The Prescott daily news., 1915-10-26

Here, as Tn Otner leidS or war, S6ys
 Constantinople ondent-Under
 German Tuteage Fort Defendars
 Have Arrived at Efficiency.
 The London Daily Telegraph publish, es a letter from Constantinople de- scribing the defenses of the Darda. nelles, in which the writer says:
 "I have traversed the coast from Fort Niagara to within half a mile of Kun Kale, and instead of dividing it into named defenses, as Forts Mede- jieh, Chimilik. Kalid Bahr, Dardanus, and so forth, l am tempted to classify the whole coast as one great fortress, for such 1t is.
 Since March IS every position that offered field of fire in the least suit able has been turned into a battery. The banks of the strait bristle with guns. Artillery of large caliber, except ing the movable howitzers, is absent in these new defenses, but they are armed with an uncounted number of small guns.
 This factor of preparation is one that must be kept constantly in mind when studying the situation. All Fur key Is an armed camp. From the mo- ment you cross the border at MuStafa Pasha until you reach Constantinople you are passing Turkish troops in the making, and when you go down to the Sea of Marmora and touch land on ei. ther the Gallipoli or Asiatic side you cannot ride mile in any direction without falling on q camp.
 Strengthen Coast Defenses.
 With this indication of what Turkey is doing to meet the crisis that threat ems on land, it is evident that prepara- tion of a similar nature is proceeding in coast defenses. The forts that guard the narroWs are not in the strict sense modern; yet, tested under the severeSt attacks of high power guns, the dam age they have suffered Is almost nil
 Under German tutelage the crews that man the forts have arrived at high state of efficiency. That their morale has increased a hundredfold since the fatal March IS goes without saying, Confidence is the note of all X certain amount of friction exists be- tween the Turkish commanders and their German allies. This is bound to be the case under the circumstances, but 1t is little more than the expression of jealousy on the part of the native officers. The Germans view the pre- tensions of the officers of the sultan's army with tolerance The friction will hardly become of sufficient importance to impede military operations.
 ''There is Ilo arsenal in Turkey which can turn out ammunition for fortress guns. so the forts must rely on the supply on hand, which is said 10 be ample.
 The waters before the guns are sOwn with mines. There are also hid den batteries. especially placed to pro- tect the mine fields The strait is also protected by howitzer batteries mount ed on short sections of railway track.
 Raiding Force Outnumbered.
 The Gallipoli peninsula today is not from military point of view the same place it was three months ago. What must be realized is that under German guidance on the peninsula today every ravine is field of obstacles, every ridge a fort If the British troops have a herculean task in Flanders pause to imagine what is before them here.
 Tn the first place, they are outnum- bered by two to one, and, in the sec ond, they are operating from most difficult base. At first glance one may say that the advantage in numbers is of little importance, as the Turkish troops during their last war were of proved inferiority. Perhaps they were a poor lot during that last Balkan war. though from the looks of things at present doubt even that. But today the Turkish common soldier is most formidable.
 Prom what nave written it may be cOntended that [ look on the opera tions in the Dardanelles pessimistical- ly. Such is not the case. I can see success for the allies in time, but they must be prepared to make enormous sacrifices. Ammunition is the decisive factor in modern battle. I do not hes ftate to say that in the end the fate of ConstantinOple will be decided by the amount of powder and shell availab for the use of the contending armies