Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-05
SUEz ATTACK NOT
REGARDED HARD
Campaign OF Turkish and German
Forces Would Not Be Very Diff
cult Task.
WOULD REQUIRE ONLY II DAYS
Calculations Of Such a Move Show
That Less Than Two Weeks
Would Be Necessary.
WOULD REQUIRE ONLY II DAYS

ConstantinOple, Dec. 4.-(Corres-
pondence Of The Associated Press.)-l
A campaign OF Turkish and German
forces against the Suez canal and
Egypt would not be as difficult an en-
terprize as the factors involved would
seem to indicate, according to the opin-
ion held by military authorities here.
They say that those contending that
such an undertaking would be next to
impossible are unfamiliar with the
means of communication between Con-
stantinople and the canal, and over
look that the food resources Of Arabia
and Syria are fully sufficient to meet
the needs of large army.
Last May and June, The Associated
Press correspondent travelled over the
greater part of the route which an ar
my marching against the Suez canal
would have to use. He found the fol-
lowing:
From Constantinople to Bosanti in
| the Taurus mountains, over the Antol-
ian railroad and its Bagdad connec-
tions, would require about forty-eight
| hours for military trains. At Bosanti
the old pass road, through the Cicilian
| Gate to Tarsus would be used. The
road was then being improved by thou
| sands of Amenians who had been
drafted into the Ottoman army for
this purpose, and whose work was be-
ing directed by Turkish, German and
Austrian engineer officers. Motor
trucks could make the trip from Bo-
sands Of Armenians who had been
hours, especially, if, as is asserted,
they will be assisted up the sleeper
grades, of which there are three.
No Great Obstacles in Way.
In June the tunnels of the Bagdad
railroad near Entity and karababa,
and large bridge near RoGjo, had not
been completed. The railroad facilities
from Tarsus, on the Morsina, Tarsus
and Adana line, ended for this rea-
son at Osmanie and later at Mamori,
points in the Amanus mountains But
an excellent road connected these
places with the terminus of the Bagdad
railroad at Rodjo. Heavy traffic might
Entity, a severe strain but no insur-
mountable obstacle. The same is true
of the pass near Rodjo.
From Rodjo the railroad runs to
Aleppo, then over the Hama and HONS
extension to Ryack. Here a narrow
guage to Damascus would necessitate
transhipping. At Damascus the Hadjas
railroad begins. 1t would serve the eX-
petition as far as Maan, Arabia. or
some point directly east of Jerusalem.
At the latter point the railroad through
the Hebron valley is reached 1t is
this line which the Turks, under the
leadership of Meissner Pasha, a Ger
man engineer who built the Hadjus
railroad, have extended into the des-
ert east OF the SueZ canal. How far
the line is completed at this date is
unknown. According to a statement
made by Meissner Pasha to the Asso-
ciated Press correspondent, al Dera,
Arabia, last June, the railroad had
been surveyed and graded far into the
desert and about $50 kilometers were
ready for traffic. Little is known of the
line, beyond the fact that in the He
bron valley it rus over a survey made
for a French company. One of the pur-
poses of the road might be to carry
water into the desert in case the water
supply system established in the vi
entity Of the canal should prove I'M
able to meet the demand.
A table Of days needed last June in
!: transit from and to the various points
! on the Constantinople-Su line OF
! communication is here given:
Constantinople to Bosanti by rail
road two days; Bosanti to Tarsus by
road, one day; Tarsus to Mamori by
railroad, one day; Mamori to Rodjo by
road, two days. Rodjo to Ryack by
railroad, one day; Ryack to Damascus
by railroad, one day; Damascus to Je.
| rusalem by railroad and road, two
days; Jerusalem to end of railroad
/ line, two days, total, II days.
II Or: Constantinople to Damascus
II see above) eight days; Damascus t.
/ Mann, by railroad, one DAY; Maar
| across desert, by motor vehicle 10 tht
| canal, four days; Total IS days.
Il Push Work ON Road.
i But since June work on the Mamori
II Rodjo line of the Bagdad railroad ha
II been pushed as hard as possible, not
II withstanding the fact that the Italian
II workers of the Entity and Karabab,
II tunnels left their posts. Difficulty il
II securing rails and bridge steel wer
III also experienced. But last July tn
HI Entity tunnel. about 5000 yards long
HI was broken through, and the bridg
II near Rodjo was completed in August
HI The statement made some time ago t
HI the Associated Press correspondent
II that trains were running from Rodi
II as far as Islahia permits the conclus
II ion that the Karababa tunnel was ais
III finished, either that. or a track wa
II laid over the pass which here is rattle
II low. Since then it has been learne
HI that track is being laid in the Entill
Hi tunnel, which means that train com
HI munication will soon exist, or is al
iii ready established, from Tarsus to tn
NJ end of the military line in the desert
HI Should this be the case then the tri
II to the Suez canal will have been short
II ened two days, the time given in tn
II above table including in all cases tn
II hours lost in transferring troops fror
HI train to train and vice versa.