Evening star., 1896-12-21
TnE KEY TO coxsrAxrrxor1.E.
Description of las -Eests and PeriIou.
Passage.


Description of las -Eosts and PeriIou.
PassnEe.
From the Baltimore sun
The name Of "Dardanelles," derived from
an ancient Greek town Dardarcs. situated
on the shores of the Heiiespont, was origi-
rally applied to four forts located on both
sides of these straits. which connect the
Aegean sea with the Sea Of Marmora, on
wtose eastern end the city of Constanti-
neple was built. The Hellespont finally be-
came known as the straits of the Darda-
nelles, the key to the Turkish capital Mo-
haneo IL, socn after the seizure of Con-
stantino7ie. I'm I4sS. had these forts erected
Not being kept IN good order they were un-
abke to prevent the passage Of a Russian
dn ls7O and an English squadron Gin lSo1D.
since 1861 severHf additional batteries ha We
been raised and several new forts built at
the entrance from the Aegean sea- As far
back as 1872, the Ottoman Porte was nego-
tfating with Great Britain for a treaty pro-
fibiting admission of any but Turkish war
ships TO the Dardanelles. to which PROPOSE
tion the great powers agreed in 1914, ard
which Fact was confirmed in the peace of
Paris in 1856. well in the peace OF
Berlin in 1878.
The Derdanelles form q long, tortuous and
narrow Passage. swept by strong current.
The average width of the straits is only
two miles, whilst at the narrowest point
the channel is only about 1000 yards broad.
On either side the ground is the most
favorable for forts and the most unfavora-
passage. bat the latter would find it diff
cult to reach the forts at all with their
gtrs Indeed. modern warships OF any
type are peculiarly susceptible to a plung-
thin armor OF their decks cannot protect
them satisfactorily. In 1878 Admiral Horn
by Of the British fleet, when he led his
squadron up the Narrows, found that
6nll (lnaf 1..
upon the Turkish batteries the cliffs.
He had, of course. no occasion to fire a
shct. the Turks. then in alliance with Eng
land. not opposing his passage.
Herr r. Won Bieberstein. a German officer
IN describing the Dardanelles forts, states
that at the very entrance to the straits
there the width is about two and quarter
miles. There are forts Sedil- Rahr- K eless,
with 60 guns and 10 mortars. and Kun
kaleSsi, with S6 guns and II mortars. To
these must be added two strong earth
works, each mounting l6 guns. which gives
a total OF 166 heavy guns. In war every
kind of mine and torpedo would supplement-
the terrific cross-fire of these batteries.
| Then some miles. farther UP, at the narrow
est point, where the current is swiftest,
where the way is rendered hard of passage
| by shoals. and where the cliffs on either
side rise hign is a second tremendous group
CT works, mounting between them no fewer
than 620 guns and rs mortars, distributed
| in ~ forts or earthworks, many of which
are strongly constructed, in accordance
with the progress of military art. The
guns are. mary of them, of large caliber;
even ia 1873 there was a fifty-ton Krupp.
Here again tie defense would have the as
sistarCc OF mine-felds ard all manner of
torpedoes, and can enflade the passage
with gunfire. The ships must come into
action singly-n.oving In line ahead-the
| only possible order. and can then only di-
rect a feeble ire upon their assailants-
They Cannot move at all till. by the tedious
and weariSome process of creeping or
f,:r
| of mines Any damage to steering gear or
propeliers. in the strong current might
prove fatal.
No feet could enter the Sea of Marmora
without very heavy loss, both in men and
material. The Turks fighting behind earth
works, are by no means contemptible enc
mics. as they proved to Sir John Duck
worth in 1907 The ships would have to
undergo one batterng from the first series
of ports, after clearing away the mines.
| They would then have to undergo a worse
batterins at the Narrows.
Supposing all went well and no ships were
| lost in the mine-fields or disabled by the
turkish torpedo craft. which are probably
| in very sorry state, the leet might enter
| the Sea of Marmora, having sustained a
good deal of damage and fired much pre-
| cious ammunition away. Behind it are still
| the Turkish fcrts. which it must repass on
| its return 1t is cut off from all comrnuni-
cation in hostile waters, unable to procure
coal Against CoEstantinople it can do
| less than nothing. Sir John Duckworth
| threatened a bombSrdment in 1897 when
Russia sided with England, but found that
humanity, political considerations and, last
| but not least. the very uselessress of such
| 4 measure forbade il. He had TO retreat,
| for he had no army to overawe the Sultan's
| lard forces. On his way DOWN most of his
ships were roughly handled. and he lost
| - killed and i3S wounded in the Narrows.
On the whole, the passage of the Darda-
neles is only possible to strongly armored
ships. and that perhaps by night alone. The
dispatch of army corps up the straits is
| impossible till the forts have Ieen reduced,
ard Turkey disposes Of, at the lowest esti-
mate, 2g.OU0 armed men, who, If the Sui
| tan should be attacked, will. whatever his
sins, defend him with Ottoman ohstnacy
till the last