The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-09
TWO HISTORIC STRAITS
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE
BOsPORUs AND DARDANELLES.
The strength of Their FOrtifcations
and the Beauty of the
Along Their shores.


lapidated condition, lead to the expectation
that the Greeks may attempt to force the
passage of the Dardanelles. The Greek ad-
miral showed little disposition to attack
any point where the Notifications were well
planned and strong. and, in wasting his
time bombarding defenseless Turkish VII
lagos along the coast and driving out the
peaceable villagers, he exhibited a specta-
Gle far from creditable to the commander
of a fleet of ironclad ships. A glorious eff
fort to force the Dardanelles, cross the
Sea of Marmora, come to anchor off Serag-
Ito Point and dictate terms of peace with
his guns bearing on the Sultan's palace
would have excited the admiration of the
world, but throughout the emergency late
ly confronting the Greeks they proved
themselves entirely unequal to the task
which they assumed.
In view of the naval operations under
taken by the Greeks, however, the famous
strait, through which entrance is gained
to the city of the Sultan, becomes of the
highest political and military interest. The
Strait of Dardanelles takes it's name from
a very ancient city called Dardanus, which
formerly stood at it's entrance, and was,
long before the time of Homer, a point of
great commercial and military Importance.
Dardanus, however, has disappeared SO
completely that it is impossible for the
archaeologists to decide definitely which of
the groups of ruins that almost literally
line the coast Of Asia Minor at that point
constitute what is left of the city. Oar
danus itself was the principal city of the
Dardanii, a tribe of uncertain nationality,
but probably containing a large Greek ele-
ment, which subsequently manifested it's
political and military power at Troy.
FROM the most ancient times the FAMOUS
strait which takes it's name from this OBJ
scure Hellenic tribe has been a highway
for commerce. The Black sea is an i'm
me~se body of water, and the great rivers
which flow into it are and always nave
Danube, the Dneiper and the Don, naViga-
BILE for many hundreds of miles, have for
ages borne upon their waters to the sea
the products of many lands, and the Vene-
tians and Genoese, English and Dutch, sent
in exchange grains, metals, furs and other
products of the mountains, fields and
mines. When Homer sang his lay, nine
hundred years before the beginning of our
era, there was a stream of vessels passing
in and out of the Dardanelles, and that
stream has rarely. and only at short inter-
walls, ceased to flow, for the demands of
commerce are superior even to the require
ments of war. and, except when the Tur-
kish conquerors blockaded the DardaneIIes
for the purpose of preventing succor to the
beleaguered city of Constantinople, the
passage of ships to and fro in the Darda-
nelles has never ceased.
Being thus a highway between western,
southern and eastern Europe and Asia. it
and it's kindred strait to the north, the Bos-
porus, have always been objects of impor-
lance to the power controlling them. In
the hands of an active state these two
straits could bring in a revenue which
would sustain an empire; in the hands of
an aggressive power the DardanelleS and
Bosporus, with the Sea of Marmora lying
between like an enormous harbor, could
furnish a base of operations which would
almost guarantee political and naval SUI
premacy in the Mediterranean sea and con-
sequently over the route through the Suez
canal from Europe to India. 1t is this fact
which gives the Bosporus and the Darda-
eyes of England, France and Italy, for
should the Russian empire, with it's infinite
resources for ship building. obtain control
of Constantinople, the Marmora and the
straits. it would be practically impossible
for any other power to exist in southwest
ern Europe save by the permission of
Russia.
AN IMPORTANT BARRIER.
But the Dardanelles and the Bosporus, a
highway from north to south, constitute an
important barrier between Europe and
Asia. With one side properly fortified it
would be almost impossible for an invading
army TO cross from one continent to the
other, and such passages have been effect
ed only when there was practically no re-
sistance. Five times in history nave great
armies crossed one strait or the other. The
first was when Darius crossed the Bospo-
rus about the middle of it's course on his
expedition against the Scythians. The
bridge of boats constructed on this occasion
was $500 feet in length, and so we'll built
that in spite of the powerful current and of
the adverse winds it held together until a
considerable time after the passage of the
army. The first famous passage of the OAR
danelles was 4S0 B. c., when Xerxes, on his
way to. Europe, built bridges of boats be-
tween Sestos in Europe and AbydOs in Asia.
The historians of that day give many
graphic touches concerning this passage.
and from their bits Of "reminiscences we
learn much not only of the numbers and
character Of Xerxes's miscellaneous host,
but also of the Oriental despot himself; how
when the current broke one bridge he had
letters thrown into the stream and his exc
cutiorers dashed it with whips, proclaiming
to the gods of its waters that the great
would or no; how the men were crowded
upon the bridges in a constant stream day
and night for nearly a week. with officers
standing at intervals armed with whips
driving the men forward in order that there
might be no delay; how the King himself
finally crossed in state end Joined his army
on the way to Greece. The next great pas
sage was a return compliment, for at the
same point where Xerxes crossed, Alexan-
der's engineers built a bridge, in B. c., 1874,
In order that the conqueror might pass from
Europe to Asia and begin his bloody, though
brief career. This time no captains stood
with whips. to urge the Greek and Mace
DOMAIN soldiers. They were not numerous
enough to require urging. The two or three
millions of Xerxes's men had to be forced
and the officers used their whips with i'm
punlty upon a race of slaves, but the Greeks
and Macedonians were freemen and would
not tolerate the touch of a whip. The
fourth passage of this strait was when the
Crusaders marched from Europe into
Asia to attack the Holy Land. Attempts
We're made on this occasion to construct
bridges, both at the Dardanelles and on the
BoSporus, but they were only partially sue
cesSful, and most of the transportation was
effected by means of boats. The fifth cross
ing was when the Turks penetrated from
Asia into Europe, and ii Is to be hoped that
the time is not far distant when a sixth
crossing will be effected. that of the same
nation back from Europe into Asia.
CHARACTER OF THE STRAITS.
Physically considered these two straits are
interesting bodies of water to the geogra-
pher. The D~ardanelles is forty miles in
length from the Mediterranean entrance to
it's opening in the Sea of Marmora, while
the Bosporus is seventeen miles long from
Constantinople to the Black sea. The width
of the former varies from one to four miles,
while that of the latter is from one-third of
a mile to two miles. The average
depth of each is the same, being
about thirty fathoms, or $50 feet.
and each has a tremendous current
from the Black sea to the Mediterranean.
An enormous amount of water is annually
poured into the Black sea by the Danube
and nearly one hundred other streams