Evening star., 1915-04-05

| NNTHlLE the early part OF the
| WW present war in Europe called
w before the mental vision many
historical scenes and battles-Seoai'
Waterloo, Flanders, Rheims and Parls-
these places are all modern when com
pared with those which the present
advance of the allies against Con-
stantinople brings to mind, the fieiies-
pont Abyios Callipoiis and Chios'
when, as now, western Asia was ai
ravcd against the European.
f! The story of how the Dardanelies
vas crossed in the invasion of Greece
by the Persians is told by tne oio
Greek historian. Herodotus. He IS,
like many other of the older historians,
not well supplied with statistics. put
is vivid in his recital OF particular
events each diversion adding interest
TO his main story. which twists back
almost to its point OF beginning.
Darius the Great was very mucn
offended at the Creeks because they
had the i'll grace to defeat his forces at
Marathon He planned an invasion OF
the country with an army SO large
that, according to Herodotus, IL was
three wears before 1t was moblliZed,
and in the meantime Darius died. HIS
son xerxes announced his intention OF
carrying out the war. but some IN
teresting preliminary negotiations TOOK
place One nation, wanting to remain
neutral sent its special messenger
with three ships "and plenty of money
and a large stock of good words,
with Instructions not to commit ms
nation until he saw how the war would
result, a method apparently well known
| in those days and handed down to the
! present time
Grecian spies were sent to Sardis-
! another old practice which seems not
| to have dIed-to learn whether the re-
! Dorts of the threatened invasion were
7 10y recognized
+. tured but were not put to death be-
cause the king thought that If the
| Greeks knew the vastness OF the prep
1 aration against them they would
| promptly submit Grain ships. then as
| now, from the north shore of the
/ Black sea- came through the Bosporus
! on their way to the Aegean. Some of
I these were captured. but Xerxes com
! yay for his army would need the corn
| when he arrived. After the final de-
| rland for submission was refused the
Persians prepared for actual invasion,
| and their method of crossing the Bos-
/ porus is thus told by Herodotus:
| ..Xerxes after this made preparations
! to advance to Abydos. where the bridge
across the Hellespont from Asia was
lately finished. Right over against
| Abydos there Is rocky tongue OF land
" which runs out for some distance into
the sea This is the place where no
long time afterward the Greeks took
| AstaycteS, the Persian, ana ndlled hlii
living to a plank.
"Toward this tongue of land then
-
| the men to whom the business was as
! signed carried out u double bridge
| from Abydos; and while the Phoeni-
| clans constructed one line with cables
Of white flax the Egyptians in the other
used ropes made of papyrus. Now II Is
seven furlongs from Abydos across to
the other coast. When. therefore. the
channel had been bridged successfully
IT happened that great storm arising
broke the whole work to pieces and
destroyed all that had been done"
When XerXes heard Of it. he was full
Of wrath and had the I1elleSpont laShed
with three hundred lashes, ordered pair
OF letters, in token Of his authority. cast
into it; and had the bitter waters
soundiy seolded. Herodolus IN naiyely
shed by his orders. Xerxes likewise
commanded that the overseers of the
work should lose their heads. Then they.
whose business it was, executed the un-
nIeasing task laid upon them; and other
master builders were set over the work.
who accomplished it in the way which
Il | will now describe.
They toined together triremes and pen
t.conters tships of five banks of oars)
$50 10 support the bridge on the side OF
th., Euxine (Black sea. and 3l4 to sus
laiu the other, and these tlley placed al
| tight angles to the sea and in the direc-
lion OF the current Of the Hellespont, re-
,lieyiug BY these means the tension OF
the shore cables. Having joined the
Vessels they moored them with anchors
Of unusual size, that the vessels Of the
bridge toward the Euxine might resist
the winds which blow from within the
straits; and that those of the more west
ern bridge facing the Aegean might
Withstand the winds which set In from
The south and from the southeast A gap
was left in the penteconters in no fewer
than three places TO afford a passage for
such light craft as chose to enter or
leave the Euxine. When all this was
done they made the ca bles taut from the
shore bv means of wooden capsans.
..rhis time moreover, instead OF us
ing the two materials separately. they
assipned to each bridge six cables. two
of which were of white fax. while four
we're OF papyrus. When the bridge
across the channel was thus complete
which were cut to the width of the
bridge, and these We're laid side by
side on the frightened cables and then
fastened on the top. This done. brush
wood was brought and arranged upon
the planks, after which earth was
heaped upon the brushwood and the
whole trodden down into a solid mass.
| Lastly, a bulwark was set up on
, either side of this causeway. of such
height as to prevent the sumptel
beasts and the horses from seeing oyel
it and taking fright at the water"
- f,Ax. ~