UNKNOWN

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 279, 4 May 1915, Page 6

UNKNOWN

(MhCj; and ike two grcifc carUos at the '.\r».-(li(. l :\>:!!-.i;. ciitr-nco were built hv liabemuvd !V, (lO.'a)). llui. a'l there okl works haw been repeated!;.- raeonstruetoverhaocd by lieriiMn engineers in the me'.'.nt''d 111-', largest gun fheii in exlsconce, a oil-ton Krupp, sonic twenty or two:itc-fha llin.Krupp:'., and. a mi-vel--1 menus assortment of smaller gnus. They were again remodelled shortly b-->-fM'e the Le!ka:t war of V.'U. 'Sin-.--Turkey became ilie hrl;>h,-:s puppet of (tormauyihoy !:ave yet again been take': in band by the Cormans. end r. number of modem' Krnpp.i and some, of tile famous 11.2iu Krupp howitzers are reported to have been mounted in then]. The main works on the straits are i:i two groups. The first group consists of the old castles of &d-ul-B.thr and Kum Kale, at the very entrance, where the width is two miles. In the Balkan War and the Italian War (base were sinlkaent to keep hostile war-diips at a distance. They are new believed to mount llin. and I2in. Krupps, be ;:dea a large number of old guns which are not at all formidable to modern warships.

MINEFIELD DIFFICULTIES, 'ift tin tio i iuruil J f irt-, wnir i 1 111., ip (f f is u tilt j) 1* wl i th ( l li 1 um sto li -, tli hi ihb n lii ' ( i simp 1 i I i in n i un i dib'i i sin nil 'hi sn ifl him fl ill , 11 sill lb i in 11 n 1 i 'in K p > bin tln.au ' o i l inl r(1 sin 11 i \iip i i On tl Asi tic co ist tii i i in I i ic i uon ir in i "t N U l 1 OUlf 1-) 111 ]) wi i il \ ( I Tilt \i o ui wnii i niMl i' ih (h n in 1 id i 1 di his pst 1 n h mi.. 1 i d i p i' ill (\\ i) ( d wi li Ic 1) i jieluctKi of tlu Kr ip > bll Jus i 'he list of th( f n tl llt \ ills ui lis-5 o'ncis hut c n f iuci il \>j the ( ( n us ici ih \ u He (iillu ll> of }( tn„ \ n n n< i il 1 \ On mi (b Ids winch d ' itt t In in il i ibis th Dud nc'li win i°iindrd in dibinu (f ! h < Hi ( hr i l mifi 'd it the \n\ enti ci an 1 nntlu it the > u ions "Umo i i b the J i open hi ( s in tut 1 ii 1 il in exi litioi iv t c i ltion (f iHi t wluih j *ji ( 1 ' im i ai'd bi didiailt As Al mi il I r ii 1) wioi m IHis hr ti ils o i nth isdc i f flu N mows in Kino l out ids (lib o\i b ' h s tin 1» t bin Vn ii s i m possi sirn if tin (( illipoli) jk il sill wo id be u ti pu ins oi cominandin poii ts or tin i i iPs 'uili (ould t f ll to sti p tl lllsp its iul tolbcis nid i o i'il ii no t d I'ki It foi mdi 1 \ ' to s1 i be sli ulu li i i io i it fh m v ith fonsub i uilc tin ti( n Midi wlmli in i tnfl lo \ i ould 10d.,1 limine sl\ in th mid ione clnl-t tho ( i t i' ( In b \ (i I' 1 fl\ i i f o tlu counfii w hint tl n sli litest efltit in the n iinn i t ccpt lniiiSLincnt

STRAITS TWICE FORCED. This configuration of the coast, however, would enable an amphibious Power, such as the British Empire, to dominate the straits at the most difficult and dangerous point from the land if a force was put ashore on the Gallipoli peninsula, and to give the warships immense f.ssistar.ee in their attack. Such a land ittack would probably prove decisive. The beach on the west of the Gallipoli Peninsula is well suited for a landing, aiul is only about seven mile:! from the main fort.". The straits have twice been forced in the immediate past. On February 1!), IHO7, Vice.-Adniiral Sir J. T. Duckworth, with a squadron of eight sail of the line, two frigates, and two small craft, passed up with trifling damage, losing only six men killed and 51 wounded, though the forts fired on him at close range. On his return journey he was again attacked, but he ran the gauntlet with a loss of 2!l killed and 13S wounded. On this occasion a number of immense stone shot struck his ships and two actually remained fixed in their timbers. On February, 13, IS7S, Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hornby, with the British ironclads Alexandra, Agincourt, Achilles, Swiftsure, Temeraire, and Sultan, and the despatch-boat Salamis, made the passage. The Turks were expected r.o attack him, but when he arrived off the Narrows he interchanged letters with the Governor of the Dardanelles, Hussein Pnsha, and that official informed him that "from motives of humanity" he refrained from firing. The British noticed that the tompions, or plugs, wore still in the muzzles of the Turkish guns, and saw at once that the Turks did not mean fighting. The weather was thick and snowy, and such was the. difficulty of navigation that the flagship ran aground, though she was soon got off. By a clause in the Treaty of Paris, signed in ISSO, the Dardanelles are closed to the warships of all nations except Turkey.