The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-22

business was going on, men were at the
cafes, ana women and girls strolled
about unconcernedlv. Now the auto
mobile turned up the steep side of Pod
CORA hill, one of the outer defenses Of
Gorilla, where bloody hand to hand
fighting occurred. One could see the
old trench and wire system, now grass
grown. All this hill had been swept
bare by she'll fire, but nature had kind
ly obliterated the sears, and the hill
side was again smiling with its YER
dure. The sound of firing had now in
creased to an omihous roar as we passed
Podgora hill.
Turning the corner of shattered
wall, we saw the Isonzo river lying
ahead, and on the further side Gorilla
rising in terraces, with the huge bat
Elements of the citadel towering on the
right The river looked about the
width of the Potomac at Washington,
but with swifter current from the
mountain feeders. Along the edge of
the river ran rows of shell-torn walls
with gazing windows. This whole wa
terfront had been torn to pieces, and
yet many of the demolished remnants
of the buildings were occupied and
work along the river wharves was pro-
ceeding.
To the left, as we approached the
river, stood out the palatial castle of
Count Coronini of Vienna, the close
friend of Emperor Francis Joseph up
to his death, and the Master of Cere
monies of the imperial household. In
this castle had died King Charles X of
-,
the nearby convent of Santa Caterina.
| One of the lions of st. Mark, which
had capped the entrance to the castle.
was taken down by the Austrians be
for they quilted Gorilla and is now in
the city museum. 1t was an impress
sive sight to see the fine old castle
through vista of trees, with its parks
] and avenues, and the Italian flag fv-
/ ing above it,
| The 1sOnZO river was crossed by the
wooden bridge which Italian engineers
built after all the old bridges had been
blown up. On one side lay the wreck
! of a big pontoon. 1t was on pontoon
! bridges that the Italians entered the
city, and this wreck was one of the
remnants of that crossing The big
railroad bridge was lying in wreck
from artillery fire. Further on was the
massive stone bridge with one of its
main arches blown to pieces. Near
these bridges lie number of important
paper mills, where paper is made fol
government notes All these mills were
masses of ruins, with few tall chin
neys still standing among the debris
Shells Raining en- Gorilla.
Gorilla itself was under the rain OF
a terrific bombardment, for the full
force Of the great offensive was nov
only few hours off. The cannonadt
ran the whole range of violence, from
the deep bass rumble of monster gum
up to the staccato rattle of maehin,
guns, which sounded like strings of bi.
free raekers in barrel. A crash 90
falling walls could be heard every nov
and then as one of the big missile
arrived the familiar term used b,
those who live with this shellfre
And yet, with the imminent danger
many people still elung to their home
and belongings with that same tenaci
" which makes the Eesuvian peasant
cling to the mountain side when tn
volcano Is raging and threatening t
bury them. But most of these peopl
on the streets were the poor who coul
not get away, and the small ehopkeeI
ers who could not afford to abandon
their goods. Tne big stores were al
closed, and the place had the air of
deserted city, with only few strae
: giers bringing UP the rear Gorizi
once had 10000 people. but only 800
are left, and these made only a seat
! tered showing in the wide main street
+ fringed on either side with its shell
5 torn fronts. 1t was raining hard. an
this added to the lugubrious spectacl,
J Of the ravage brought by the shell
, the main facts were cabled on the da
, OF the visit. But there are some add
flonal details worth recording now tina
: dorlzla stands out so symboiicallv. FL
terlng the city we passed the exter
: oivc jesuit establishment where 60
5 semlnarlans were located One cornc
9 wa, knocked off, the cornlces wer
hanging and several big hole. tol
: whore the shells had found q mark. TIL
main contour of the street was DR.
' served and the buildings were intat
i as whole, but every second or thir
e had been hit, some collapsing entirel,
g others with their front walls gone an
e their upper rooms with household goot
r showing to the street. But there VIZ
: no vast area of completely levele
!. debris as at Eerdun or Monastir. TT
e outlines of city were still there; b,
e 1t was a city sieved by bombardment
V One modest dwelling stood out as v
hurried along, not by its ruin, but /
r IT'S cheer In the midst of this desol
a ton. There were simple lace curtain
/. III the windows, from one of which