The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-03
l|lRIIISH LIST lives
N CHOOSING Pave
BoATs DASHED WILDLY ABOUT
AkisOns Endured Four Hours OF En-
cmy's Intense, HeIlish Barrage and
6truegled On In Bitter Gold. Tor
+ rential Rain.

London, Nov. (via British WIRE
less service) The Times ceTreApano-
lent, telegraphing on Monday from
Italian headquaTters. describes tns
tAifilculties encountaEad by British
|forces in crossing the Piave. Papa,
Idoppli island was reached IN smail
boats, which were swept wildly ABOUT
n the fierce current Of the river. Inc
correspondent says:
The time for assault was just be-
lore in the morning. Toward mo
might the British artillery began us
Preparation. Rain came pouring down
| soon after. II was like sea drench-
ing the earth,
The attackers moved up from tno
western side OF Papadopoit island 10
fhs eastern rim at 6,se. when they
Egot 10 their taking aft place, dFsnchad
A they were, they sat on the sodceh
ehinGis to wait far erdsrs 10 ADVANCE.
There was nothing else to 40.
They had endured four hours OF
1.-The enemy's barrage on the island
an intense, hellish barrage, says an
officer who endured It. There were
no trenches, no shelters, just pAre
ehingie and water all AROUND, the Das-
Itara on tor OF all, At G:4o came the
aenai. on they moved and were IN.
+mediately stYugsiiHg In bitter cole
ana furious currents, The men gave
tAsls hands 10 each othar, soma Wy
could not grasp hands were swep.
darknsss and stili pitiiess rain.
eaaysysi ysaehed the bAnk ana.
cltmhiRg upon Il. stretched arms ~
those nearest them, whe In NJ"
stretched out their hands, so us ia.
chains n0$
craSsinr Inc river atraight, but almost
4 aaata angles to the bank they haa
just left,
Au.trsa Abandon TEenches.
presently avery man had ms no, so.se
inr on the opp1stte stdA o. Ae ar
The Austrtans ssemed 70 nav r;uar
Sourh great quantities OF munitions
were Wing all around and there WAS
an tndescriba BILE mass Of heapen-
v.r material. Our men had apous
400 wards to swim. wade ana uo"s
before they got into the shei.e" u
their own earrage.
.onre ashore, their way "aa
Through rough underwood SCRUBS az
hedges and thick growing Trees, NM. ~.
The Austrians had been abie 70 lon'
I'M ~ith harhed wires obstacles stano ,
Ing al ali heights and in all places ano
anvlas The Austrians had antrenGa
u themselves in one of the raiseu
rnads coumnn to this nat. Marsuy
coun,rv. This embankment VA
rhockfu, OF machine guns ana ing
men lining If, were mainly snipers, :"
Ma, any approach was deadly. hu'
,rr ren had brought their Lewis guns
Sana bombs as we'll ana met
may with a spray as deadly A1a ga
&ine with engine.
.1,nce this hrsi road barrier ~ns
rassed. however. they came 10 one y
equal diffscuity, a. tar A. the RrouMa
vas concerned. and ono defended WIZ
.varv intricate device that can pe
~ r,s~d. Nest Of tho HOUSES nad
hsen rutted and partly filled with eoa
rrete and lined with dossns o. mA,
chlns guns. These block houses mac
irons wire stretching from tncH
Game tim O. for a space of two or three
1elAs' no that a whole quadrtiiateral
ri laaA was a deadly maze S
nd caves were used ~ Freely =. q
- ii atAa. Austrian defense syssem
1TAe dcfaadeFu in many caeaA tsncS
treat courage. In others theS
~eakened after their first efforts
0uce they saw that tbs British were
~ 10 - deferred, they yielded more
.estav. They were mostly HunGAriAni
- aftsr being captured. they were
- lenaey Hungaftans Ut former Gays
ICY shook their heads and said: Tne
Playe y no coed