Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-02-20

OF a big pontoon. II was on pontoor
bridges that the Italians entered ths
city and this wreck was one of the
remnants of tkat crossing. The biz
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. All 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
| few hours OF.
And yet with the imminent danger
many persons stin chung TO their homes
and belongings with that same tenacity
which makes the Yesuvian 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 a few stragglers 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-
tensive Jesuit establishment where COO
seminarians are located. One corner
was< knocked of, the cornices were
hanging and several big holes told
where the shells had found a 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-
tirely, 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 leveled debris, as at Verdun or
Monastir. The outlines of city were
still there, but 1t was a city sieved by
Trip to the Citadel.
The trip to the citadel was the event
Of the day. This is huge pile, with
old-tims moat and battlements and Il
great tower dominating the whole
country for miles around. Here we
we're TO view Mount Gabriel. Mount Mi
Gael, the Biansizza plateau and the
whole range OF ground which had
passed through this upheaval II was
uphill to the citadel. Everything
showed the havoc of long continued
ire. In one great court there was a
pretty little chapel which had come
through the ordeal untouched, though /.
all around was q wreck.
Once upon the battlements a com !
view was ahead. There was
one point of vantage where this view 4
was particularly good, known as the |
observation post. We halted a moment, I
about to enter the post, but others |
wished to push on to the very front OF I
the wall, and this view prevailed. 1t /.
was a most fortunate decision, as we
soon after had reason to know.
On the battlements splendid view
stretched out for miles over this bat
tieground 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
Austrians.
There runs the dividing line" said
the escort, pointing TO line of trees
and depressions near the summit.
The Italian breaches could be plainly
seen, but there was no need of indi-
eating 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.
on 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 of to the left, and
through the mist were the dim out
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