The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-09-27

most famous straits of olden times,
where Helle drowned and 10, Hera's
rival, forded the Bosporus.
Now the upper entrance TO the
Hellespont has been reached, with
Gallipoli on the opposite shore. Just
under the hull is a level hill where
there used 10 be Turkish fort.
A little farther on Lapsaki comes
into view. 1t used TO be Lampsacus
and was famous for its wine and Pri-
apic worship. The town, being made of
mud and stone, may have moved about
a bit, but the name has lowered right
there since the days when Themis-
tocles was its monarchos and the idea
of hereditary monarchy was new.
Lapsaki has its own little marina,
but the main town stands back from
the water, its reddish-brown roofs ar
ranged in seemingly perfect squares.
The junction of land and water here
is of extreme beauty, the shoreline
edged with greenish blue breaking
away to the royal purple Of the deep
ct wafer.
The ship seemingly increases its
speed over the narrows where Leander
swan to see Hero and set an example
for Lord Byron and others. On a
bridge of boats Xerxes crossed here
to invade Europe. A century and a
half later Alexander returned the
compliment.
Beyond the Gallipon peninsula one
can see Suvla Bay and below is the
old tower of Chanak Kalessi, until re-
Gently ringed with modern forts.
Across the narrow neck of water is
the trefoil fort of Kilid Bahr, stalk
less ace of clubs spiked down with a
tall central tower.
And here is Troy, immortalized by
Homer and Vergil, described by Stra-
BIO, rain soaked, soggy plain, cut by
mere brooks and utterly without dra-
matte quality.
The whole outline Of Tenedos may
be seen as one flies along, its central
portion cultivated, its shoreline
notched by ways to which the Greeks
withdrew, leaving the wooden horse
outside the Trojan walls.
The Isles of Greece.
There are pitch-black clouds ahead,
their lower sides festooned with wav-
ing wisps of rain like Spanish moss.
The plane swoops down to 1900 feet.
The long line Of Lemnos fills the
horizon at the right, and through the
opposite window Lesbos (Mytilene)
detaches itself from the flank of Asia
Minor. Only indistinct suggestions of
land lie ahead.
Skyros shoulders her blood-red,
craggy cliffs toward the ships path.
When the flight has lasted three hours
an Acropolislike plateau on Euboea
shows itself. For the first time the
plane dives directly toward the land
to find low, narrow pass above cul.
tivated fields, salmon pink amid gray
rock and lush green and dotted with
circular stone threshing floors near
the Gulf of Petali.
Then comes the supreme thrill; for
there, sweeping round in perfect
curve like a gold-edged scimitar laid
against the blue, is the Plain of Mar.
athon. Hoary-headed Parnes looms be.
yond, and Pentelicus, neighbor OF
| Athens and mother Of her marbles
suggests how short a flight remains
yet how long that run for Phidippides
bringing news that the Modes and
Persians were in fight and that Milti
AIDES had won!
A wheel OF spokelike roads, cutting
| the fertile Mesogaias, centers in Mark
opoulon. At least a dozen pleasant
villages are in sight at once, pear
gray, amid crop and plow-stippled
1 fields pushed TO the limit of mans en-
durance against the dull skeleton OF
| Attica.
Now the Saronic Gulf Is below
| opalescent tints showing on an oyster
shell-shaped beach. What seems to be
| the mainland to the left is really the
| island of Salamis. From Marathan tC
Salamis, a ren-year struggle for the
| Persians, and the flyer can cover Il
in the sweep Of an eye!
A brightly tinted new town, it
landscape gardening reduced to the
proportions of painting, grows be
low as the plane descends. Little Lyka
bettos spears up TO the right, and the
Acropolis begins TO assume fraction
of its wonted dignity, as the very
heart and center Of Greek life.
There is a bus terminus, and dowr
the plane comes, flashing past new
villas and deserted piers. One fina
glance for the flyers at that historic
plain between Parnes and Hymettos
and down their ship splashes like {
duck, in Phaleron Bay, TO the east OF