The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-10
MONITORS PROTECT
VENICE FROM SHELLS
Preventing the Austrians From
Building Bridges.

On the Lower Piavs River, North
ern Italy. Feb. 9.-Countless square
miles of desolate marsh land, in
tercepted and cut into numberless
islands by sluggish lagoons and
inundated 10 the depth of sew
eral feet. line after line of station
airy batteries OF guns from three to
fifteen inches In calibre. and deep,
muddy trenches filed with men deter
mined that the enemy shall not ad-
vance any further-sueh are the i'm
pressive and apparently weli-nigh un-
assailable defenses OF Venice.
The character of the warfare all
along the lower Piave line, and par
t1cularly the methods employed to de-
fend the Queen of the Adriatic" from
tho stro-German invasion. undoubt-
eddy are unique even in this war OF
novelties Nature has placed bar
rier in the path of the invader ap-
parently more insurmountable even
than the mountains which the enemy
has fought his way across. and these
natural obstacles have been fortified
as probably has no other region in
Europe.
Human ingenuity has outdons itself
TO provide floating fortresses armed
with huge guns which. camouflaged
airplanes can slip from point to point.
never offering q mark far the invaders
and yet always able TO lombard the
enemy as he attempts nightly to build
pontoon bridges across the Piavs.
Skilled engineers have ferreted out
every bit Of solid mainland in the vast
swampy area north OF Venice and
have planted batteries. large and
small, according to the distance from
the Austrian lines. They never relax
their vigilance In watching for the en-
envy. The came engineers have cut
away the bikes that formerly con-
trolled tho water 10 irrigate the fertile
Italian plains. creating a vast lake
Thousand Peasants Homeless.
The inundation has made a thou
sand peasants homeless. but 81 pre-
sents an almost insurmountabie bar
rier to the Austrian artillery from it's
scores OF vantage points and frus~
trates every attempt OF the Austrtans
to steal across unnottced. Finally, in
addition to the foremost infantry lines
In the Inundated section. big and little
batteries are scattered everywhere,
and floating monitors are constantly
on patrol Thus FAR the enemy he's
been prevented from hrin Ring his big
guns up 70 a position from which he
might lombard Venice.
The trip through the defense wys-
tenn of Venice and along the lower
PiAve which the Associated Press cor
respondent. though accredited only TO
the French armies. was able 10 make
through the courtesy of the Tta liam
naval and military authorities. began
at Venice, from which city a speedy
naval motor boat plouRhsd It's way az
sunrise into the confusing maze OF
canals that intersecs the vast marsh
land area 60 the north. The sfunb-
ling OF the big guns. constantly grow
Ing louder. could be heard In Venice,
where IL sounded like thunder
Virtually ali sisns OF life were Isf:
behind as the boat worked ita way
into the narrow channels running he
tween islands rank with great weed
gorw7hs through which q man could
hardly force his way. Even the Gus
tomary animal life of any wilderness
seened to be lacking except for few
ducks seen flying occasionally around
some corner.
Suddenly the press boat almost ran
into a grayish steel hulk secured to
the shore by chains and ropes The
vessel, on which was mounted a huge
gun. had taken up its position on this
spot the night before. 1t had sue
cessfuliy thrown shells TO the pfave
river and many times had defeated
the efforts of the Austrians to com
plete a pontoon bridge to the south
ern shore. In case enemy airpianes
were seen during the day. the monitor
was prepared to slip its cables at
nightfali and steam away 20 some 9TH
or spot where the Austrian shells
would be unable to reach IL, but from