New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-29
AT the Sea Gate of CONSTANT.
NOBLE.

suggestion of Skaters campaign against
Santiago in the new Allied operations
against the Dardanelles. 1t is true that
compared with the later operation our
own seems wholly trivial. At least ten
times as many men as went TO Cuba with
the first Santiago expedition are engaged
in the Gallipoli operation. SIMPSONS
feet was paltry compared with the
Anglo-French squadrons, led by "Big
Lizzie" as the Queen Elizabeth Is famil-
iarly named by the British tar.
Yet something Of the problem Is the
same. Before Santiago Sampson wisely,
as all observers have concluded, declined
TO risk his ships in forcing the entrance
TO Santiago-even after Cerveras fleet
had been destroyed. From the outset,
once the feet was discovered, he appealed
TO the army to clear the way by TAX
ing the forts. After a costly experiment
with the Farragut method the Anglo
French admirals have followed the Samp-
son precedent
In the Cuban operation we began by
Selling Guantanamo as a naval base. The
Allied occupation Of Enos, on the other
side of the Gulf Of Saros, facing the Gal
lipoli peninsula, is a good parallel. At
Sboney and Daiquiri the American
troops were landed in open roadsteads on
a shore commanded by abrupt hills. The
British landing places are not dissimilar,
although there is lacking the Juragua
Iron Company pier, so useful in 1898,
and the miniature indentations on the
Gallipoli shore are far less protected than
was Siboney.
But here the parallel with 1898 stops.
The British, having landed at Kaba-Tepe,
are but five miles from their objective
and less than mile from road leading
down to the Dardanelles opposite Niagara.
They are thus assured of the support Of
their warships every foot of the way,
while the Americans at San Juan were
without such aid. There is lacking, too,
the Jungle through which Roosevelt led
his regiment to the ambush Of Las Quasi
mas.
The dominating height Of the Gallipoli
peninsula, rough plateau some l, 100 feet
high, rises from the water and attains it's
summit less than four miles from the
British landing place and commands the
road along which the British must ad-
vance. 1t might be compared to the FL
Caney position in its relation to the
British flank.
The disadvantage Of the Turkish posi-
ton is found in the fact that the defences
N were organized to repulse feet coming
" up the straits. There are therefore no
permanent works on the shores Of the
Gulf of Saros, and the forts lie low along
the straits and are commanded by the hills
behind them, over which the British must
advance if they are to succeed. Thanks
TO the aeroplane, too, the forts can be
bombarded by indirect fire from the Gulf
of Saros as we'll as directly by the feet at
the entrance of the straits.
Given good weather, then the British
advance will be covered during its entire
course by the guns of the feet, while the
Turks will have to rely on field works and
field artillery. On the other hand, num-
bers and position rest with the Turks,
whose German officers have probably
worked as effectively here as upon the
forts themselves.
The mission of the army is to occupy
forts and batteries, once they have been
temporarily reduced by the guns Of the
fleet; prevent the reorganization Of these
Notifications, which follows the with
drawal of the feet; destroy the hidden
batteries, the torpedo tubes mounted on
the shores; methodically complete what
the artillery Of the feet has begun.
The occupation of the Gallipol PENN
suia, with the capture or reduction Of the
forts on it, will not remove all Turkish
obstacles. There are still the stronger
forts on the Asiatic side, but once these
are exposed TO artillery fire from the Gal
lipoli shore and from the feet their
evacuation is assured.
The French troops landed at Kun
Kaleh, the British at Seddul Bahr, that is
on the capes at the entrance Of the straits,
are probably mere garrison parties, in
tended to assure the safety of the ships
in the lower strait from rifle and field
artillery fire. That the French will make
any considerable advance, that there will
be a new conflict on the site of Troy,
seems unlikely, for here the Turks have