The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-03-27
Taken by Bulgars After a
Long and Fierce Bonn
bardment
SIEGE HAD LASTED
MORE THAN 5 MONTHS
Beginning of the End Came
with Capture of East
Forts Tuesday

London, March 27--Adrianople, tn
sacred city of the Moslems, the Met
of Thrace, the stumbling block to tn,
Bulgarians which prevented their frs
rush south from lending them in Con
stantinople, at last has fallen. Tire,
days of the fiercest kind of fighting
bombardments followed by general as
saults. preceded the elimination yester,
day of the five months siege. While
still untaken, it furnished a rallyine
point for Turkish patriotism Its pro.
posed surrender by the erstwhile Turk.
ish government caused its overthrow and
the reinstatement of the young Turks
The latter proposed to strengthen the
Tchatalja lines, gather big army there
and perhaps even relieve the fortress.
| Turkish incapacity in the higher leader
ship and the impossibility of whipping
nm army of sufficient strength into line
prevented any such attempt. Enver
Bey's effort at diversion against the
Bulgarian armies before TchataIja and
on the Gallipoli peninsula illustrated this
perfectly, But Meanwhile Adranople
iieh htih iIlt bulgarian IOTttS ulNlutu.
II made impossible successful cam
paign on the Gallipoli peninsula to take
the defences of the Dardanelles in its
rear. II made impossible any attempt
to carry the Tchatalja lines. With the
fall of Adrianople. however, "a great
force IS released and the superiority of the
Turks at Tchatalja ceases and the Turk
sh government IS confronted with an
other grave crisis, grayer than any that
has preceded it perhaps. Those in office
lat Constantinople have a wholesome
dread of the Moslem army at Tchatalja.
The Turkish soldier does think like
statesman. Probably three-quarters of
the army now at Tchatalia have never
fired a shot. They do not know what
the hardship of fighting means. The
government will find difficulty in ex-
planning TO them why they were not
sent to aid their brothers in Adrianople.
The stronghold was of great strategic
Importance, as upon it converge three
roads leading from Bulgaria, the first
it from the west down the val
ley of the Martha; the second from
the north. down the valley of the Tun-
dia, and the third from the east BY way
Of Kirk Kilisse. The railway from Sofia
TO Constantinople also passes through
Il. The place was protected by girdle |
Of twenty-seven detached forts, con-
during the last thirty years, |
on the surrounding hills. with a primet-
er of about twenty miles, and while |
not so well planned as Port Arthur, the |
fortress was pronounced secure against /
4 coupe de main. The town is com
bosed of tortuous streets, which are a |
mass of irregular wooden buildings, dot |
led here and there with few better
lass buildings such as the Greek college.
Ottoman bank, theatre, government
and military hospital The
Mosque of Selim. H. is one of the most
specimens OF Turkish arch
lecture in existence. Shukri Pasha.
commander at Adrianople, who declared
hat he would die before he surren
Tered, gave himself up to General Ivan
III yesterday afternoon. The fall of
leaves but one stronghold to
Turkey beyond the Tchatalja lines
'cutari. 1t is the irony of fate that
Montenegro should have agreed to any
erms insisted on by Austria. The allies
will now be in condition if they pre-
erHe their unity to give Europe a l
retty stiff answer in regard to peace &
erms.