South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-05-13
WAR BRINGS LIFE
TO DARDANELLES
Little Island Loses Most of Its
Peaceful Existence in Burst
ing Shells and Booming OF
Allies Guns.

TENEDOS. May 13.-War is a good
teacher OK geography. The attack on
the Dardanelles has brought into
prominence this little island, whose
existence was previously unknown 10
the millions. The peaceful and I'M
eventful life of its 5000 inhabitants
fas been distracted. The sound OF
the guns, the upheaval OF "A world
war has come 10 their doors. II has
one dominating height. this little
island of six by three miles-Mount
Elias-and to this height during the
bonn bardments focked all the Tened
totes 10 watch the epOch-making
fight
Before the Balkan wars the Mos
lem inhabitants were in the ma
jority; with the advent Of the Chris
tan rule Of the Greeks most Of them
left, crossing To the opposite shore
only four miles away, where the half
moon of Islam still floats A few still
remain, forming a group apart, keep
ing TO themselves and avoiding their
fellow Christian citizens. If you want
to get them You must go TO their
spiritual chief, the multi.
on the day of the attempt TO force
the NarrOWs. March Is, all OF them
climbed up TO Mount Elias, but they
kept apart from their fellow island
ers forming a group to themselves,
with the multi at their head. silently
watching the drama of their country
eracted before their eyes.
No sound was uttered by them that
day; only on the intelligent face Of
the multi could one discern relief
that the day had not gone so we'll for
the allies, that another respite had
been gained for the empire of Islam.
Supports Refugees.
TenedOs, besides its normal popu-
latlOn supports 1000 Greek refugees
from the opposite shores. prosecuted
ard expelled from their homes.
These also flOcked to Mount Elias on
March Is. Many of them were from
Chanak and the villages in the
straits They were watching their
hearths and homes shelled by the
fleet, but they cared little whether
their belongings were set on fire,
hatred against their opposers who
drove them from their homes being
uppermOst in thought.
Every shell from the ship that was
seen to go home was acclaimed by
them, after the excitable eastern
fashion, with the loud shouts of hat
red, such as burn the tyrants!"
| Kill the dogsi"
When night came, it was seen that
the allies would not pass that day,
they silently and sorrowfully de-
scended from Mount Elias, with bit
terness in their hearts that the day
Of their deliverance had not yet
come.
1t was not likely that, with the
unique position Tenedos afforded for
watching the naval operations. it
would have been left for long undis-
| covered by war correspondents.
! kilograms flashed to the worlds
/ press from it's shores stirred editors,
/ and soon correspondents from all
\ parts of the world were on their way
| TO this previously unknown spot.
! one by one they arrived by the
/ weekly boat service to the island. un-
1 til with the last batch. their numbers
\ grew to a score.
Peaceful Life Invaded
! The one sleepy official who acted as
| postmaster, telegraph director, clerk
and telegraph boy, saw with regret,
| his peaceful life invaded He was
| called upon suddenly to DO the work
that 10 men could not cope with. He
was taking more MESA ges in an hour
/ than he would ordinarily be called
/ upon TO deal with in a year
In despair he allowed his little den
\ in an inner office to be invaded, and
he gave himself up as lost when 10.
, and even 20 correspondents at
once called upon him to take dis
I patches.
There was nothing to do but turn
/ tie correspondents themselves, into
/ telegraph clerks, registering and tax
/ ing in their own money and carrying
! their own dispatches 10 the Eastern
/ telegraph office.
And what a bewildering variety of
! currency there was to deal with.
! SOvereigns and louis. Shillings,
/ French pieces, and French and En-
1 int al 1ir1pr lnd xrvffn
! Turkish and Greek coins and paper.
/ A Babylon of rates. values, and ex-
/ change to deal with. 1t was suffi-
cient to drive crazy a much strong
er brain than that of the old teleg-
/ raphist.