The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1918-02-16
GOR|Tz TORN TO
PIECES IN LAST
GERMAN DRIVE
Correspondent Sees SheII-Bat-
tered City Just Before the
italians Reiterated.
PAINTS PICTURE OF RUIN
Newspaper Men Have Narrow Escape
as They Watch Artillery Battle
Outlines Of City Still There,
but 1t Is City Sieved by
Bombardment.

Outlines Of City Still There,
but It Is City Slowed by
Bombardment.
Headquarters of the Italian Army,
Northern Italy.-Goritz is symbol.
"On to Goritz!'' was the cry of the
duke of Aosta's soldiers as they
pressed through the little town of Lu-
chico a few months ago, fighting their
way down to the IsOnzo river, then
across the western bridge leading to
the city, when the cry changed to go
ritz at last!"
Then this was reversed when the
overwhelming invading force Of Aus
,rO-Germans took up this same cry,
On to Goritz!" pressing down from
he north, across the northern bridge
10 the city and ending with "Gortz at
asst"
Thus GoritZ has become symbol of
The huge change which has occurred.
It was one Of the furthest points for
ward on the Italian line, the center Of
vast arc of fighting front stretching
rom PiOZZO, far in the north, down to
The Adriatic at Montefalcone, and it
vas the most populous and important
,ity in the great crescent Of territory
which the Italian army had sliced off
southwestern Austria-some six hun
lred square miles In all. And so Co.
:itz was symbolic Of that entire region
which has twice changed hands in this
war, and of the furthest advance in
he first Italian campaigns.
went to GoritZ and saw the city
On the eve Of it's agony. 1t was the
last trip made there by anyone outside
Inc military before the retreat began.
The roar of tie great Austro-German
offensive already had commenced,
though for the moment it was taken
Tor spasmodic renewal of the cannon
ade which had been going on for weeks.
Within twenty-four hours the enemy
aad crossed the IsOnZO Is miles further
north, turned the Italian left wing,
beaten back the second army under
General Capello, threatened to envelop
the third army under the duke of AOs-
ia, brother of the ktQg Of Italy, and put
In execution that gigantic hammer
stroke by which they hoped to finish
italy and cripple the whole entente.
Roads Left Clear.
My trip was made by invitation Of
the supreme command, with staff edi
tor from headquarters as escort. AS
we sped along the road in the big army
automobile I noted there were no
troops along the road and bordering
fields as one sees approaching Verdun
or in the Somme or Flanders. This alb
sence Of troops in the rear was part Of
the system adopted, it was explained.
All the reprovisioning 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-
ian-Austrian frontier and entered Aus
tria.
At Commons, an Austrian village on
the road, the signs above the shops
were all in Italian, showing the Ital-
lans were right in the claim that all
this section was racially Italian.
The cannonade began to be heard
for the first time ten miles west of Co.
rita low rumble to the north and
east, with now and then the muff1ed
boom of great gun. Day by day the
fire was getting heavier, said our es-
cort, who knew the ground by heart,
and he added that the enemy forces
had been increased from 12O battalions
to $50 battalions.
AS we passed through the town Of
Lucinico, a far-out suburb of Goritz, it
was seen to be half destroyed. Along
the main street ran rows Of battered
buildings, with walls half down and
shell holes making ugly gashes. But
business was going on, men were at
the cafes and women and girls strolled
the street unconcernedly. Now the au-
tomobile turned up the steep side of
Padgera hill, one Of the outer defenses
Of Goritz 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 shell fire, but nature had kind
ty obliterated the scars and the hillside
was again smiling with its verdure.
The sound of firing had how increased
to an enormous roar as we passed Pad
gera hill.
Turning the corner of a shattered
wall we saw the Isonzo river lying
ahead and on the further side Goritz
rising in terraces with the huge battle
ments 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 gaping windows. This whole wa
ter front 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. r~- =
Old Bridges Replaced.
The Isonzo 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