New Britain Herald Newspaper, December 20, 1915, Page 7

AIN DAILY HERALB, MOUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1915. V l]AN”BE RETURNS Tfl from two to four feet under the nor- mal water level. Se we are fairly PEACEFUL ASPECTS Scene of Fierce Combat Between Belligerents a Month Ago (Correspondence of the Associute’ Press.) Semlin, Austria-Hungary, Nov. 16. —A month ago the scene of fierce ! combat between the armies of Aus- tria-Hungary and Germany on one side, and Serbla on the other, the ® Danube has now returned to more peaceful aspects. Were it not for the partly rulned towns and villages on its Serbian bank, four military pontoon bridges, and boats and bar- ges loaded with troops and army ma- terials, all traces of the struggle would be lacking in the Danube landscape. Along the Hungarian bank men + DPlough broad and fertile acres in the plains, and where the hills and moun- tains come close to the water hun- dreds of women and children gather grapes, the harvesting of which was retarded by the military operations. An occasional smoking stack height- ens the impression that life along the Hungarian shore is again normal, though the masses of soldiers in the streets and along the river jetties®in- dicate that the region is still in the , base zone in rear of a large army. Sava Like Cruiser. The Associated Press correspondent ! made the trip up the Danube trom Lom Palanka, Bulgaria, to Orsova, Hungary, aboard the Austrian moni. tor Sava, a craft into which all the fruits of experiencé in Danube war- fare during the last year have been | embodied. For a boat of her ton ; + nage the Sava, as also her sister ship, | the Temes, must be looked -upon an a remarkable example of how much heavy and light artillery may be crammed Into small space. Her main battery would do credit to a small | cruiser, while a speed of from 22 ta 26 knots maikes the Sava class an enemy to be respected. The monitor left Lom Palanka at 5:30 a. m.—Driving sheets of rain and a cold wind drove everybody into the ship’s cubby-hole of a mess room. Hot tea and rum helped to cheer those whom a long walk through Lom Palanka’s muddy streets, and finally & ght-rope performance on the tim- bers of an uncompleted jetty had | robbed of good humor. The officers and men of the Austrian Danube fleet | ave all seen service in the navy, and being a genuine seafarer and a light- i hearted Austrian to boot, the com- mander of the Sava explained to the passenger that in addition to having run the risk of slipping from a wet string-piece of the jetty into the deep, | muddy water of the “blue” Danube, he might, during the course of the day, sail skyward, impelled by a Rus sian mine. b DLeny Mines In River. 1¥We' have so far fished up ‘over|I fivte hundred mines,” he said, “We |i have reason to believe that there are another three hundred in the river, but the heavy rains which have made | | explained four feet and the mines generally lis safe.” “It would be interesting to know how the Russians hoped to get those mines out of the way in case they had to do the job,” continued the, commander. “The worst type ol them all, also of Russian manufacture, remains alive, ready to go off at the slightest touch, so long as you exert the slightest pull on the ring by which it is moored. At the same time the mine cannot be brought out of its hor- izontal, or floating position, without its electric contact arrangement be- coming alive. Then, off she goes. . The only way of getting rid of these mines is to shoot them. Probably that is how the Russians intended to get rid of them afterwards. If they did they overlooked the fact that the mine has first to be found and that in dragging for it you are bound to up- set it sufficiently to cause the explo- sion. Lake of Fluid Mud. The sun rose on a Danube that seemed a lake of fluid mud. The mon- itor division commander came on deck —a very dignified but affable man of about forty-five, and the very ‘“beau ideal” of naval officer. From him the Associated Press correspondent learned what part the Austrian monitor fleet had played in the crossing of the Danube by the troops of the Central Powers. The heavier guns and mor- tars had been assigned to reducing several Serb artillery positions near Belgrade, while the machine guns had been trained upon some infantry posi- tions close to the banks. The