The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-05-06

these straits, which
connect the Aegean Sea with the Sea OF
Marmora, on whose eastern end the
city of Constantinople was built, says
the Baltimore Sun. The H%ellespont
finally became known as the straits or
the Dardanelles, the key to the Turk
ish capital. Mahomet H., soon after
the seizure of Constantinople, in 1853,
had these forts erected. Not being
kept in good order they were unable
to prevent the passage of a Russian lin
177O and an English squadron Tin
1900. Since 1867 several additional
batteries have been raised and several
new forts built at the entrance from
the Aegean Sea. AS far back as lSO9,
the Ottoman porte was negotiating
with Great Britain for a treaty pro-
hibiting admission Of any but Turkish
warships to the Dardanelles, to which
proposition the great powers agreed in
1914, and which fact was confirmed in
the peace of Paris in 1856, as well as
in the peace of Berlin in 1878.
The Dardanelles form a long, tor
tuous and narrow passage, swept by a
strong current. The average width of
the straits is only two miles, while 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 unfavorable for
ships that may attempt to force a
passage, but the latter would find it
/ difficult IN rnanh tho forts ar oil with
their guns. Indeed, modern warships
of any type are peculiarly susceptible
to a %plunging or downward fire, against
which the thin armor of their decks
cannot protect them satisfactorily. In
1878 Admiral Horribly of the British
fleet, when he led his squadron up the
narrows, found that scarcely a gun in
his fleet could be trained upon the
Turkish batteries on the cliffs. He
had, of course, no occasion to fire a
shot, the Turks, Their in alliance with
England, 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 the width is about two
and a quarter miles. There are forts
Sedil-Bahr Kalessi, with sixty guns
and ten mortars, and Kun Kalessi,
with t~hirty-six guns and twelve NOR
tars. To these must be added two
strong earthworks, each mounting six
teen guns, which gives a total of LOG
heavy guns. In wal every kind of
mine and torpedo would supplement
the terrific cross-fire of these batteries.
Then some miles farther up, at the
narrowest point, where the current is
swiftest, where the way is rendered
hard of passage by shoals, and where
the cliffs on either side rise high, is a
second tremendous group of works,
mounting between them no fewer than
620 guns and forty-eight mortars, dis
tributed in nineteen forts or earth
works, many of which are strongly
constructed, in accordance with the
progress of military art. The guns are,
many of them, of large caliber; even
in 1878 there was a fifty-ton Krupp.
Here, again, the defense would have
the assistance of mine-fields and all
manner of torpedoes, and can enflade
the passage with gunfire. The ships
must come into action single-moving
in line ahead-the only possible order,
and can then only direct a feeble fire
upon their assailants. They cannot
move at all till, by the tedious and
wearisome process of creeping or
sweeping" they have cleared the fair
way of mines. Any damage to steering
gear or %propellers in the strong cur
rent might prove fatal.
No fleet could enter the sea of Mar
mora without very heavy loss, both in
men and material. The Turks, fight
ing behind earthworks, are by no
means contemplate enamies. as thew
proved to Sir John Duckworth in 1907.
The ships would have to undergo n
battering from the first series of ports.
after clearing away the mines. They
would then have to undergo a worse
battering 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 a very sorry state. the
feet might enter the sea of Marmora.
having sustained a good deal of dam
age and fired much precious ammunj-
! ton away. Behind it are still the
Turkish forts, which it must repass IN
it's return. 1t is cut off from all COM
munication in hostile waters. unable
to procure coal. Against Constantine
pie 1t can do less than nothing. SIR
John DuckwOrth threatened a bonn
bardment in 1907, when Russia sided
with England, but found that human
ity, political considerations and. last.
but not least, the very uselessness of
such a measure forbade it. 1t had to
retreat, for he had no army to overawe
! the sultan's land forces. On his way
down most of his ships were roughly
handled and he lost twenty-nine killed
! and 1873 wounded in the narrows.
| On the whole, the passage of the
Dardanelles is only possible to strong
ly armored ships, and that perhaps by
night alone. The dispatch of an army
corps up the straits is impossible I'M
til the forts have been reduced and
Turkey disposes of it, at the lowest
! estimate, 200,O 900 armed men. who. if
the sultan should be attacked. will.
whatever his sins, defend him with
Ottoman .obstinacy till the last.