Evening star., 1915-03-07
CONSTANTlNOPlE HAS MOST
REMARKABLE WATER DEFENSE,

YRHE fleets Of the allies have reduced
tho forts At the entrance to the
Dardanelles. or Hellespont. thus
taking the first step in their attempt to
reduce tho city OF Constantinople. which
fenses in the world. From tho Aegean
sea, the name given the eastern end OF
the Mediterranean, the Dardanelles leads
into the Sea Of Marmora. from which the
Bosphorus opens into the Black sea-
These waters separate Turkey In
Europe from Turkey in Asia, ana oner
the only waterway from the southern pars
~ Russia to the high seas. As one enters
the Dardanelles he sees the strait. about
three miles wide and about hfty miles
long r,nnine nearly northeast with ofiis
one turn. at tho town Of Dardanehes' m
;ts entire length. In sailing through ING
strait he passes that town ana Saiipoii. !.
m. country on either side ID nily ano
,,o,,r hsertif,il The hills and the snarp
tnrn at the town OF Dardanehes l,as alo,u
almost ideal locations for snofe oa.uSi Str,s
From the hills plung1ng nrs ,;r. wo,,ld
mower artillery upon the snipe u.S ~
rrova destructive, while the turning ..
the ships at Dardanelles would give sno.s
batteries from that point an upp0, arrn1E. 80.
for effective broadside tire. Inc ~
rowness Of the strait aHofos, aHofo,o,,nh the
portunity for mine laying, ai'iioue
channel is not very narrow.
~
r. vss across the Hellespont. as TINS
strait was then called. tnat Aei Aes
King of Persia, sought to nnd way :.
t,ke his army into Greece. 1t IS saio
that by connecting a chain OF ooa'
and layine them over with planKs ne
hu;,+ a bridge from shore 70 snor No,
ever which he led an army oi = III M
Ston men. AS Alexander the Great suu .
sequently constructed q rrov over II
;ntn Asia. it is possible that Aerxes
huiIt a bridge, but 1t Is very oou a,, -,
uIiat .hathar such a bridge could have neen
so constructed as to carry q -,
roen and their baggage trains IN
The water is the scene OF the grea.
,,assic.l swimming event "nere
faander swan the Hellespont 70 pay
an evenings visit to Hero. ms aauS
love. Lord Byron, WHO "oS io'
'h sftar the traveller has sailed through
w. Dardanelles, he finds himself a,
the Sea of Marmora, which, peins aoou.
10 miles long by one..nltd % % s;ze eiat at
Inne island sound. After leaving tne
, Lons aS water at the westerly end OF
w COO little difficulty is presented tc
,ra1, LII nrotected ships unless cordon
" Submarines should be lurking
Near the northeasterly end OF Mar
mora sea lies the beautiful city OF Ion.
stantinople, on triangular point OF
land hounded on the northeast py tne
inlet called the Golden Horn apou.
fnnr miles long; on the south by the
go and on the west by an irregular
nra ,,.au The Golden Horn forms an
mnia harbor for the city. Beyond II
the Rosphorous strait, varying IN Wlotn
from two to five miles. runs nearly
north. forming fine waterway 10 the
Riack sea, eleven miles distant.
Constantinople is SO situated on the
neninsula that runs out between Mar.
mora sea and Black sea that 1t can bt
attacked by land from only the one
direction, the west, and from the sea
only by a fleet that had succeeded in
forcing its way into the Sea of Mar.
mora, through either of the straits ap.
preaching it,, In the possession Of
Russia or Germany it could be made
almost impregnable.
The city is old in historical associa.
tions, having been the capital of the
eastern Roman empire for over clever
centuries, and since the collapse of thai
great power the head of the Ottoman
empire. It's streets are narrow, bu
its many mosques with their peculiar
architectural effects of dome and pin