The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-06
HEL|GOLAND ISLAND NOW W|MPREGNADLE Germany Has Made It Great
 Fortress BELGIUM IS EXCITED German Gossip Seems to Hinge Now on What Would Occur in
 Case of War With
 England
 
By FREDERICK WERNER

l case Ol war WIlll EsllSldilo, d CildHSS llds
 now been made and an independent com
 mand has been established on the is | land itself.
 1 For years Germany, under cover oi
 the utmost secrecy has improved the l Notifications of the island until now Ii
 must be considered impregnable, having
 been provided not only with the mos, | modern and most complete defensive works and appliances, but also with the
 finest and most destructive artillery ever | made in the famous Krupp works. 1 Enterprising German newspapers have given wonderful detailed descriptions of
 the new Notifications and guns, but l | am informed by very high official in the , War department. that all these details are the products of mere journalistic I imagination. The naval and military au- 1 thorities have preserved the strictest | secrecy concerning the work that has | been conducted on the island, and every l inch of the rock devoted to fortifications
 or other military purposes has been hid den behind a high fence Moreover, in | oroer to prevent prying, especial care has been taken to stop all the crevices in this l fence.
 1 The people of Belgium are in a state l of great excitement over a persistent 1 rumor that the Dutch claims to the right of blocking the Scheldt and Antwerp in case of war against an English relief fleet rest upon treaty concluded some years ago by Baron Pavereau, the Bel gian foreign secretary. This treaty is said to reinquish in favor of Holland the right to watch over the Scheldt and over the conditions of f1uvial security in time of war.
 I hear that the Belgian government will
 shortly be questioned on the subject In the senate there being reason to be- lieve that some such treaty really exists although the friendly disposition of the Dutch towards Belgium momentarily lull the fears of the Belgian government as l to the use Holland might make of con- vention worded.
 1 The government will also be questioned | in the senate concerning the projected
 new railroad connections between Ger
 many and Belgium, which would secure | to a German army an easy passage through Belgium to France by allowing | il to avoid the Belgium fertilization oi I the Mouse valley. and strike at France | in the unprotected neighborhood of Ste nay, halfway between Mexieres and Yer dun.
 Germany has been pushing her mii- itary and railroad preparations on the Belgian frontier to such an extent that
 certain senators. resolved upon expressing the public uneasiness of the socialists, have chosen for one of their candidates at the approaching municipal elections young Sipido who, in 1901. at the
 Brussels Northern railroad station, shot
 at King Edward, then Prince of Wales.
 but missed Although Sipido has long
 since expressed his repentance. and has
 led an exemplary life, his candidature
 for any public office will be severely crit
 icized by general opinion.
 Archaeological researches made at a
 spot some 20 miles from Kars have
 brought to light completely intact
 stone fortress of prehistoric date. The
 masonry of the primitively designed forts
 and bastions is extremely well laid.
 Among the many and various objects
 found are quite a number of well-pre-
 served figures of heather gods, mostly in
 animal forms and in a kind of hard baked
 potter's clay. According to the descrip-
 tion of these figures given in the Kars
 despatch they appear to bear a close re-
 semblance to similar objects found in
 ancient Scythian tumuli in the Taurida.
 The other finds will be described In a.
 report to the Archaeological society Of St. Petersburg
 The eternal Albanian question seems as far from it's solution as ever and it
 is almost impossible to express any opin-
 
 Montenegro today or tomorrow, so much does the political aspect change without ever taking decided turn for the better That Turkey at present Is exceedingly anxious to avoid open hostilities, in which event she would have to rely on soldiers half starved and clamoring for pay, is evident not only from the fact that she has once more extended the offer of amnesty to the Albanians, but also from the much more significant fact that she consented to cede~to her arch enemy, Montenegro, the enclave between Velika and Mount Visitor, which for years has l been the scene of constant conflicts ars- ing out of rights of pasture, and also the Lake of Blave. as a compensation for the expenses incurred by Montenegro m pro- viding food. and shelter for thousands Of Albania refuges Montenegro, however. is not satisfied with these concessions. That Turkeys military resources are strained to the utmost by the long cam paigns in Yemen and Albania, and that It is exceedingly hard for the government to get soldiers Is shown by the recent order issued from Constantinople mobiliz- inC all Mohammedans and Christians De- low the age of 45.
 German officer, who Is watching events in Albania, writes to me from Podgoritsa, in Montenegro, that there are ominous signs of mutiny everywhere among the Turkish troops. They de- mand to be sent home the heat is un- bearable and they are being harrassed
 night and day by the guerilla methods Of the insurgents.
 The Turkish offers of amnesty. he writes, having proved an utter failure. the authorities have resorted to new tac- ties and are offering large sums of money to private inviduals in order to buy them and their influence.
 Tn o,,tt ofnl ambassador to Russia. General Minschko- vich, is said to have impressed the Czar s
 government with the gravity of the pres ent situation. Interviewed by the St
 Petersburg correspondent of Paris raper a few days ago he pointed out that, with the achievements expected from the viayet of kossovo. the Turkish
 army operating on the Montenegrin iron tier will reach total of 100000 men In spite of the assurance of Turkey Montenegro cannot feel that 1t Is safe from demonstration by Turgut Pasha if the fancy takes him. In addition to feeding the Albanians, Montenegro has had to bear exceptional military charges for some months.