Weekly journal-miner., 1915-10-13
WINTER AT THE OAR
 DANELLES IS SEVERE

LONDON, Oct. 8.-(Correspond- ence of The Associated Press. The hope that the forcing of the Dar- danelles might be accomplished by the middle of October, when the weather and the tides are likely to become more formidable, has been often dis cussed wherever British officers meet. Not that there will be any diminution of effort after that time, but there is full realization that conditions will then become far less favorable.
 An observer who has been in the Marmora vicinity for 90 years, mak- ing close meteorological records, while admitting that the winter is not so agreeable for military achieve ments, describes what sort of weather may be expected and gives these general observations, in the Westminster Gazette:
 "To those who have relatives or friends at the Dardanelles, let them send good strong warm stocking for the men besides the usual waistcoatS and mufflers; and as for creature com- forts, sweets, chocolate, and tobacco, especially cigarettes. It is the Turks who will suffer from the cold; they cannot stand it long, and being fed generally mainly on bread, they have no stamina to meet cold weather. Most of their troops come from warm climes."
 November, according to this scien- tist, has cold snap or two generally in the last week, but many people call it the most glorious month of the year. The battle of Lule Bourgas was fought three years ago on the fifth, sixth and seventh of that month, in a storm of raging rain and sleet, sue .cecded by several nights of hard frost, which caused the death of many a wounded and neglected soldier. An other year there was heavy snow storm on November 16-17; yet after such setbacks the weather usually re- covers and grows warmer.
 No real winter need be looked for, he says, till the middle of January, when there are heavy snows which have been known to lie six weeks, and with them come the gales which may make the supply from the sea a difficult task. He points out that of late years no great cold has visited the Marmora though in 1893 the Golden Horn from the inner bridge of Constantinople was frozen so peo- pie walked about on the ice, and floes were about for several weeks, this be- ing an exceptional season. Winter is said to have finished always by the middleiof April.
 That this naturalist has confined his observations to land and not to sea conditions may make him more optimistic about the climate whict the British seem to. regard as likely to increase their difficulties material ly. One writer with the expedition has commented on the general expec- tation that there will be very arduous work for the destroyers, trawlers and picket boats, as well as for the larger ships when the gales begin to come up out of the southwest, and that un- doubtedly is perfectly understood by all in charge of the operations.
 On the other hand, the defenders of the Straits are making the most of the weather probabilities to encour- age their supporters. For example, the Berlin Lokalanzeiger reports that the Turks are expecting another furi- ous attack "before the equinoctial storms arrive to prevent absolutely the continuance of the campaign till spring" The same paper says the cquinoctial storms in this region, par ticularly in the Saros bay, are very severe, adding, "The Allies appreciate that even one south storm which is will be sufficient to pre- vent the landing of supplies and am the transfer of wounded to the ships and the carrying of water to the troops, for only the most pow erful ships by the use of their own power can withstand such a storm as every winter brings ill Saros bay, while the use of lighters and small boats is out of the question for days or weeks at a time"
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