Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-02-13
No More observatien Post.

side. Every one instinctiyely recoilec
and then
Crash!
No More Observation Post.
Five of US went down in a heap
stunned as with hammer blow. There
was a great. eHveloping noise. with the
smash and crack of walls. the flying of
| fragments. and then the heaye of tons
Of earth. mortar and masonry, plowed
up by the huge missile.
/ 1t had struck that observation post,
just 10 feet away, which we were about
to enter. There was no more observa-
ton post; it was swept clean. But
fortunately the shell had gone straight
| through, gathering down massive walls
and digging deep trench into the
earth where 1t had exploded under
ground, throwing up great geysers. But
while the earth and stone flew like
| hail, the underground explosion had
held the shell fragments. Stunned as
we were, the first impulse was of self
| preservation. A hasty glance showed
no one was seriously injured, though
the trickle of blood on the right tenn
pie of one of the party told that fly
Ing stone had found mark.
''They have this range" said the es-
cort as we struggled TO our feet, 'and
one shot means that another will fol-
| low"
There was hasty scramble from the
battlement. over the tons of debris
thrown up, which now completely
blocked the three-foot path skirting
the wall
The shell had suddenly brought TO a
close our observation Of the battle
front with all It's tragedy and majestic
beauty. But worst of all. II put an end
! TO all trips TO Goritz. for the officer
said no further chances of this kind
could be taken. 1t was just as well,
for now the great offensive Of the
enemy burst Unexpectedly, and with II
came the retreat from the Goritz line,
Fortunately or unfortunately, l had
seen II at the last moment when the
tide was turning.
Situation Explained.
At the cafe where we went for lunch
the officer from headquarters laid out
the big military map on the table and
explained the military situation. II
was ;his: The enemy was bringing
great masses of men to the north of
the Biansizza plateau. His design was
evident. The Italians by their last ad-
vance had swung a ring which was
threatening Trieste. To save Trieste
the enemy must force the Italians back
TO the Isonzo river, as another Italian
offensive would clear the Carso range
and give the Italians the mastery of
Trieste. TO the enemy the time had
come when he must act before the ltal-
ians played their final card and held
the jewel of the AdriatiC.
AS we pOred over the map the in
creasing roar of the artillery told that
the enemy was losing no time in his
part Of the military game. The pro
prietor of the cafe was an intelligent
old man. and ] asked him If the fire
we heard was the same as usual. He
shook his head and said: mo, Ii is
very much heavier aud it seems as
though something was going 10 hap
pen" This was the instructive feel
Ing OF the people on the spot who had
gone through this day after day for
months They felt the blow coming.
on the corner there were two women
of the working class talking together
under an umbrella. for II was raining
hard. Their indifference to the shell
ing seemed strange. and | stopped 10
ask them if the bombardment did not
brighten lSem and keep them awake Mt
night.
They we're puzzled for Il moment. as
though not compromising such an In
auiry. and then they shrugged their
shoulders.
I'VE are used to IT," they said. 1T
used to brighten us at first. and the
children still cry at night. But what
can we do?"
These were typical townswomen
who had become habituated 10 the dan
ger and destruction all around them
and were now stopping on the street
corner In the rain 70 exchange the
latest gossip. One. of the women had
the features of an Austrian, and she
smiled as she heard the rumble of the
Austrian guns and looked off toward
the eremy lines so near.
VIII in three hours when we got
back to headquarters the fun force Of
the blow had been struck and the great
Austro-German offensive against Italy
was In full operation.
Girl Triples Wages.