The state herald., 1921-08-19
THE DARDANELLEs

TIE DAH1 1ANElLE-
Provision has been made for an In
ternntlonul force along the Darda-
nelles to guarantee free passage to
ships of all nations through the
straits and the Sea Of Marinora.
Even our own Mississippi or Penn
sylvania some day may rest at anchor
in this deep. swift strait, 81 iiiles In
length. between the goose-neck penin-
sula Of GallipOll and the mainland of
Turkey, or steam into the Sea Of Mar
mora and thence to the Bosphorus, for
the American jackles 10 "Ohw and
"Ah!" at the mosques and minarets of
ConstantlnOple In the distance.
Mention Of the Dardanelles conjures
before the American mind the story OF
fierce and interest-compelllng fight
In 1915 and 1915 and history which
trails back into dim neurological times
when Leander swan across its three
fonrths mile width at Abydos every
night to tell the "same old story" to
Hero. who hung her light out to In
form him she wanted to hear 1t.
Lord Byron. not to be Outd0ne us
u swimmer by his predecessor, did"
,lic HelIespont in 1870 Though 1t was
regarded as rather a prodlglous feat
when these two accomplished 1t. many
modern athletes could don their trunks
and visit their lady loves and regard
the effort as part Of their training to
keep physically fit.
Xerxes, In $50 B. c.. having IN un-
canny feeling TINT his thousands Of
Persians were not Bllllngtons and
Kellermans, lashed boats together as
bridgeway. which IIerodotus tells us
groaned for seven days nnd nights,
during the unloading OF Aslatlcs on the
soil Of Europe. Alexander the Great,
about 100 years Inter, before he was
reduced to tears at the failure Of the
world to provide him excitement, tried
out the thrill Of Xerxes by leading his
Macedonians into Asia.
The approach by which the Ameri-
can soldier and sailor will enter Con-
stantinople may well be lli;ened to the
entrance to dwelling hOuse-the OAR
danelles being the outside or storm
door, the Sea of MarmOra the vestl-
bule, and the Bosphorus the inner
door.
This storm door which is about the
width of the Hudson river, Is com
manded by the DardanelIes castles
built by MOhammed II In 147O. One
fort Is on the European side and one
on the Asiatic. Many guide books pub
lished before 1914 carried this ON
inous and prophetic sentence: '"The
castles on both sides have been lately
restored and armed with Krupp guns"
According to the treaty Of July. 1S41.
and Ne Paris peace Of 1855. no for
eign ship Of wcr was allowed to en-
ter the strait without the permlssion
Of Turkey. and merchant vessels only
during the daytime.
On ths Asiatic side a short distance
from the fort lies the town Of Darda-
nelies. which was named for Darda-
nus. the mytholo4icai ancestor Of the
Trojan king. Aeneas. and hence Of
the Roman people. This city Of $1,000
Inhabitants. situated prettily on fer
tile stretch Of land. Is the point from
which most Of the excursionists start
for the plains Of Troy. short dis
tance beyond. Here, too. ships must
stop to show their papers, the num-
ber OF merchant vessels alone during
n single yenr numbering more than
1000.
Across on the European side Il
GallIpoli or beautiful town" II was
the first European town to be cap
iured by the Turks In 1857. Superbly
located on the steep projecting coast
Of the Gallipoii peninsula. II commands
n view Of the Asiatlc side-the plains
of Troy and the broken foothills OF
Mount Ida. On this narrow peninsula
In April. 1915, allied forces were landed
In an attempt TO capture the Darda-
nelles. when the floods drove the Brit.
Ish soldiers from their trenches like
rats out OF holes Turkish snipcrs on
the hills above picked them on nlmos,
MS fast ms they appeared. The cam
pnign was abandoned In January. 1916.