The Dardanelles

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1915, Page 5

The Dardanelles

ENCIRCLING ACHI BABA. MR. ASH'MKAI) IiARTLETT'S DISPATCH. CAPTURE OK BOOMERANG FoRT Tin-: tuukish i.os?::s. Loudon, Juiv I'.'.

Mr. Ashmend llartlctt reports tiuit the successful advance of the left winjj on .June 2S took place on both sides of what is universally known as the dully Kaviiie. Although our troops made no efforts to advance directly up the ravine they have, fallen on the enemy'.-, trenches on either aide and placed another mile of this valley of death in our hands. Someone has described it as 'a devil of a place.'' The description is not in-

accurate, The gully varies in depth, width and security. As you pass up it on leaving the seashore, towards Krithia it twist- and turns remarkably. At one point you may walk in perfect security behind n bluff; at another you may catch a stream of bullets from the Turkish trenches in front. The Turks know every inch of the ground. They formerly fired a tremendous number of, shells into the ravine, hut lately there has been a distinct decrease in the 1 volume of fire, pointing to shortage of I ammunition. 'Nevertheless there is quite enough shrapnel bursting, espcci ally when an attack is in progress. The ravine lies between overhanging craggy hills two hundred feet high, covered with send). In summer the heat is almost unbearable, as the sun beats down on this war-worn road with pitiless severity; but there is plenty of good water, icy cold, a srrcat boon to the crowds of perspiring, thirsty soldiers. Under the cliffs hundreds of weary men back from the trenches fling'themselves down to sleep, indifferent to shells bursting overhead. Occasionally a. man. drops from a stray bullet, yet none seeks cover, prolonged experience making all indifferent or fatalists. In. the ravine you come across lonely graves marked with a cross and the names of those who fell In the earlier engagements. Every yard we progress the gully becomes narrower and narrower. Who will over forget the- scenes witnessed in, the captured Turkish trendies and in, the ravine- itself after our infantry had occupied the positions? With the capture of the high ground all the Turks in the. ravine were killed or fled. The- Turkish positions are. invariably filthy, and if the enemy goes through the campaign without an epidemic he will have undue luck. All through the : gully was a litter of debris, scattered bodies half protruding from the ground in hastily dug graves, hundreds of rifles iiul bayonets, thousand* upon thousands of rounds of ammunition. 'We made a very big haul indeed in this last engagement, treat fires are burning at intervals. They arc avoided by all, as they give a horrid, sickly stench. These fires are burning the hastily collected 1 Turkish dead. It is all important to get the, dead out of the way quickly in this hot, climate..

War have been working unceasingly for the- last twenty-four hours bringing in our wounded. Our advance has been so successful that they tell you pride that not a man left alive is'lying out in front of the line. They were also bringing in the dead to bury them in the newlv-formed cemeteries.

The enemy trenches are packed with, debris, and an awful stench pervades everything. Flies swarm In million-. In one corner seven Turk?, with rifles across their knees, arc sitting together.. One lias his arm round a friend's neck and a smile on hist face, as if he was cracking a joke when death overwhelmed them. Ail have the appearance of being asleep, and do not show any signs of injury. Peeping carefully over the top of- the Boomerang Fort, which is being . heavily sniped by the Turks, you see how our infantrv forced their why.

The baTbed wire was swept awav by our artillery, the gunners making a neat job, for the- uprights and wire were cut in Bhreds, leaving a clear way for the infantry. The field wa> strewn with soldiers' impedimenta. The modern soldier goes into action decked like a Christmas tree, and in wild rushes gradually shakes off the superfluous equipment, which is carefully gathered after battle for further use.

In front of the Boomerang Fort was a fort called the Turkey Trot. It was even more formidable than the boomerang, but it fell easily before- the dash of our infantry. It also was full of dead. I came upon a wounded Turk, overlooked by the stretcher-bearers-, lying by himself. His chest was heaving and his hands were clenched above his head praying to himself. He was immediately brought in, but was too far gone -to live. Our soldier* are indeed extraordinary. To hear them you tremble for the fatp of any energy falling into their hands, yet the moment a trench is taken and the enemy hold up their hands they are treated with the- utmost kindness, our men shaving their water and rations with them. On a, small rise lie half a. dozen of our men killed in the final advance, whom it has been impossible to get at to bury. The sniping is too heavy, e. en at night | time, and it is impossible, to g-t them. Further up the ravines are heaps of Turkish dead piled together. In a gorse patcii further on Irs u large number of the enemy, mixed up with some of our men. There seems to have been a general melee on the morning of the 20th, when our men rushed the trenches and hunted the enemy out of the Jorse.

A BRITISH SUBMARINE. l < AT WORK IX SEA Or MARMORA. ' 'Sofia. J'lly 10. Constantinople advices state that a British submarine sank tiie .steamer JSisgas on tiie Asiatic side of the Sea of Marmora, also two lighters and a steamer which were unloading in Hardar Pasha harbor. A torpedo missed a steamer which v.-a- loading at Tophanclr quay and damaged two Uundrod yards of wharfing.

CONSTANTINOPLE'S PLIGHT.

Tin; SITTATIOX CHAOTIC. Koine, Jnl v 10. The Giornale d'ltalia states that refugees bring alarming news of the Ottoman situation. The troops at Adrianople revolted, refusing to go to Constantinople, which they call the Turkish soldiers' tomb. Enver Pasha has been summoned to restore order. A plot was discovered against Enver Pasha and the Germans, as a result of which fifty officers and soldiers were shot on Thursday without trial. Anarchy reigns at Constantinople. Private houses have been requisitioned for the wounded, the price of bread is inflated, coal is scarce, hindering navigation, and there is a shortage of doctors and medical requisites.

The persecution of Armenians and foreigners continue;. The Committee of L'niou and Progress, seeing the impending ruin, is sending emissaries to Egypt, Tunis and Libya for the purpose of fomenting crime. PIG CASUAI/rr LIST. London, July If. Mr. Asijuith, in the House of ('ominous, said the total casualties at the Dardanelles to the end-of June were: Officers: Killed .ill, wounded 1257, missing L'io, Men: Killed 704,'!, wuunded 25,557, missing 7401. TURK A CLEAN KIGUTEIi. .Sydney, July •£). Captain Lean, referring to the alleged atrocities, says the,. Turk is rather a maligned person, who certainly de.es not, compare with the German- in ('rightfulness. At the snnii 1 time the army may contain Kurds, Circassians, and other wi'.d men, who would be responsible for anything. Once the dead bodies of New Zealamlers, stripped of clothos, were thrown up as a parapet for a trench which; the Turks retook. Th;re wa-s no evident") whatever that the botlios were harmed- in anv way.

A. TURKISH REPORT. Vienna, July lib A Turkisb official message sayis: "Our bombardment of the camps- at 'JBeko' Rtirmi and Sotld ul Ruhr caused fires ami explosions.' 1