The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-13

m /
mi stantinople into the hands
Of the Turks in 1453 ha.
the imperial city come SC
near being wrested from it's Mo.
hammedan masters as il has within
the last week.
When it is recalled TINT the
Bulgarian name Of Constantinop]e
is "TchariErad," or the city Of the
czar, one may understand with
what feeling the sturdy soldiers
marching towards it look upon this
prize. No spot on the surface of
the globe has been more ardently
coveted at any time.
Since the day when an adventur.
Gus band Of Greek colonists first
raised hastily built stockade at
the southern entrance OF the Bos
phorus some $500 years ago its sit,
uation has been considered UNIQUE
on account of combined advants ees
bestowed on its holders.
It's strategic importance was con.
sidered, until recently, superior TO
mat OF any similarly situated DO
sition. A hundred years ago, i'm
medlatel y after the peace of Til
SIT, the Emperor Alexander of Rus.
sia, while discussing the terms of
the treaty over large map of the
world with Napoleon, who was then
at the zenith Of his power, made
special effort to induce the French
monarch to allow him to occupy the
sultan S capital
In vain he begged, offering anv
sacrifice in return for the esta blish
meDt of his residence on the shores
OF the Bosphorus. He was viii.
ling to compromise in every direc.
tion provided he was permitted 10
attain this goal Of his ambition.
Napoleon looked carefully at the
map, then glancing back at his col.
league 's said to have exclaimed
HTth an air of tinality; "Impossi-
hlel it is the mastery of the world
that goes with possession of this
capital. -
Since then the city has remained
IN the hands of the Turks simply
because 1T was known thew were
incapable Of taking advantage of
ITS position. Today its commercial
Importance gives it a particular
Promi minence. Furthermore, it is soon
to become an important railroad
center, for it 1s here that all the
traffic between Europe and Asia
Minor, on its way to India and
further east, possibly, is destined
to pass.
The city lies al the southwestern
end Of the Bosphorus upon a pro.
montory shooting out of the Eu.
ropean shore of the straits as
though 10 stem the waters thar
rush from the Black sea to the
Marmora. North Of it, the narrow
bay Of the Golden Horn runs in
land for some six or seven miles.
The haroor thus formed is one of
the finest In the world.
To the south the sea Of Marmora
spreads like lake, its Asiatic coast
bounded by hills and mountains.
and frlnged with islands. Upon
the Aslatic shore and facing the
eastern side of the promontory
stands the historic town of Chrys-
opolis, or the golden city. which
has now become suburb Of Con
stautinople known by the name OF
Scutari. There is little TO attract
the eye in the mainland to the
westS although in the palmy DAYS
Of the citv IL doubtle presented
a pleasing landscape of villas and
gardens.
The promontory itself is about
four miles long and from one TO
four miles wide, with surface
broken up into hills and plains
The higher ground reaches an ele-
vation Of some $50 feet and it has
a long ridge which overhangs the
Golden Horn. Here some Of the
most famous monuments of By
zantium are found.
Like Rome, Constantinople also
hoasted Of its seven hills, and il
was on the first that the famou.
church Of ct. Sophia was built.
At the dawn OF the Christian era
the city had already acquired a
worldwide reputation as CONNER
rial center. Some three centuries
late,, Constantine decided to trans
fer his capital from the banks of
the Tiber TO the shores Of the Bos-
phorus.
The legend Of the change is well
known to all Greeks, According
In n whom the emperor arrived at