South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-10
THE BLACK SEA.

The allies claim that their fleet has
reduced the outer forts Of the Oar
daneIles, the first. and possibly most
Important. step to the capture of
Constantinople and the Bosphorus.
whose numerous Notifications block
the only entrance To the Black sea.
that great inland ocean, upon the
bosom OF which, for centuries, no yes
sci fioated that did not fly the flag of
the Turk.
Empty the basin OF the Black sea
OF its waters. take England, Scotland
and Ireland. add Belgium. and plant
them side by side within its shores
and there would still remain ample
room To pour in all the waters of the
English channel.
The Black sea is twice as large, al
most. as the combined areas of Lakes
Superior. Michigan, Huron. Erie. on
tario and St. Clair in our own land.
and more than a fifth greater in size
than the states of New York, New
Hampshire. New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Maine, Massachusetts. Rhode Island
and Delaware altogether.
The Black sea is situated between
Europe and Asia and is bounded or
| the west by Turkey, Bulgaria and
Roumania. on the northwest. north
and east by the Russian dominions
and on the ssuth by Asia Minor.
It's waters Ere not so clear as those
of the Mediterranean, being the re-
ceptacle OF the floods of the Danube.
Dniester. Dnieper, Don and other
rivers. and are not so salt. thus
freezing more quickly.
1t has few islands of moment but
IT'S fisheries are of considerable value.
It's chief ports are Odessa. Kherson.
Nicolaieo. sebastopool, Novorossik,
Batoum. Trebizand. Sansum and
Varna.
After the capture of Constantinople
by the Turks in 1853. they excluded
all but their OWE ships from the Black
sea until 1874. when the Russians OBJ
tanned the right to trade in it. In
1854 the same privilege was extended
to Austria and in 1902 to Britain and
TO France.
The rapid increase OF the Russian
merchant marine and its ships of war.
threatening the supremacy of Turkey,
was one OF the causes of the Crimean
war by which Russian was compelled
TO cease keeping armed vessels on IL,
the entire sea being declared neutral
territory by the treaty of Paris in
1856. However. in 1871, in response
10 the protest OF Russia, q conference
of European powers at London Cat
which France was not represented
de-neutralized it,
At the present time the Russian
Black sea squadron, though not a
formidable fiotilla compared with the
feet OF Germany, is much superior TO
the Turkish naval force and the few
possible German cruisers that might
have been permitted to pass the Oar
danelles since the commencement of
hOstinties.
The undisputed control OF the Black
sea aid it's passages to the open Med
iterranean by the triple entente is
full of potentialitles. Odessa, a sea
port on Russian soil $50 miles south
OF PetrOgrad. is the doorway 10 the
unequalled granaries OF the vast Rus
sian domains. II has excellent rail
connections and possesses n good har-
Dor. ice-free except for a few days in
midwinter. 1t exports tremendous
quantities Of grain. besides timber.
sugar, Hour, oiI-seeds and cakes,
beans, peas, etc. The other ports be-
fore mentioned also export quantities
OF food stuffs.
With the Black sea. the BosphOrus
and the Dardanelles I'm their posses
sion and the rich store house OF
Russia, both in Europe and Asia open
10 them. the allies could well laugh
az an embargo on supplies from
the United States: in truth, would well
come IL, for IL would but tighten the
coils about their foe
Merchant ships would convey the
produce of Russia to Cdnstantinople.
hence by rail 10 Servia. and others,
conveyed by men OF war. through the
Mediterranean. 20 England. France
and Belgium. From the shelter OF the
Dardanelles the Adfiatic would be
dominated and the Austrian coast line
sffectually blockaded