mon- itors had succeeded in enfilading sev- eral Serb positions. The result was a rout, said the division chief. One of the roles of the monitors had been to draw the fire of the Serb and British artillery along the river, and, moni- tors being thoroughly detested by the Serbs, the ruse had worked, although ordinary field artillery could do no more than blister the paint on the monitors’ armor, as an inspection of the ship showed. Sava Very Lucky. Sava had been very Ilucky, the division commander, though her sister ship, the Temes, whose original namebearer still rusts and rots in the Save river west of Gypsy Island, had not been so for- tunate. A heavy shell struck her deck, penetrated a hatch into the crew’s quarters, and killed and wound- ed six. But otherwise the Temes did not suffer and, as if to prove the re- marks of the commander, the mon- in the river, heading another large itor at just that moment made a bend convoy of barges. ‘With a patrol boat in tow, the Sava nosed her way through the liquid mud, past low-lying banks, submerged islands, marked only by tree-tops, mis- erable Serb and Rumanian villages The and the houseboat watermills peculiar to the Danube. the Danube in the late fall is not un- interesting. the hill region close to the famous Scenically a trip on This is especially true in ‘Iron Gates.” The yellow and gray foliage of the willow trees is effective- y contrasted by the blue of the hills n the background. Where the hills come close to the river their sides form a crazy-quilt of all shades of the reds and tans of autumn foliage and life in Serbia for our troops one lons | the sombre green of the conifers. reund of bad. language, have also ! caused the river to go up-about four ! feet Austrian Lost Out. The correspondent talked to an The Sava draws a little over| girjan official who on the previous PERFECTLY PASTEUR IZED MILK SEIBERT AND SON, Rark Street, Near Stanley, 6 teams. Tel. connection. If You Want Good nuiuea Beer, Wine or Liquors, Order Same from PHILIP BARDECK, 185 Arch St. ’Phone 482-2 day had been in Turn-Severin (Ru- mania) for the purpose of inducing the Serb population of Kladowa, who had fled there, to return to their homes. Every guaranty was offered but it seemed that the Austrian had to compete with a Russian agent who also made offers. The Austrian lost out, despite the fact that Kladowa al- ready had a Serb burgomaster and a civilian administration. There has been little fighting in the Kladowa region. The fort or citadel. an ancient Turkish structure, recent- ly reinforced by some modern re- doubts, was abandoned by the Serbs. Cattle an dsheep grazed on the glacis and in the moats. Anciently, the A.B. JOHNSON, D. D. S. DENTIST National Bank Building. Open Evenings. fort commanded the western limits and Kazan pass. Then it would have been a military achievement of the first order to take Kladowa; today a few shells from a twelve-inch gun A GIFT THAT LASTS THE WHOLE YEAR ROUND HAVE YOU A TELEPHONE IN YOUR HOME? would leave little but fractured mas- onry. Millrace of Mud. The channel of the Iron Gates was a millrace of turbulent mud. Though the Sava pulled hard against the treacherous current, she needed eighteen minutes to get into quieter water. A turn brought the ship | within sight of Orsowa and Ada Kale, ;the latter, up to 1913, the last out- ipost of Turkey in Burope. Fearing {that Serbia might annex the island, the Austro-Hungarian government | took possession nominally, though leaving to the Turkish population every right and prerogative it had ever enjoyed, including the privilege of carrying on smuggling in tobacco with ‘whomsoever it pleased. At Orsowa some of the Central Pow- er troops crossed the river. The town itself showed signs of the recent and former artillery fire of the Serbs from the opposite bank. How the Austrigns and Germans succeeded in scaling'the cliff-like elevations on the Serbian shore is hard to understand. Dislodging an enemy entrenched on top of the Hudson palisades looks less difficult. But many a man tumbled and more were drowned before they set foot on Serbian soil. Neverthe- less the attack was successfully car- ried through and will probably remain on the monuments of the great war. On Historic Ground. Orsowa lies on historic ground. Here the Iron Gates end and the Ka- zan pass begins. The river squeezes; itself