The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-26

they will now set about reducing and
over which they will have the adj
vantage of a prepondcrance of heavy
guns. Hitherto the defcnCes of the
straits have been almost impregnable,
history re~srding only three Instances
in which warships have posed
through without permission of the
Turkish authorities. The first oc-
casion was in 1900. when the intel
States frgate George Washington,
Capt. cambridge commanding, viii h
had been taking part in the war
against the Tripolitan pirates. out
witted the Turks, and while they were
returning her snlu,es slipped ras. and
was soon Haunting the new flag
under the very eyes Of Cons,antinople.
Seven years later Sir j. r. Duckworth
took a British feet through, and in
1878 the British fleet went past to the
relief of Constantinople threatened ~
Russia.
Once in the Sea of Marmora the
fleet will still have a hard fight to get
TO Constantinople. for TURKEY has
some modern submarines that are
likely to prove very efficient under
hlNth hffi' - 80 ~
Ieved that If the Anglo-T'rench ships
once get as far as Niagara roads the
Turkish fleet will flee to the protec-
ton of the Bosporus and will perhaps
prefer taking chances with the Rus
sian Black Sea squadron to waiting
for the foe from the west.
Among the important W along
the strait which the allied ships will
have to capture before they can pro-
coed the largest Is Gallipoli and OPP
posite 1t is the city of Dardanelles,
which has sprung up about Chanak-
Kalessi inc is now the chief city of
the province Of Bigha in Asia Minor.
Both of these places are near the he
ginning of the Sea of Marmora. Three
miles north of Gallipoli is "A row Of
Notifications three miles long, extend
ing all the way from tho straits to the
Gulf of Saros and guarding the straits
proper from a possible land attack.
Russia To send Army.
Colncident with the progress the
Anglo-French squadron a made re-
ports come tonight hat the Russians
are preparing to SEN transports with
an army to- invade Turkey and to
capture Constantinople If possible.
Against this movement the Turkish
submarines are said to be showing un-
usual activity.
The bombardment OF the Dardanelles
forts was reported first on December is
n was continued for several days. IL
has been resumed Mt intervals since.
whenever the weather permitted the
ships to take favorable positions and 10
attack while steaminc so that the guns
Of the forts would not find an easy tar
get. The most formidable previous al
tempt to reduce the fort, until the sue
cessful one to-day. was on Februar
20. when ice-Admiral Gardens ships
poured heavy shells into TIE offences
for some hours and reduced part OF
them. on this occasion the ships were
directed by aeroplaues which found th'
range and the position Of the Turkis1
batteries. Then rs to-day the Tu~N =
cannon were outranFcd, although .f has
been the tactics to serd some ships closer
in shore 70 engage the Turks with th'
lighter calibte weapons.
In addition to bombardiug the Oar
danelles the fleet has also paid some at,
tention to the Turkish forts on the island
Of Tenedoes in the .tgeau. and II Is said
that seven warships did considerable eN'
ecution there yesterday.
The Dardanelles have been q subject
OF contention since the beginning OF the
war. Early In ( Russia demaudet
Of Turkey that the Russian fleet bt
GRANTED free passage to the Me1tterra'
mean from the Black Sea. Previous &c
this Turkey had proclaimed the neu
trality OF the straits and R%ussia's de
mands were ignored.
Turkey finally entered the war ol
November I and from that time on th'
Dardanelles and the Bosporus have beer
subject to hostilities.