Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1918-02-08
Correspondent Sees Shell-Bat-
tered City Just Before the
italians Retreated.
PAINTS PICTURE OF RUIN
Newspaper Men Have Marrow Escape
as They Watch Artillery Battle
Outlines of City still There,
but It ls City Slowed by
Bombardment.

Northern Italy.--Goritz is SymD0L
"On TO Goritzp' was the cry of the
duke of Aosta,s soldiers as they
pressed through the little town of Luz
: csaico few months ago, fighting their
way down to the Isonzo river, then
across the western bridge leading to
the city, when fhs cry changed to Go
ritz at last r
Then this was reversed when the
overwhelming invading force Of Aus
tro-Germans took up this same CRY,
son to Goritzr' pressing down from
the north, across the northern bridge
10 the city and ending with "Goritz at
last r.
Thus Goritz has become symbol Ct
the huge change which has occurred.
It was one of the furthest points for
ward on the Italian line, the center OF
a 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 on
southwestern Austria-sonle 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 In
the 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
the military before the retreat began.
The roar of the great Austro-German
offensive already had commenced,
though for the moment 1t was taken
for spasmoaic renewal of the cannon
ade whlcE had been going on for weeks.
Within twenty-four hours the enemy
had crossed the Isonzo - miles further
north, turned the Italian left wing,
beaten back the second army Under
General CapelIo, threatened to envelop
the third army under the duke Of Aos-
Ia, brother of the king OF Italy, and put
In execution that gigantic hammer
stroke BY Shich 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 noted there were no
troops along the road and bordering
6eIds as one sees approaching Verdun
or ia the Somme or Flanders. This abb
sense of troops in the rear was part Of
the system adopted, 1t was explained.
All the reprovisioning of the army was
done at night and the roads We're left
clear by day most of the time.
Ten miles out we crossed the Ital-
ian-Austrian frontier aud entered AUS
tria.
AT Commons, an Austrian village on
the road, the signs above the shops
were all in Italian, showing the Ital-
ians were right in the claim thpt all
t t..::.s section was racially Italian.
The cannonade began to be heard
for the first time ten miles west OF Co
rita low rumble to the forth aud
east, with now and then the muffied
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 energy forces
had been Increased from 120 battalions
TO $50 battalions.
AS we passed through the town of
Lucinico, far-out suburb of Goritz, 1t
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 or men were at
the cafes and women and girls strolIed
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
~ obliterated the scars and the hillside
was again smiling with its verdure.
The sound of firing had now Increased
to an enormous roar as we passed Pad
gera hill.
Turning the corner of 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 wharyes 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 wreck
Of a big pontoon. It was on pontoon