The Raymer enterprise., 1921-09-29

rose 70 power. the giories Of CyZicu,
passed away. To-day practically nuth
Ing is left Of the once great city, foI
Byzantines and Turks alike used tht
old buildings In the place Of natural
anarries as sources OF stone with
which to build the latest metropolis OF
the Marmora and the Bosphorus.
Nic0meda. now lsinid, AT the ex.
treme Ell stern end OF the MaruIora
was another city Of world importance.
Under the Emperor Diocletian ii was
for brief time the capital Of Rome.
and the world Nicaea, just to the
south OF NicomedIa and a short dis.
tance inland, has three times been the
seat Of empire Twice the Turks. be-
fore they reached Constuntinople,
made II capital rlyaling 10 degree
old Bag,lad and for more than half
the Thirteenth century. between lis
peaks Of Turkish brilliance. while the
Franks held Constantlnople, II was the
capital Of the Byzantine empire.
There, too, the Nlccne creed, land
mark In the crystallization Of Girls.
tian theology was framed.
Chalcedon, Rodosto, HeracIeIa Per.
inthOs, Selymoria were other centers,
no mean cities In their dny, which have
disappeared or dwihd'ed 10 insigniti.
cance. Thriving communities In al.
most each case until the Turk ap-
pcared on the scene, they have been
since touched with the blight TO pros.
perity and progress that is said ever
10 follow his steps.
8osphorus Most important.
Shorter and narrower than the Dar.
danelles, the BosPhorus. third link in
The chain of historic waters that sep.
arates Asia Minor and Europe, is per-
hgps most important; 1t is the imme-
date gate TO and from the great Black
sea which reaches toward the heart Of
southwest Europe To dominate Il is
to dominate one of the worlds great
trade routes, fact which has been
put TO good account from the days Of
pre.ByzantIne Greeks to those Of Sci.
juk Turks. The strait Is about TWEEN.
~ miles long and varies In width from
l.sO0 feet or third Of a mile to two
allies, Darius chose not the narrOws
hut a point at which the shores are
more than haIf-mlle apart as the
site for his famous bridge Of boats.
The water In the Bosphorus is over
100 feet deep. A mighty current flows
along the surface from the Black sea !;
but beneath the surface return eur.
rent Of water flows In the reverse di.
rectlon. A similar inbound current
flows from the Mediterranean to the
Sea of Marlnora, furnishing for the
Black sea at least an answer to the
old query: Why is the sea salti
The Seljuk Turks recognized the
strategic Importance Of the Bosphorus;
and crossing II above Constantinople
In 1852, built on the European shore
the old "Cut-throat Castle" only seven
miles above the city. With the Bos-
phorus in their control, they captured
The ancient capital the following year.
Until the conclusion OF the World
war and the adoption of the treaty OF
Sevres with defeated Turkey, the
Turks had sat for over 800 years as
the masters OF the Bosphorus.
Many Nations Around Black Sea.
At the northern end of the Bosphor.
us lies the, Black sea--a dark, forbid
ling ocean to the landsman and well
worthy of its name, 0pe wonders that
ihe early Greeks named II Euxinos,
,ignifying friendly to strangers" un-
less they did so by way Of offering
. propitiatory complaint to the angry
sea god. Here We are dealing with
no small sea comparable In size to
our lakes. but with a great expanse Of
water $50 miles long and from 200 to
100 miles wide, which would cover
Mississippi. Georgia. Alabama and
South Carolina and considerable
part Of Tennessee into the bargain.
Around the Black sea are now
grouped more nations than Its waters
ave touched, perhaps. ut any other
ime In history. Just beyond the mar
'ow zone Of the straits and the tiny
,atch to which Turkey-in. Europe has
'hrunk, Greece, forging northward,
low has strip Of the coast. Next
'omes Bulgaria with a shoreline Of
lbout 100 miles; and beyond II lies
soumania, occupying the greater part
II the western end Of the sea. Across
he north stretches Russia, and In the
AS, lie Georgia and Armenia. Stretch
ng along the rocky south shore Is
Hardly less interest.
d In the Black sea are inland Austria,
zecho-Sloyakia, Hungary and Jugo-
iIavia, whose commerce reaches itS
tars, nvar tho nan.ta