Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-02-18
EUROPE AFLAME.
GREECE AND TURKEY ABOUT
TO co TO WAR.
Clash-Greece Sends warships and
Troops to Help the Insurgents In
Crete

Crete
The conflict between Greece and
Turkey seems to be rapidly approach.
ing. The Christian insurgents in Is
land of Crete are throwing off the yoke
of the Mohammedan rule of the bar
barous Turks and Greece is evidently
determined to help them gain their
freedom if possible. The Grecian tor
pedo flotilla, commanded by Prince
George started for Crete amidst great
enthusiasm on the part of the people.
Prince George admitted that his orders
were to prevent by every means pos
sible the landing of any Turkish troops
on the Island of Crete. The prince
had very affecting interview with
his family before leaving for Canea.
1t develops that it was the king who
urged the government to dispatch the
flotilla, and as soon as he had obtained
the consent of Premier Delyannis, he
personally issued the orders in order
to give additional effect to the pro-
posals. When Prince George EN-
barlxed, a salute of 800 shots was fired
by the crowd ashore as a parting salu-
tation and the people assembled at mid
night at the palace and gave their
majesties an ovation. The British
sailors cheered the Greek troops, just
at they were starting for Crete. A
fresh flotilla of four torpedo boats is
held in readiness at Athens to sail for
Crete and reinforcerents of troops are
being hurriedly dispatched to the
frontier. The departure of the first
fotilla has aroused the greatest en-
thusiasm in the provinces. Patriotic
demonstrations are taking place in all
parts of Greece.
A dispatch from Athens says that the
central Cretan committee in Greece is
preparing to support the Cretans with
arms, ammu lition and supplies on a
great scale. The first installment has
already sailed with 600 armed Cretans
The same dispatch says that the de-
parture of the Greek torpedo flotilla
for the Island of Crete was due to the
announcement that Turkish torpedo
boats had left the Dardanelles and
that Turkish troops had embarked at
Salonika for Crete. Nobody seems to
doubt clash at arms will occur be-
tween Greece and Turkey, unless the
powers intervene; but it is believed
here that Greece will be given free
hand Crete and that if she succeeds
in annexing that island her right to do
so will not be questioned by the rest
of Europe. The porte is understood to
have appealed to the powers to re-
strain Greece in this emergency, but
nothing further is known of the policy
Turkey is adopting, though it is re-
ported that a large force of Turkish
troops is assembling at Salonica for
embarkation for Crete; that there is
great activity in military circles on
the Turkish frontier and that portion
of the Turkish fleet is being prepared
for active service.
Advices from Constantnople say that
there is disposition in official circles
to hold the powers responsible for any
thing that may happen in Crete. The
sultan has been prevailed upon 10y the
ambassadors to refrain from sending
achievements to Crete and he has the
assurance that the powers have decided
to not permit the landing of Greek
troops on the island. Bat the porte
has informed the powers that if they
are unsuccessful in preventing Greek
| intervention in Crete the Turkish gov
eminent will be compelled to begin
military operations on the Thessalia
| frontier; or in other words, Turkey
will declare war against Greece and
/ promptly invade that county.
The situation on the Island of Crete
is serious, indeed. The insurgents
have gained control of the whole is
land with the exception of the larger
| towns and have formed a provisional
| government 1t is said that the Greek
warships have landed a quantity of
arms, ammunition and provisions and
at least one body of troops in spite of
the warships present to prevent it,.
Conflicts are reported from many parts
of the island The captain of the
Greek warship off TIeraklion threatened
TO lombard the town if the Moham-
/ medans commit any outrages in that
vicinity.