Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-02-28
LOST BY 1I.aIDITY.
An Early British Naval Failure at
the Oardanelles.
GOT HIS FLEET INTO A TRAP.

Admiral ouelswovth Could Have Won
Had Hs Acted Promptly, but He Hes
eatsd, Gave the Turks Time to Arm
and Was sombardsd Back 10 the See.
The unsuccessful campaign At Gal
lipoli when the forces OF the allied
powers failed in their attempt to reach
Constantinople after Turkey had ar
rayed herself on the side OF Germany
recalls the time when Sir John Duck
worth sailed through the Dardanelles
and then turned round and sailed out
again. It was in 1907. when Napoleon
was at war with more than half
world and when England had on the
throne king with an innrm brain and
ministry called that Of "all the tai
ents," which in spite of tn name was
wretchedly inefficient
The French were trying to come to
an understanding with the irresolute
Sultan Eelim. which was greatly dis
Quieting to the car since In view OF
the great victories Of the Little Cor.
/ porar' in Prussia be could III afford to
spare any forces from the Russian
frontier. So he asked the British to
send ncet to the sublime porte and
compel Selim to make terms with Rus
sia and England.s
Accordingly Sir John Duckworth was
ordered to join Admiral Louis In the
Aegean sea ar! ,a-y the combined
fleets up the Dardanciles TO the Turk
ish capital. where. after securing the
safety OF Mr.. Arbuthnot. the British
| ambassador. he was to dictate terms to
the sultan.
Ii Is harder TO sail up the Darda-
nellcs than to sail out because there Is
powerful current that flows con-
| stantly from the Black sea to the
Aegean. There were no great steam
/, cruisers then. and Sir John had to wait
several days for favorable conditions.
Meantime one OF the largest of the
ships. the Ajax. carrying seventy four
guns. unaccouDtably blew UP. and some
30 Enslishmen were killed.
On a February morning In 1907.
however. seven bat,leships sailed into
the mouth Of the ancient Heilespont
and bore their way UP the strait. They
encountered only light and ineffect.
| ual FIRE from the forts. There was no
| effective Preparation FOR defensive nc-
| ton on either the European or Asiatic
side from the mouth OF the Darda-
nelles TO the city OF Constan tine.
Had Sir John given the sultan a
| twenty-fa hour ultimatum and
trained his guns on the citadel he need
not have fred shot He would have
accomplished the purpose for which he
had come and could have sailed out
with his ships unframed and himself
covered with glory. But he was seized
with timiiity aud began nnaccountably
to negotiate and temporize.
! General Sebastiani, the clever agent
| Of Napoleon at the sultans court. en-
couraged Duckworth:s irresoiution AMI
led him on from day 10 day with spe-
cious promises.
Meanwhile men. women and chill
| dren, Christians and Mohammedans,
were working day and night TO erect
suitable defenses along the famous
waterway. until In no long time the
| whole shore. as well as the forts Of the
Dardanelles. was bristllng with gums.
Duckworths opportunity had passed
He had made the fatal mistake Of CIV
Ing the Turks time to ind their leader.
For two weeks the parleyings went
| on. while the fleets officers through
their glasses could see the constant ar
rival Of cannon. ammunition and
troops. At last Sir John awoke to the
| fact that he was In q trap and had
barely time to get out. Fortunately the
! wind was In his favor. and the seven
battleships began their ignominious re
treat.
What a contrast between the coming
in and the going out!
| For sixty miles they ran the CANT
let Of a continual and heavy fire. II
was incessant and CALLING In the sea of
Marmora. and In the Dardanelles II
was terrific. There stone balls. weigh
Ing 100 and 500 pounds. snapped the
| rigging. broke down the masts and
crushed In the decks. The roll Of the
artillery was deafening and the smoke
hung over everything In dark. impene-
1
trable folds
The Inundated admiral could do
nothing but run. and as the current
was with him he finally reached the
Aerean sea. although with badly bat
tered fleet.
1t has always seemed curious to the
render Of history that Duckworth es-
| capped the fate Of Admiral Byng. who
was court martialed and shot fifty
years before for just such another
lamentabie error Of judgment The
only explanation appears to be that
this was q time OF such multiplied
fears and panics that even so serious
a matter as this was soon forgotten In
the more absorbing and importunate
problem Of national defense against
the designs Of Napoleon -Youth's Com
panion-