Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-11-07
DARDANELLES
FAMOUS IN The
WORLDHlS1ORY
Historic Eevents Surround the Oar
danelles For Three Thou
sand Years.
{christian Science MONITOR

&-4UNEEEfsr- g.EPEN Aas
Few parts OF the ,earth's surface are
more fngnous thar the Dardanelles,
the long, and narrow strip Of water
which unites the Sea of Marmora with
the Aegean, and guards the way to
iCo~nstantinople. At one time in the
early days OF the present war. when the
Australianssa and New Zealanders were
achieving greatness amidst the hills and
rocky rags of Gallipoli, in their efforts
to break through to Constantinople, all
eyes We're turned towards the Dardan-
Giles. It's capture in 1915 was regarded
as one of the great objectives Of the al.
lied campaign against the Central Pow.
ers. Then, towards the end of that
year, came the abandonment of the cam.
paign by the Allies, the withdrawal of
the allied forces, and the Dardanelles,
with all its high concerns, was quickly
crowded out of public thought by the
great events of the war in other thea
ters. Again and again, however, has it
been proved in.thes present struggle
that the longest way round is often the
shortest way home. The latest word
from the Near East is to the effect that
the Dardanelles is to open its gates to
the allied fleet after all.
And so when the warships of the Al.
lies sail past the, long demolished forts
of Sedil Bahr and Kun Kaleh on thru
the Narrows, and past the ancient town
of Gallipoli, out into the Sea of Marmora
one more notable incident will be. added
to the long history Of the Hellespont,
as the Dardanelles was called in ancient
times. That history begins with the be-
ginning of things. 1t was over the
Hellespont that Nerxes, in his mighty
raid IN Greece. in the Fifth Century b.
C., threw a bridge of boats for the pass
age of his host and it was across a sim
liar bridge of boats, some hundred and
fifty years later, that the armies OF
Alexander marched to the conquest Of
Asia; whilst all down the centuries, the
famous gate to the city on the Golden
Horn has figured nightly in the trou.
blous story OF the Near East.
Of the great array of stories which
cluster found the Dardanelles there is
one, of hundred or. more years age
which itlwould Seems particularly apt to
recall atsthe present time. twas dur
ing the last great struggle which fig.
ures in history al the Napoleonic Wars.
1t was after Austerlitz, at the moment
of the great despot's greatest ascen-
sion" Nations that had not yet been
conquered by her We're fastening to Sc
cur an alliance with France and
amongst these was Turkey. The Su.
lime Porte thought it well, in 1907. to
sever the connection with England
whichit had maintained all through Ma
poleon's Egyptian campaign, and to
throw in it's lot with France. Eng
lands reply was very much after the
fashion of those days. Orders were
promptly sent to Vice-Admiral Sir John
Duckworth, then stationed in the Med.
~iterranean under Lord Collingwood, ito
provide for the British Ambassadors
safety and to dictate conditions to Tur.
key under the walls OF Constantinople,,
80 WI - cllllllCIlll III
kind OF man who obeys orders, and he
Immediately sailed east. He found Mr.,
Arbuthnot, the British Ambassador. III
safety on the Island Of Tenedos, but
conditions had vet to be dictated
under tie walls Of Con5tantinople, ane
so Sir John sailed on to the mouth Of the
D~ardanelles, and on Feb. II, 1907, he be
gan his perilous passage. AT first al
went triumphantly. The British ship
easily reduced the forts on eitherasid,
Of the straits, burned several Turkish
frigates, and favored by a good wind
entered the Sea of Marmora.
On Feb. 20, Sir John arrived within
sight of Constantinople and opened ne
gotiations with the Turks. 1T was Jus
here, however, that his troubles began
The blunt E~nglishman was no match
for ..thevfirst diplomatists in Europe,
and whilst thessaTnrks held hin. ii. Il,
Observation-Disclosures; Turkish soldiers
under the direction OF French officers
Were terrifying the Dardanelles witt
tremendous energy. For nearly thre,
weeks Sir John waited lii the hope o
debating HIS terms, but at last, realiz
ing what was happening in his rear, h,
reluctantly gave orders to set sail, an,
returned west. The return journey wa
a different thing. Fortifications hai
been thrown up In all directions, an,
as his ships plowed their way along ta
narrow strip. Of water. for some thirty
three miles, amidst an almost contninu
Gus Commandment. many Of those b
board must have little hope q
coming within sigi the old castle
of cestos and AbydON
The Nee did, however. come through
and without The loss Of a single ship
thoughait was sorry spectacle which
the little squadron presented, with III
broken masts and torn sails, as It final
" labored out De the DardanelIes int,
the Aegean, and made It's way under al
sorts q ccntrivancssSt 10 reioin Lori
Collington at Malta. Sir John Duck
worthsE action vas the subject OF bite
controversy England at the time
It was regarded Az hetng an extraordl