through a narrow defile of the Kazan mountains—a geological fault | apparently. Through the gorge the Romans had to build a road that would connect the Pannonian colon- | ies. Trajan’s tablet, still legible, celebrates this ancjent piece of mili- tary engineering. Close to the wa- ter’s edge a gallery was cut in the lime rock and where the masses of stone could not be conquered in this way a trestle, supported on beams, was constructed. The manner in which the structure was made possi- ble is interesting for the reason that it has been revived by American en- glneers who built a railroad through the Andes. Square holes of a depth of about four feet were cut into the face of the cliff. Into these stout beams were placed .and on these a strong wooden floor was laid. No attempts to cross the Danube were made by the Austrians and the Germans in the Kazan pass but east of it, at the head of Moldava island, and opposite the Serbian town of Du- brovica, the main descent occurred. The exact scene is marked by a pon- toon bridge, which must be looked upon as a marvel of enterprise. The bridge is about 1,300 yards long and rests upon about thirty large barges. It was built by Austro-Hungarian pio- neers while under fire, and is asserted to have no equal in the history of military engineering. Field Marshal von Mackensen, when he inspected the stretch of river which his troops would have to cross at this point, is said to have shaken his head. The remark he made was simply: “Well, the river looks different than it does on the map.” No Mean Undertaking. The crossing of the Danube at this point was no mean undertaking, ac- cording to those who witnessed the affair. The first troops went over the barges, in the face of a terrific infantry, artillery and machine-gun fire. Many a man went down and several boats sank but the first who landed rushed the Serbian infantry positions with hand grenades, display- ing a defiance of death that thrilled to the core those' privileged to view the operation from comparative safe- ty, as did a German pioneer officer who told the story. The various or- ganizations rivalled with one another in the dash, men were seen to fall wounded, but rather than remain use- less, they crawled after their com- rades on’ all fours. The resistance of the Serbs, though desperate, was soon broken, and here, as further up- stream, the Central Powers’ troops ob- tained a firm footing which later de- veloped into a crashing advance south- ward into the valley of the Morava and the heart of Serbia. At Semendria a crossing had been effected in much the same way. But in that town, which the correspond- ent visited, the terrible work of mod- ern heavy artillery played a greater part. The Berbs seems to have had the plan of holding the old citadel. The Germans brought up a few 42- centimeter pieces. A single shot made a section of the fortress un- tenable. It hit the base of a tower, sending fragments of masonry broad- cast, and drove every Serb into an- other part of the position. Today the tower leans at a dangerous angle. Another “42” shell hit a parapet wall, tearing a large breach in it. The vard of the citadel is a series of cra- ters, deep and large enough to hide companies in them. On the whole waterfront of Sem- endria not a single building was left intact. Under the shock of the heavy shells houses crumbled like egg shells. Rush Serbian Positions. ‘With the citadel disposed of, the | German and Austrian troops rushed | the Serbian positions west of the town. The hills, on which the Serbs were to make their last stand, were well fortified. Seven lines of trenches and obstacles lie behind one another, but so cruelly effective was the ar- tillery fire of the Austrians and Ger- mans that the Serbs were obliged to retreat long before the Central Pow- er troops developed their attack to { its maximum shock. In one section of | the positions the Associated Press correspondent noticed that every shell from across the river had hit exact- ly into the Serbian infantry trench. It is inconceivable that artillery fire at the range which obtained could be so accurate, and the conclusion is therefore justified that here Wwe deal with a remarkable freak. Near Semendria two pontoon bridges connect the banks. One is built of barges and carries a rail- road track, while the other, of mili- tary pontoons, serves as