EXTRA
TO HE
CHINA MAIL.
HONGKONG, SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1915.
BY TELEGRAPH.
THE WAR.
Reuter's Service to the China Mail.Į
THE FIGHT FOR GORIZIA.
A message from Udine states that the Haliana are storming the comented armour-plated entrenchments communicating with subterrancan passages in the excavated rock.
Advance, will necessarily be slow, even when Gorizia has fallen. - The conquest of the Carso plateau will be most difficult and costly.
A scene of touching heroism was witnessed during the storming of the last entrenchments at Podgora. Fifty volunteers, mostly from Trieste and Gorizia, students at Bologna and a veteran Garibaldian aged 76, asked and obtained permission to join the regiment that was assigned for the attack. During the night the volunteers cut the entanglements, and af sunrise led the regiment in the assault. Wlien the entrenchment was stormed Lavezzani, standing on the parapet, flung off his soldier's tunic and displayed the red Garibaldian shirt. He was shot arough the heart and his body was escorted back by 200 Austrian prisoners.
The summit of Podgora, which is one of Gorizia's chief defences, is crowned by five forts with long-range guns. The whole alope is cut with sliding armoured shutters and behind these are vast grottoes where the enemy's reserves are kept. Whenever the Italians capture a section of trench the Austrians retire, having blocked the remainder of the trench
a wall of quickly-drying coment.
with
HAND TO HAND FIGHTING.
The fierceness of the fighting at Isonzo is illustrated in an Aus- trian communique mentioning that ton Italian regimente have succes- sively attacked the trenches at Podgora and at other points composing the bridgehead.
At Gorizia there was constant hand to hand fighting. The communi- que admits that the trenches were pierved.
GETERAL BOTHA DESCRIHES THE CAMPAIGN.
او
LONDON, July 23
the
י
The splendid reception accorded General Botha at Capetown is forerunner of a series of similar welcomes from the towns and even villages of South Africa. General Botha'n speech has made a great impression. He ascribed the success to his officers and men and emphasised the value of the campaign at lending to a better understanding between the two white racea Speaking of the hardships and sacrifices endured by the troops, he said that often after a burning march they had to scrape dry the river bed for water. The horses tongues were en dry that they were unable to drink and the water had to be forced down. He was Ived to follow the principles for which he had stood hitherto.
Printed
tho
China Mail' Office, Hongkong.