BALKAN WAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1710, 29 March 1913, Page 5

BALKAN WAR.

FIGHTING AT CHATALJA. BULGARIANS PRESS TURKISH MAIN LINE. CARNAGE AT ADRIANOPLE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. March 28, 10.35 p.m.) Sofia, March 28. The Bulgarian advanced guard havo occupied Chatalja village heights, eastward of Akalan, and the Turks have been driven back lo their principal lino at Chatalja, ivhe.ro tho Bulgarians now occupy their, fofmer position. When niws was received of the fall of Adrianople, cheers were given along tho line from tho Black Sea to tho Sea of Marmora, and the troops on the Bulair line, on tho Gallipoli Peninsnla, took up the cheering from the Sea of Marmora Hi to Aegean Sea.

NO COMMENT BY TURKISH PAPERS. (Rec. March 28, 10.25 p.m.) Constantinople, ItaTch 28. The artillery duel on. the .right wing at Chatalja closed on Thursday evening. The papers mako no comment. Sofia, Mhrch 27. The evacuation of Chatalja is not confirmed. Sofia, March 27. The Bulgarians, after a fight, reOccupied Chatalja town. THE TAKING OF AbRIANIOPLE. REGIMENTS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN BLOWN UP. . ■ ! Sofia, March 27. Details of tho • assault oh Adriaiioplo show that herds, of cattle were 6ent out in front to avert dangers from mines and trenches. Mail-clad soldiers, provided with bucklers, cut tho ttiro entanglements surrounding the forts, whose bhstioned wails were on rocks 40ft. high; Theso were stormed with tho bayonet. ,The Servians in the north-west fought bravely, though their task wad not to carry the forts. it iS stated that one' Servian and one Bulgarian regiment were blown up. Bulgarians are distributing food to all the poor in'-Adrariople. THIRTY-'EIGHT THOUSAND PRISONERS. (Rec. March 28, 10.25 p.m.) Sofid, March 28. King Ferdinand received Shukri, tho Turkish commander at ' Adrianople, .at Tirnova. Thirty-eight thousand 1 prisoners were takeii at Adrianople, including 58 German and Rumanian officers. Six hundred and forty guns wcro also captured. i

BULGARIA'S FALLEN HEROES. (Rec. March 23, 10.25 p.m.) ' Sofia, March 28. The Sobrahjo has adopted resolutions of gratitude foi- tho army's glorious exploits. The deputies, standing, also joined in prayer for the reposo of the Souls of the country's fallen heroes. .TURKISH FORCE SARD PRESSED. ■' (Rec. Slaroh 28, 10.25 p.m.) Cetirijc, March 28. - The reported surrender of Djfivid Pasha and'twelve thousand Turks to the Servians was prematiU'o. Djavid Pasha' offered to Surrender if ho was allowed to retain his sword. ' Ho is still-negotiating. . ' THO FOREIGNERS AT SCUTARI. (Rec. March 28, 10.35 p.m.) Vierina, Maroh 28. It is believed that' the Powers nro pressing tho Porte to instruct Essex! Pasha to release the civilians at Scutari. , GRAECO-fiULGARiAN RIVALRY. ■ (Roc. March 28, 1i.30 p.ru.) Salonika, March 28. The Greek army from Tanina is concentrating hero with a view td checkmating the Bulgarians, ,who are in considerable forco at Seres.

the chatalja Lines. , BULGARIAN POSITION DESCRIBED. The Chatalja position consists of a line b£ fortifications 'extending across the Thracian peninsula .from Lake' BilyUk Tchekmedche, on.thb Sea of Marmofti; to Lake Derkbs, by the Black Sea.i nt a point about twenty-five' miles wst. of Constantinople. . Along a land-front Of Some fifteen or-sixteen miles are.disposed a series of redoubts . and field-works; thirty in number, which, . froni. thfeir commanding natural situation along a ridgo 500 feet high, constitute a'formidable defence of the capital.; In the rainy season the 1 swamps, and marshes which extend almost parallel with tile line of forts would render the approaches almost inaccessible. The railway from . Adl'ianople to Constantinople treverses, the,lines at Chatalja and Baghchbtch. Tho lines themselves werd designed by von Bhiltm Pasha in 1877, at the, beginning of. tlio llusso-Turkish war. and in 1878 the Russians for a time-lay in front'of them; In. recent years tlicy have .been bbnsiderabiy strengthened. It is known that many of tho guns in them were taken to Adrianople, but these .inay liave been replaced by heavy guns from tho Bosphorus. Imagine two high roof ridges, and between thein a ; stretch of flat roof; on each ridge an angry cat; and thpro is a vulgar picture of the battle position at Chatalia. . A correspondent .of. thb ."Morning l'ost," lately with tile Bulgarian army, last mouth gave an iiitetesting description, of. the, Chatalja linbs. Ho said: "I had thb good fortune to see tho whole bxtent of tho Bulgarian position. Having won permission to join tho Third Army. I. t'lisbcd from Kirk Kilisse through. Chbrlu id Silviri towards Chatalja. .. I left Silviri on the morning of November, 11, haviiig been informed there that the Tliii-d Amiy was not at Chatalja, but at eithbr Arjenli or Etnvynikioi on the left (lank., That was all the mora rbasOie to piislion to Chatalja and sob tllb right flank.' An ai-tillery officer gave me a friendly welcomo there, and csborted iiio into the lines. Through a great gorfee .wo passed ihto tlie little valley . wheto' Chittaljii village rests. Oh our right was the Sea bt Marmora, stretching a niashy inlet quite, close to the villagb. Oil this ■'iilbt tlio Bulgarian tight flank rested. The position,at this point, I cbuld see, was <ht.eildetl purely to bo a 'holding' oiie. But I was struck, even so, by (he care with which the Bulgarians dug theinselves in. Every giin, evbry limber had its pit or epaulment. All guns werbiii contealed positions, tildked away behiiid folds of thb giatit lulls. The .infantry benches were the best I had seen on the campaign, aiul were masked by plants of Turkish tobacco. After I had spent a couple of bouts examining tho Chatalja flank of the Bulgarian position the commandant discovered that my credentials were for the Third Army, on the left flank, and I was passed along the lines to there. As I did not hurry, being anxious to sec as much as possible of tho Bulgarian dispositions and of tho Turkish entrenchments tonfrontiiig us, night fell before I reached Ermenikioi, attd I spent that tveninp at Arjenli, in the centre of the Bulgarian position, "The next mt>rhin<; a blundering guide allowed me to go to the extreme left flaiik ' bn the Blrtck Sea before it dawned oil him that my proper place was at the Stilll Head((iiatters, two utiles nearly behind the lines. On the left, flank I was struck again by tho care with which the Bulgarians had entrenched.".