Turkey Doomed

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 230, 8 March 1915, Page 5

Turkey Doomed

THE ALLIES APPROACH CONSTANTINOPLE. INTENSE ACTIVITY' IX THE DARDANELLES. AN EFFECTIVE BOMBARDMENT. Athens, March 5. The bombardment of tin; Dardanelles has been resumed with extraordinary intensity. Each shot of the 15-ineh guns of the Queen Elizabeth scattered thousands of tons of rocks. The Turks, with the forts and batteries destroyed ,and entirely demolished, have abandoned their strongholds. Paris, March 5. A communique states that, during the operations in the Dardanelles on Thursday, trawlers, despite the gale, draggedi the Straits. The cruiser D'Eiitrecasteiiux demolished the semaphore and lighthouse at Arsoun and'the .Taureguiberry, a battleship, destroyi d an oil depot. Athens, March 5. The Allies bombarded the forts of Kilid Balir, Medjidieh and Nagara. Part of the fire was directed over one of the headlands. Erne. March 5. Admiral Slouchon is on beard the Ereslau, which, with the light cruiser? Ilaniidied and Medjidieh and four destroyers, is anchored at Nagara. ADMIRAL GARDEN'S REPORT. BOMBARDING THE NARROWS. SMYRNA TO BE TAKEN. Received 7, 5.5 p.m. London, March 6. The Admiralty has issued Vice-Ad-miral Carden's further report on the Dardanelles. Action was impossible until the afternoon of the 3rd, when the Irresistible, Albion, Triumph, and Prince George resumed the attack on Fort Dardanos and concealed guns in ihe neighborhood. The weather was fine. On the 4th mine-sweeping and bombarding within the Straits was continued steadily. Demolition parties, covered by marines, were landed at Kumkale, Seddulbhr, and continued the clearance of the ground at the entrance to the Straits. Skirmishes occurred, the enemy holding the villages in force. Our casualties on the 4th totalled nineteen killed, twenty-five wounded, and three missing. The Queen Elizabeth on th" sth commenced an attack by indirect fire upon the defences at the Narrows, supported bv the howitzers from the Inflexible and Prince George. The latter's fire was confined to forts Dumilich, Medjidieh, Tabia, Hamadieh Tabia, and Namazeh. The Queen Elizabeth fired twenty-nine rounds with satisfactory results. A . magazine was blown up at Medjidieh, which is an important fort, with the best and heaviest guns. The other two forts were damaged. Though much fired upon by concealed guns, the ships were not hit.

The Sapphire again fired upon the troops at Adramvti, destroying the military station at Tudburna. The Commander-in-Chief of the East India station, Vice-Admiral Pierse, has arrived with a squadron of battleships and cruisers o(I Smyrna. The methodical bombardment of Fort Yenickoli was carried out for iwo hours, thirty-two Jiits doing considerable damage. Two heavy explosions occurred, apparently from magazines. The fire was not returned, and bombardment at closer range has now begun. The reduction of Smyrna defences is a necessary incident in the main operations.

THE FLEETS IRRESISTIBLE. TURKS REMOVE ARTILLERY. Received 7. 5.5 p.m. 1 Bucharest, March fi. The Turks and Germans, realising that they are powerless to prevent the fieri penetrating the Dardanelles, ai'e hastily disarming some of the forts and transporting the guns to islands in the Sea of Marmora. The civil population is insufficiently fed, and is murmuring against the Germans. Fifty German officers passed Bucharest en route from Berlin.

THE DEFENCE OF CONSTANTINOPLE. TURKS PREPARING. Received March 7, 11 p.m. Constantinople, March 7. In view of the threatened occupation by the Allies, it is reported hero that the Turks propose to defend the_ capital vigorously. BOMBARDMENT OF SMYRNA. Received 7. 7.7 p.m. Athens, March 7. Mine-sweeping has been completed as far as Ch.itiak. The British have resumed the bombardment of the forts at Smyrna, anil 'are vigorously shelling the batteries at Two Brothers llill..

TURKS RECALLED FROM EGYPT. NO HELP FROM TIIIC TRIPLTCE. Received 7. 5.5. p.m. London, March 0. Bucharest reports that Turkey received small comfort from an interchange of telegrams with Merlin and Vienna. Austria, replying to a request for immediate naval help, admonislud Turkey against despairing of final victory, and advised her to transfer the capital tu somewhere in Asia. It is reported that the Turks operating about the Sinai Peninsula have been hurriedly re-called to ('im-tantninple, entirely freeing Egypt. There is ;in unconfirmed rumor that the Sultan has left Constantinople. THE STTKI.LIXi; OF THRACE. Received 7. 5.10 p.m. London, March f>. Official.'—A French warship shelled Thrace. She hit, a submarine in tie' channel, and it disappeared. MORE "STIKFKXIXf!" WASTED. OERMAX OFFICERS TH'RRTED TO TU F. FROXT. Tlereivcd 7, ">.- r > p.m. Amsterdam, March 0. A number iS o"rman (DVnrs have left the tront in l-ianee jer Constantinople l iv--ninahK' {,■ tpke eom'naed of th 1 !i]X