The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-01-30
LOST BY TIMIOITY.
An Early British Naval Failure at
the DardaneIIes.
GOT HIS FLEET INTO A TRAP.

Admiral Duckworth Could Have Won
Had He Acted Promptly, but He Hos
itated, Gave the Turks Time to Arm
and Was Bombarded Back TO the SEA-.
The unsuccessful campaign at Cal
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. 1t was In 1907, when Napoleon
was at war with more than half a
world and when England had on the
throne king with an infrm brain and
ministry called that of @an the tai
ents," which in spite Of its name was
wretchedly inefficient.
The French were trying to come to
an understanding with the irresolute
Sultan Selim, which was greatly dis
quieting to the car since IN view of
the great victories of the Little Cor
poraI' In Prussia he could i'll afford to
spare any forces from the Russian
frontier. So he asked the British to
send feet to the sublime porte and
compel Selim to make terms with Rus
STA and England.
Accordingly Sir John Duckworth was
ordered to join Admiral Louis In the
Aegean sea and lead the combined
fleets up the Dardanelles to the Turk
ish capital, where, after securing the
safety Of Nh. Arbuthnot, the British
ambassador, he was to dictate terms to
the sultan.
1t Is harder to sail up the Darda-
nelles 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
gums unaccountably blew up, and some
$50 Englishmen We're killed.
On February morning IN 1907,
however, seven battleships sailed into
the mouth Of the ancient Hellespont
and bore their way up the strait They
encountered only d light and fneffect
ual fire from the forts. There was no
effective preparation for defensive ac-
ton on either the European or Asiatic
side from the mouth Of the Darda-
nelles to the city of Constantine.
Had Sir John given the sultan q
twenty four 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 timidity and began unaecountabiy
to negotiate and temporize
General Sebastian, the clever agent
Of Napoleon at the sultan's court, en-
couraged Duckworth's irresolution and
led him on from day to day with spe-
cious promises.
Meanwhile men, women and chill
dren, Christians and Mohammedans.
We're 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 bristling with guns.
Duckworth's opportunity had passed.
He had made the fatal mistake Of CIV
ing the Turks time to find their leader.
For two weeks the parleyfngs 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 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 contrast between the coming
In and the going outl
For sixty miles they ran the CANT
let Of continual and heavy FIRE. It
was fneessant and CALLING in the sea Of
Marmora, and In the Dardanelles II
was terrific. There stone balls, weigh
ing 700 and 800 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.
trable folds.
The Inundated admiral could do
nothing but run, and as the current
was with him he finally reached the
Aegean sea, although with badly bat
tered feet.
1t has always seemed curious to the
reader of history that Duckworth es-
capped the fate OF Admiral Bgng, who
was court martialed and shot fifty
years before for just such another
lamentable error of Judgment The
only explanation appears to be that
this was time of such multiplied
fears and panics that even so serious
matter as this was soon forgotten In
the more absorbing and iInportunate
problem Of national defense against
the designs OF Napoleon Youths Com.
naninn