
all around was u wreck.
Once upon the battlements com
manding view was ahead. There was
one point of vantage where this view
was particularly good, known as the
observation post We halted a moment,
about 10 enter the post, but others
wished to push on to the very front of
the wall, and this view prevailed. 1t
was most fortunate decision. as we
soon after had reason to know.
On the battlements splendid view
stretched out for miles over this bat
tleground of mountains. valleys and
plains. with the city houses clustered
below and the roads winding Off
through the valleys and foothills. There
In front was Mount Gabriel, this side
held by the Italians. the other by the
Austrlans.
There runs the dividing line" said
the escort, pointing TO a line of trees
and depressions near the summit.
The Italian trenches could be plainly
seen, but there was no need of indi-
eating a dividing line, for the bursts of
smoke along one side of the summit
and the answering bursts from the
other side told where the line was.
OF to the left was Mount Michael.
once swept clean by shell fire, but now
green again. Nestled in a hollow was
the convent of st. Catarina. The Bian-
sizza plateau was off to the left, and
through the mist were the dim out
lines of snow-topped Mount Nero, that
outpost Of the Italian advance.
AS we stood surveying this scene
there was the steady rumble of guns,
with the crack of quick-firers and then
the long "whiz" Of ever-passing shells
But there was one "whiz' which In
stantly engaged every attention. We
could hear 1t coming. and 1t was not
going over nor under, nor at either