The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-03-03


than 200 miles.
The Dardanelles is narrow channel in
the Turkish dominion which connects the
inland Sea of Marmora with the AEGEAN
or Mediterranean sea, and separates
Europe and Asia. II is about 40 miles IN
length and from one 10 four miles IN
width, It's current very rapid The Euro
pean side is steep and rugged. the Aslatlc
side rising gradually, atfording excep-
tional opportunity for defensive FORTH
cations. Both sides are covered with n
chain of forts reaching the entire length
of the passage; TO the Sea of Marmora.
al the other end of which III miles dis
tant. lies Constantinople.
In ITO the Turkish defenseS were al
most in ruins. Warned by the condition
of the castles when a Russian squadron
appeared before Constantinople outer for
tiications the Turks repaired them, but
they were again allowed To become al
most useless, until 1907. In that year
British squadron of warshipS passed the
Dardanelles and, for the first time. Con-
stantinople saw a hostile fleet The de-
fenses were then rebuilt. and In 1854,
during the Crimean war, the castles and
other defenseS of the capital were placed
in state OF good repair.
In 1867 coast batteries of the best
known kind were erected on both sides of
the passage. and, Just before the out
break of the present European war they
were supplied with ordnance of the most
recent and effective type. the hrupp pat
tern from Germany.
BY treaty signed in lS4l between the
FIVE great powers of Europe and the
Porte. and confirmed in 1856, no foreign
ship of war had the right TO pass the
Dardanelles without the consent of the
Sultan By the Berlin treaty of 1878. the
duty Of preventing any foreign ship Of
war from forcing passage was imposed
upon the Sultan and even he cannot give
such permission.
II has been mooted question, for
many years, if the passage of the OAR
danelles. with its modern equipment,
could be forced. The battle ship gen.
orally has an advantage over land forti-
fications, where the range of the guns of
both are equal, by reason Of the fact that
it is moving target, while the fort is
fixed one.
At the Dardanelles the enemy's fleet,
once past the forts at the outer edge of
the passage, would thereafter be in
point blank range of the other batteries
and the advantage Of mobility would be
lost. In the opinion Of experts, while ex-
tremely difficult and hazardous, the pas
sage can be accomplished by the allied
fleets. The personal element enters
here. The French and English gunners
are far superior TO the Turks, even when
the latter are commanded By German
officers, as they are said TO be at present
Once through the DardaneIles, there
would remain nothing to oppose the al
lied fleet until Constantinople itself was
reached. The Turkish capital city is also
strongly fortified; in fact, though no
city in the world has been subjected to
such numerous and celebrated sieges. il
has only fallen twice, the last time in
1853, when it was captured by the Turks
under Mohammed ii.
However, it is probable that the huge
battleships of the British navy could.
with ample free-way in the Sea of Mar
mora, reduce the forts of the city in
time
The real difficulty is in the Darda-
nelIes.
BY taking a map of Europe and Asia
the reader can see at glance why Rus
STA welcomes the advent of the Turk into
the war. AT present Russia has not one
single port which is ice free the entire
year. A victory for the triple entente
would mean the Punishment Of Turkey
from Europe, an open harbor and com
plete control Of the Black Sea for Rus
STA, and an open door for Russia's enor-
nous productions.
That is what the Dardanelles bars the
road to.