New-York tribune., 1915-03-19
French Craft Passes Dar-
danelles NarrOws, but
Hits Rocky Shore.
FORCED TO RISE,
MEETS TURKS FIRE
Admiral Guepratte Declares the
Strait Safe Up to Kephez
Bernu-COnfident of Victory.

French submarine in an attempt
to run through the Dardanelles is de-
scribed by Rear Admiral Guepratte, OF
the French Dardanelles feet, in an IN
terview with the Tenedos correspondent
of "Thc Daily Telegraph" The at
tempt apparently was made some time
ago, although no announcement mas
been made of it here.
"The attempt had as its object the
sinking of the Turkish cruiser Sultan
Sclim formerly the German cruiser
Goeben)," the correspondent says Rear
Admiral Guepratte told him. The
submarine was submerged and sue
cessfully navigated the Strait up 70
the corner where the Asiatic coast Juts
out at Niagara.
Through some miscalculation, which
is quite natural when a submarine is
trying to thread tortuous channei
without the aid of a pcriscope, the null
struck the rocky shore, compelling the
boat. to rise to the surface. Immediate
" the submarine appeared the forts
opened fire, sinking her. only 1ew
OF her crew escaped, and these were
made prisoners.
Regarding the present situation in
the Dardaneles, Rear Admiral Cue
pratte said the waters of the STRAIT
are clear as far as Kephez Cape, TO
which point all vessels Of the fleet can
now safely navigate. The main mine
Sclds, however, are between Chanak
Kalesi .rd Kilid Bahr, where also are
the main coast defences.
"When these a-e removed the rest
will be easy, although the assistance
of land forces will be needed. For the
final success of the undertaking not
shadow of doubt remains. The French
feet thus far has sustained no other
casualties"
The Turks in the Dardanelles now
have howitzers mounted on rails and
can concentrate them on menaced
points, says .he Athens correspondent
Of "The Daily Telegraph" The CORE
spondent adds that all the Dardanelles
artillery is being worked entirely by
Germans. Ann,
The naval correspondent of The
Daily Chronicle" says:
more than week has elapsed since
the Admiralty issued any official state
ment on the progress of the operations
in the Dardanelles. The truth is that
the operations are progressing very
favorably, and in due order and Sc
quence.
admiral Garden is not the man to
run unnecessary risks, though there
can be no doubt that the feet, by sheer
weight of metal, could, unasslsted,
smash its way through to the Sea OF
Marmora and the Bosporus if that
were desired or desirable.
80 far as we are acquainted with
the course of operations the feet has
been doing its work splendidly, but the
attack on the Dardanelles constitutes
but one part of great combined
strategic operation which has its points
of gravity in Russian movements in
the Black Sea, in an attack on Smyrna
and in movements in Egypt and the
Persian Gulf.
1--WE must not therefore expect that
an attempt will be made to drive
through the Narrows at any cost. The
Germans are making the widest state
ments concerning the situation, and
the Queen Elizabeth, the Lord Nelson,
the Agamemnon and other ships are
declared to have been damaged.
"The Admiralty report on the cas-
ualties is the clearest co"futatlon OF
all such statements. Except that two
men have been killed on the Ocean and
two wounded on the Prince George, all
the casualties are on the Amethyst and
two trawlers.
"The general conclusion is that the
work has been we'll begun, and is
progressing steadily, awaiting develop
ments, perhaps, in other regions, but
certain of attaining its end. On this
matter the public may be assured. We
know that General Damade has pro-
ceeded with two divisions. The Rus
slams are known TO be in movement,
and other troops are gathering for the
operations"
Paris, March 1S.-An agency dispatch
from Athens dated March II, says that
the naval operations of the Allies az
SMYRNA have been temporarily sus-
pended, and that the Turks are taking
advantage of this respite to repair the
damage to their batteries and forts.
They are pursuing the same course
also at the Dardanelles, and on either
shore of the Sea of Marmora.
There are about 100000 Turkish
troops west of Constantinople, accord
ing TO the latest information reaching
Athens, the correspondent continues.
Forty thousand men are on the GALL
poll Peninsula, 10000 are in European
Turkey and the rest are on the Asiatlc
side of the Dardanelles.
1t is reported here that the Turks
are placing guns on the principal
heights surrounding Constantinople, on
both the European and the Asiatic
sides Of the Bosporus.
Amsterdam, via London, March 18.-
According to the "Berlin Tages-Zei-
tung." the American Ambassador in
Constantinople, Henry Morgenthau, has
with the permission of the Turkish
government left Constantinople for the
Dardanelles.