Evening star., 1915-03-07

LONDON, March E, 9:l5 pm.
The British battleships Queen
Elizabeth and Prince George and
the battle-cruiser Inflexible, with
their eight fifteen-inch guns and
an even dozen twelve-inch guns,
yesterday opened an attack on
the principal forts on the Euro
pean side of the narrows in the
Dardanelles. Two of the forts
were damaged and the magazine
of third was blown up.
These forts, which guard the
narrowest part of the straits
from the European side, are be-
lieved to be the strongest along
the entire waterway, although
those on the opposite side of the
narrows almost equal them.
One of these forts, marked on
the admiralty maps as L, is
armed with two fourteen-inch
guns that could hardly reach the
Queen Elizabeth, which fired
twenty-nine rounds from her ff-
teen-inch weapons by indirect
fire, and had the advantage of
aeroplanes to direct her gunners.
The other two forts are armed
with three eleven-inch guns and
some smaller cannon.
Shell Asia Minor Coast.
Meantime lighter cruisers continue
attacks on the Notifications along the
coast of Asia Minor. from Besika,
which is near the entrance to the Oar
danelles. to Smyrna. doubtless with a
view of preventing reinforcemento
being sent to the straits, where there
already are a large number of Turkish
troops. with whom the marines. who
were landed to complete the destruc-
ton Of the forts at the entrance to the
straits. have been in contact.
It was in this land fighting that the
allies suffered casualties, according TO
the British report of 19 killed, %
wounded and missing. The Turks,
however place their British casual
ties at higher figure.
East Indies Fleet Arrives.
Tonights official dispatch from the
admiralty disclosed that the East In
dies fleet. under Vice Admiral Sir Rich.
ard Peirse. who is flying his flag on the
Euryalus, has joined the allied feet
and that he undertook the bombar.-
ment of the Notifications of Smyrna,
which were seriously damaged
Wednesday the ships continued the
bombardment of Fort Dardanos, on tn.
Asiatic side of the Dardanelles De-
stroyers and mine sweepers are pun
suing the work of clearing the outer
straits of mines. French ships ar.
keeping up a bomba rdment from The
Gulf of Saros.
Admiralty Statement.
The following announcement con-
cerning the operations of the British :.
fleet which is attacking the Darda-
nelles, in cooperation with French
warships, was made tonight by the
admiralty:
Further reports have now been re-
ceived from Vice Admiral Garden con-
cerning the operations March and
subsequent days.
mo action was possible the third
until pm, when, although the
weather was still unfavorable. the Ir-
resistible, Albion. Prince George and
Triumph resumed the attack on Fort
Dardanos and the concealed guns in
this neighborhood. These were less
active than before and were dealt with
by the ships with moro certainty
"a useful seaplane reconnaissance
locate several encampments and two
batteries.
March the weather became fine.
and sweeping and bombarding opera
tious within the straits continued
steadily. Meanwhile, demolition par
ties, covered by detachments of the ma
rine brigade of the royal navy division.
were landed at Kun Kaleh and Seddil-
Bahr, to continue the clearance OF
ground at the entrance to the straits.
The party at Seddil-Bahr discovered
and destroyed four Nordenfeldts. Some
ensued on both banks and
the enemy was found to be holding
in force.
''On this day, also, farther down the
coast. the Sapphire silenced battery
Of field guns north Of Dikili. in the
Gulf Of Adramyti. and the defeEses OF