The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-03-04


Would Pass but for Fear Of Caus-
ing a General War.
Russia's Black sea fleet. locked up by
the treaty stipulation of 1856, includes
these vessels:
BATTLE SHIPS.
Name. Tons. Built. Glass.
Kniaz Potemkin Tavrit-
chesky ................12 500 1900 First
Ekaterina n.."."""".lo25o 1856 Second
Tchesma ...............1 10, $50 1856 Second
Georgi Pobiedonosets.. 10, 500 1892 Second
CRUISERS.
Dvienadtsa Auostoloi SOS 1850 1850 Armored
Only one of these, the ship built in 1900
is a modern first class battleship. The
others are classed as second class battle
ships and cruisers.
Since the signing of the treaty Of
Paris, which closed the Crimean war In
Black sea for a rush through the Dat
danelles. Especially since the treaty
Of 1873. at the end of the last Russo
Turkish war. has the Russian bessr
been crouching lower and lower for the
spring. 1t was recognized by the cars
advisers that, sooner or later, a tine
would come when NIL their plans II
preparations involving about forty
years of labor and millions of dollars
would be called into play in a great
~convulsive effort to break through the
thin line of Turkish defenses into the
active field Of operations the other side
of the Bosphorus. Now that the crisis
is here the cabinets of Europe are IN
centrating almost as much attention or
the narrow strip of water between the
Black sea INC the Mediterranean as
on the actual theater of operations in
the far east. VIII Russia launch the
spring?
All along the Bosphorus, from the
Black sea to Constantinople, are tele-
graph lines leading into the Yildiz
kiosk, where the sultan lives. On the
head lands juttirg out into the Black
sea are a dozen spying stations, Where
a trusted Turkish agent watches the
horizon day and night for the Russian
fleet. These agents are trusted, but not
too much. They are changed unexpect-
eddy at irregular intervals. Spies watch
them continuously and other spies
watch the Watchers. Inside the Bos-
Dhorus the water Is planted with tor
pedoes. At places the sea is less than
half a mile wide. Here and there on
the European side are socalled military
zones in which no one except q few
officers and soldiers are admitted. 1t is
believed that these zones contain sta
tons which control torpedo fields.
Along the hills on either side are plant
ed heavy guns. On the Asiatic side of
the BoSphorus, opposite ConStantinople,
is a large fortress and another adjoins
the Yildiz kiosk just outside Of Con-
stantinople OF the EurOpena side. The
Dardanelles connect the sea Of Mar
mora, the broadening of the waterway
just south of Constantinople, With the
Mediterranean. At the southern end of
the Dardanelles are two large forts,
one on the Asiatic side and one on the
European side. The entrance to the
/ n u 81 or lc SNNN q M i. al -. 81 a
torpedoes. Sir Charles Dixie of the
British government said several years
ago that II attelnpt to force the pas
sage by the British Mediterranean fleet
would result In severe loss. 1t seems
reasonable to believe that q similar at
tempt by Russians would be no less
dangerous.
Eoth Turkey and England are inter-
ested in keeping the Russian fleet in the
Black sea. Turkey sees Russia closing
around Constantinople and opposes any
move which might give Russia any ad-
vantage. The sultan stands stubbornly
on his treaty rights and refuses to al
low Russia any privileges not forced
from him. England refuses to allow
Il fleet spawned by Russia in the safety
of the Black sea to be rushed through
Turkish waters at q critical m
to attack the SueZ canal or the British.
Mediterranean fleet. Although a treaty
forbldS Russia to PASS its fleet through
the disputed waters, England does not
believe the cZar would heed the agree
ment IT an advantage could be gained
safely by breaking the agreement. The
fear of Great Britain is that such pres
sure may be brought to bear upon
Turkey that the sultan will permit the
Black sea fleet to pass out into the
Mediterranean. This would place Great
Britain in the position of giving up its
entire Mediterranean policy or of de-
handing that the Russian fleet return
to the Black sea. A general continental
war would confront Europe as a pos
sibility.
At one end Of the disturbed little
waterway is a strong Russian fleet
manned by impatient fighting men
eager to do that for which they were
educated and for which they have
waited nearly a lifetime.
At the other end is the fleet OF Great
Britain and in the commanders dis
patch box nay be q few words that will
bring about a great conflict. Between
the two is Turkey, undecided, irreso-
lutte, panicky, ready for any move cal
culated to save it's integrity. More re-
motely in the background, the fleets OF
Japan are waiting. In London, Paris
Berlin, st. Petersburg and Toxic, chan
%cellors are awaiting dispatches from
C~onstant1nople and the question with
them all is: "Will Russia spring."