The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-01-16
ITALY DEFENDS
HER TREASURE
BY USE Of SEA
LAND tAROUND CITY OF VENICE
BURIED UNDER WATER
AND MUD
HOW HUN IS BARRED OUT
AS IN THE DAYS OF ATTILA THE
VENITIANS BLOCK THE WAY
TO THEIR CITY

WITH THE FRENCH ARMY IN
1TALY-(Correspondence of The AS
sOciatCd Press)-Before the menace
of the modern Hun, Venice, whose
lagoons centuries ago furnished an
asylum of safety for refugees fleeing
from Attila, is today almost emptied.
OF the 100000 persons who ordinarily
inhabit the city, only about 1000 re-
main. But this is not because Ven
ice fears for her own protection.
Across the battlefield of the reeds it
is believed that no invader will pene-
trate to the islands of the Venetian
lagoon. The city puts her trust in
the lagoons, as confidently as she
trusted to the sea in olden times.
To the visitor in Venice in these
days when the invading army lies only
a short march distant, one of the odd
memories OF the war will be that OF
the music OF the great guns bombing
from the Iidi and the nests Of reedy
islets in the northern lagoon. That
music accompanies you all day in
Venice
Her Face to the Foe
The Queen of the Adriatic has her
face to the foe. She has shut her
shops and sent her merchandise away.
The army or the navy have taken her
rot oiy I,
bricked up or sand-bagged her
churches and monuments and now
await the issue in entire calm, con-
fdent that although the. enemy. is no
more than long gun shot away, it is
not at her own gates that Venice is |
menaced.
In Hands of Navy
From Burano, motor-boat takes
you through maze of channels into
the canal Silone where you thread
your way between reed covered banks
toward the mainland You can see
nothing but the channel and the reeds.
There is not a roof nor a spire in
sight. We are getting up to what
may be called the artillery defense line
of Venice. On the way we passed
a British monitor with her big guns |,
pointed inland The coast batteries
and big gun monitors constitute an
other defense line. Here in the salt
channel between the islands we come
suddenly upon a floating battery or
pOntoon, as the Italians cal them.
1t is a big steel barge mounting gun
which has been steadily pounding the
Austrians on the Piave Vecchia all
night. She is manned by sailors for
the artillery defense of Venice is en-
tirely in the hands of the navy
All Under Water
From Porte Grandi, as far as the
eye can see the land is covered with
waste of muddy water with rows of
half-submerged willows marking out
the fields which it covers and here and Z
ngs emerging from the floods. We are
lere on the edge Of the Piave inunda
ions and in another naval artillery u
lefense belt. High banked roads,
likes and farm houses are all that L
'emain above water Some of these L
arm house islands are held by Aus a.
rians and some by Italians and it is IL
he aim of both sides to destroy the
arms held by the enemy. A few nights pl
go some italian sailors undertook u
utting out expedition against one Of u
he Austrian islands, captured and el
urned the buildings and come back IN
nth Austrian prisoners. IN
A Melancholy Picture
Nothing more dismal can be i'm
gined than this battlefield among the III
eeds except the awful desolation of
le Flanders front Unending water,
alf drowned willows and farm houses
nder a bitter winter sky compose tt
bout as melancholy picture as even I'll
ar presents On many of the islands tn
,rmed by the release Of the floods to th
rotect Venice are brave families or
inging to their home in the hope da
lat 1918 will see the invader thrown ra
lck. on
Guns Active at Night ed
On this sector the Italians have a wi
periOrity of artillery. 1t is at night lii
at the Italian guns do their hardest Wit