The Monticellonian., 1918-02-08
Correspondent Sees SheIl-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 1t Is City Sieved by
 BombaFdment.

Headquarters of the Italian Army, Northern IaIy.-GoritZ is q symbol ''On to Goritz n' 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 Goritzl" pressing down from the north, across the northern bridge to the city and ending with "Goritz ut last '"
 Thus Goritz has become symbol of tine huge change which has occurred. It was one of the furthest points for ward on the Italian line, the center of vast are 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 hum dred square miles in all. And so Go- ritz ayas symbolic of that entire region which has twice changed hands fn this war, and of the furthest advance in the first Italian campaigns.
 1 went to Goritz and saw the city on the eye 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 which had been going on for weeks. Within tWenty-four hours the enemy had crossed the Isonzo b miles further north, turned the Italian left wing, beaten back the second army under General Gapello, 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 10 finish Italy and cripple the whole entente.
 Roads Left Clear.
 My trip was maae 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 Nerdun 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 lift clear by day most of the time.
 Ten miles out we crossed the Ital- ian-Austrian frontier and entered Aus tria.
 At Cormons, an Austrian village on the road, the signs above the shops were all in Italian, showing the Ital- ianS were right in the claim that all this section was raeially Italian.
 The cannonade began to be heard for the first time ten miles west of Go- ritz-a low rumble to the north and east, with now and then the untitled boom of a great gun. Day by day the fire was getting heavier, said our eS- eort, who knew the ground by heart, and he added that the enemy forces had been increased from 120 battalions to 330 battalions.
 As we passed through the town of Lucinico, a 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 uneoncernedly. 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 ly 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 1sOnzo 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 vet 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 wreck of big pontoonA It was on pontoon bridges that the Italians entered the