Newport daily independent., 1918-03-13
Correspondent Sees SheII-Bat- tered City Just Before the
 Italians Retreated.
PAINTS PICTURE OF RUIN
Newspaper Men Have Narrow Escape as They Watch Artillery Battle Outlines of City Still There, but 1t Is a City Sieved by
 Bombardment.

Headquarters of the Italian Army, Northern Italy-Goritz is a symbol. "On to Goritz!" was the cry of the duke of Aosta's soldiers as they pressed through the little town of Lu- chico 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 tro-Germans took up this same cry, "On to Goritz!" pressing down from the north, across the northern bridge to the city and ending with "Goritz at last l"
 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 from Piozzo, far in the north, down to the Adriatic at Montefalcone, and 1t was the most populous and important city in the great crescent of territory which the Italian army had sliced off southwestern Austria-some six hun dred square miles in all. And so GO- ritz was symbolic of that entire region which has twice changed hands in this war, and of the furthest advance Ill the first Italian campaigns.
 I went to Goritz and saw the city 1 on the eve of it's agony. It was the last trip made there by anyone outside the military before the retreat began. The roar of the great Austro-German offensive already had commenced, though for the moment it was taken for spasmodic renewal of the cannon ade whick had been going on for weeks Within twenty-four hours the enemy had crossed the Isonzo 15 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- ta, brother of the king of Italy, and put in execution that gigantic hammer stroke by which they hoped to finish Italy and cripple the whole enteAte.
 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 ab- 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 ltal- ian-Austrian frontier and entered Aus 1 tria.
 At Cormons, an Austrian village on | the road, the signs above the shops | were all in Italian, showing the ltal- ians were right in the claim that all 1 this section was racially Italian. The cannonade began to be heard for the first time ten miles vest of Go ritz-a low rumble to the north and east, with now and then the muftled boom of a 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 1 had been increased from 120 battaliOns to 33O battalions.
 As we passed through the town of Lucinico, 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 l Padgera hill, one of the outer defenses | of Goritz where bloody hand-to-hand 1 fighting occurred. One could see the ] old trench and wire system, now grass grown. All this hill had been swept 1 bare by shell fire, but nature had kind ly obliterated the scars and the hillside was again smiling with it's verdure The sound of firing had now increased to an enormous roar as we passed Pad l 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.
 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 wrecl