The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-22

pretty little Italian girl was looking /
down on her garden. She was quite /
unconscious of the shellfire all about
and called down TO her companion be-
low Some of the big buildings had
their walls shored up with long tim I
bers to keep them from topping over. |
At the theatre in the center of the |
city the billboards showed the posters |
of the last performance, months ago,
when a company of Viennese players |
appeared in comedy. Now there were |
firemcn standing in the theatre lobby, |
the fire engine was on the orchestra |
floor, and the engine horses had the |
grecnrooms.
There was no use looking for a ho-
tel, for there were no guests now, and, |
besides, all the hotels had been wired
out The main hotel, handsome struc-
ture on the main corner, was demolished
by the explosion of two 12-inch shells,
which landed squarely inside The loss
| Of life must have been great, and the
material destruction, was complete, not
II yestige of the building remaining ex-
eept great heaps of debris. The cathe-
dral near by had also received shell
through the roof just over the altar
Al the stained glass windows were
shivered and the bits lay on the ground.
| Looking through one of these empty
windows we could see the Wrecked al
tar, with its ratings twisted and its
marble sides blasted into fragments.
The visit to the citadel was the event
of the day. This is a huge pile with
| oldtime moat and battlements, and a
| great tower dominating the whole coun-
try for miles around. Here we were
to view Monte San Gabrielle, Monte
| San Michele, the Bainsizza Plateau.
and the whole range of ground which
had passed through this upheaval 1t
was uphill to the citadel. Everything
showed the havoc of long continued
fire. In one great court there was a
pretty little chapel which had come
through the ordeal untouched though
all around was a wreck.
/ Once on the battlements, a command
ing view was ahead There was one
point of vantage where this view was
particularly good known as the obser-
walton post. We halted moment.
about to enter the post, but others
wished to push on to the very front of
the wall, and this view prevailed 1t
was most fortunate decision, as we
soon after had reason to know.
On the battlements splendid view
stretched out for miles over this bat
tleground of mountains, valleys and
plains, with the city houses clustered
below ana the roads winding off
through the valleys and foothills There
III front was Monte San Gabrielle. this
side held by the Italians and the other
! BY :he Austrians.
There runs the dividing line. :
. sad the escort, pointing to line of
trees and depressions near the summit
The Italian trenches could be plainly
. seen. But there was no need Of indi-
, eating a dividing line, for the bursts of
: smoke along one side of the summit
= and the answering bursts from the 9th
: er side told whore the line was. Of
: to the left was Monte San Michele, once
swept clean by shellfire, but now green
again Nestled i'll a hollow was the
i, convent of Santa Catrina The Bansiz.
"a plateau was off to the left, and
: through the mist were the dim outlines
; Of snow-topped Monte Nero, that out
:. post of the Italian advances.