Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1915-05-08

/ SONNNi
Asia. The strait, which con-
meets the Sea of Marmora with
the Aegean sea- is approximately for
ty-five miles long and varies in width
from four miles to mile and a quar-
ter at Dardanelles, it's narrowest
point. 1t was just at this part of the
strait that, according to the ancient
verses ascribed to Musaeus, the serv-
ant of the muses., legendary poet
supposed to have lived about the fifth
century, the enamored Leander, resid-
ing in Abydos, the Asiatic town,
wooed and won the beautiful Hero,
one of the priestesses of Venus, at
Sestos, exactly opposite on the Euro
pean side.
Gallipoli, the ancient seaport, vi
'layet of Edirneh, Turkey, on the pen
lnsula of Gallopoli, is, next to the city
of Dardanelles, the most important
town on the strait 1t was known in
classical times as Callipolis, and in
the middle ages, it is said, was large
commercial center and valued highly
as constituting the key to the Hell
lespont."
The town of Dardanelles is situated
on fiat point opposite the European
fort of Tchanak Kalesi, which guards
the entrance to the strait from the
Aegean sea. Two famous forts known
as castles defend the Dardanelles, the
one in Asia, Tchanak Kalesi, or Earth
| IN x1rar np Acio 4ha CIT nf
the ancient city of Abydos, and it's
mate opposite known as Khilidi Bahar,
''the lock of the sea-" which is built
on the sides of a steep projecting
cliff It's castle, however, is of less
Importance than its neighbor.
The Turks have romantic story of
their own regarding Abydos, now
known as Dardanelles. 1t seems that
firm resistance was offered to the
Ottomans who besieged it under the
command Of Orchan, the son of Sui
tan Gilman. The city at last was
forced to yield, owing to the treachery
of the governors daughter, who had
fallen in love with handsome young
Turk Her treachery alone occasioned
the fall of the town, which to this day
has remained one of the most priced
strongholds of the Turks.
In the town the sight of foreigner
and the sound of the English tongue
is a matter of much comment, even
in the best of times. Just after the
so-called bombardment of the Darda-
nelles reported to have taken place by
an Italian warship during the war
over Tripoli, the writer had the
unique experience of being one of
the first Austrian Lloyd steamer from
the port of Piraeus, Greece, willing
to take the risk of attempting to pass
through the Dardanelles.
| A Hazardous Journey.
At the Aegean end of the strait,
after long wait and much uncertain
ty as to whether the steamer would
be permitted to make the hazardous
| journey through the Dardanelles,
known to be thickly sown with mines,
little grimy Turkish tug took the
long line of shipping in tow, which
|
convoy to proceed. on its journey to
! Constantinople, or the ports on the
Black sea, journey interrupted by
the false reports of an Italian bonn
bardment, which very fortunately, as
it happened, had not actually taken
place.
The passengers were filled with
trepidation and fear as they anxiously
watched the little snorting tug labori-
ously twist and turn in an amazingly
intricate and tortuous course, first
close to shore, and then by a sharp
turn, making apparently for the OPP
posite side of the famous channel. 1t
was wonderful sight to see the little
craft ahead, each of the others follow
ing as closely as they could the stern
of the preceding vessel, initiating most
faithfully the antics of the small Turk
ish convoy, lest 1t be blown up by
missing but one of the labyrinthian
twists and turns, and to look back
and see the five ships behind, as dill
gently playing the same game of fol-
low the leader, while on each side OF
the narrow waterway an almost con-
tinuous line of Notifications, hidden
breastworks, bristling batteries and
until near at hand, cleverly concealed
ornaments, proved how thorough were
| the preparations for war;
On arriving at the little wooden
dock at the port of Dardanelles in one
of the huge Turkish flatboats which
come out from the shore to take off
passengers and freight from the
steamer the tourists passport Is de-
manded, even before he is permitted
to alight on the dock, If being dragged
up bodily by two villainous looking
bandits who stand on the dock, sec.
onded by two equally ferocious ap-
pearing gentlemen in the swaying and
bobbing boat some six or seven feet