a foot and wagon bridge. Much has been said of the destruc- tion wrought by the Germans and Austrians heavy artillery in Belgrade. |’A day's inspection of the city shows that the damage done to city build- (LTS R Electric Toasters. Electric Sad Irons. PERCOLATORS. Tea Ball Pots. Cassercles. Pie Dishes COFFEE MACHINES THE ABBE HARDWARE COMPANY, 279 Main ings of any sort is virtually nil. An expenditure of $20,000 would make good whatever masonry and window- glass there was destroyed. But the old fort, Kale Megdan, fared worse. Its ancient walls were no match for the modern shell. filled with broken and powdered brick. Kale Megden today is good exhibition purposes, though for cen- turies it held its head high among the strong places that could not be reduced. The strong walls and deep ditches present a sorry Parts of the wall were carried oft bodily to great distances and the park in which the Belgradians used to listen to good military concerts is littered with bits of brick and rock which the “30.5”" and the ‘42" pro- pectiles sent flying. At the head of a walk stands & monument commem- orative of Serbia’s delivery from Turkish rule. The varlous types of Serbia’s civil classes are shown in adoration of a figure above them, spectacle. the last being a peasant, hard of face | and raw of bone. Through the mus- cular leg and the sinewy arms bits of steel have crushed, emblematic of | Serbia’s fate, perhaps. Have Not Suffered. The Konaks, old and new , have not ' suffered by the bombard- ment, as indeed has none of the city's other big or prominent buildings. But Belgrade is deserted. Its principal streets, well paved and cleanly kept, remind one of eatly Sunday morning in any well-regulated city. Few peo- ple were in the streets and the shut- | tors of the shops were down. Good order has been kept by the Austro- Hungarians and to safeguard the health of their troops and give the poor a chance to earn a little money | streets were being swept by men and women, though there seemed to be no need for it. West of Belgrade, across the Save, which is here about 4,000 yards wide, owing to high water, the pioneers have constructed another bridge, partly pontoon and - partly trestle. Work on the big permanent railroad bridge, which was. dynamited first by the Serbs and later by the Austrians, is in progress. ‘Within a month the structure will be rebulilt. The old bridge was constructed by Austrian engineers and the plans of it were still in existence, so with a foresight that deserves being called remarkable the Austrians reconstruct- ed every part of the bridge long be- tore the offensive began and today the parts need merely to be placed where thy belong. The correspondent had many portunities Austro-Hungarian officers and men who had been at the Serbian ~front. It would seem that the first “shock proved too much for the Serbs. Whiie occasionally a desperate resistance is still offered, the Serbs generally are unable today to hold a position long. They have begun to realize that their cause is lost. It can be attested, on the other hand, that the Central Power troops, especiallgsthe Aus- trians, are generous in their praise of the Serb as a soldier and patriot. op- The deep moats are | only for | Austrian | to talk to German and | Lunch Kits. Thermos Bottles. CARVING SETS Beef, Steak and Game. Silver Plated and Steel. Table Knives and Forks. Hot Water Bottles Cello and Universal. Boys’ Chest of Tools. Machinists’ Tool Chests. Alarm Clocks. Electric Flash Lights. Shaving Mirrors. Polo Sticks. Ingersoll Watches Razor Strops. Grape Fruit Kni Air Rifles. and numerous other ARTICLES. 7 fia Card Marks every style of our BISSELL’S CHRISTMAS CARPET SWEEPERS, It indicates that the Sweeper is made qf one of the richest woods in the world—made specially ‘for & Christmas present. ( We have tweive different woods marked with those cards, Ve pick at veguiar price. GET FIRST CHOICE, CARPET SWEEPER SKATES From 50c to $4.00. RAZORS All kinds—25c¢ to $5.00. POCKET KNIVES for everyone. SCISSORS and SHE 8 YULETIDE DELICACIES In h onor oy this festive occasion we ha Another year has rolled around and YULETIDE is here again. stocked our stores with the Choicest of Holiday Delicacies and we have made Special Reductions. take this opportunity to wish your all a MERRY CHRISTMAS. 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