THE DARDANELLES

Taranaki Daily News, 5 November 1915, Page 5

THE DARDANELLES

SUBMARINE ACTIVITY. MONITORS BOMBARD THE COAST Paris, Nov. 3. A communique states: —Between October 20 and November 1 at the Dardanelles there was only a mine explosion to our advantage. British monitors twice bombarded the military establishments at Gallipoli, and despite protective nets and mines many lines deep, British and French submarines passed the Straits, co-operating iu the Sen of Marmora where they are making the movement of Turkish vessels and the reprovisioning of the Turks on the peninsula particularly difficult.

BULGARIAN TROOPS. TO ASSIST TEE TURKS. Athens, Nov. 3. Two thousand Bulgarian soldiers p?.ssed through Constantinople towards Gallipoli. BURGLARS AT SMYRNA. BRITISH CONSULATE ROBBED. Athens, Nov. 3. Turks made a burglarious entry into the British Consulate at Smyrna and removed the archives.

LOSS OF THE MAJESTIC. MR. BARTLETT'S EXPERIENCES. A FAIRLY "TALL" YARN. London, Nov, 3. Mr. Ashmead-Bartlett, describing his personal experiences on the Majestic, said the vessel was moored close inshore at Cape Holies. It was protected by a lino of transports, 'but lie felt certain the end might come at any moment., because he did not doubt that the submarine which attacked the Triumph would return. He laid plans what to do in the event of the ship sinking, and kept a lifebelt handy. It was a beautiful bright night, and the sea was as calm as a lake, lie went to sleep on deek, and was aroused ill the morning by someone rushing by

vlio trod on .him, and shouted "A torpedo i-i coining." The. explosion followed immediately. He heard a heavy, dull sound. There was no shock on deck, but the old Majestic was jerked on lo the pert Side, and remained with a heavy list. The noise was as if the. contents of every pantry in the world had fallen simultaneously. lie was disgusted to find that he had forgotten to inflate his lifebelt, but lost no time in getting away from the ship, which threatened to turn turtle at any moment.. A rushing crowd .swept liii'n down a ladder, and another rush pushed him over the side. lie fell on the net -lieli", and rebounded into the sea and went under. The sea was crowded with men calling for assistance. He saw a boat packed with men, with others clinging .to the gunwale, and swum to it and hung on the gunwale. He was unable to haul himself in, but a sailor dragged him over. The small cutter, supposed to hold thirty, bad ninety-four on board.

'I he .\l.tjestie was an extraordinary .spectacle. She had such a list that men could not stand on the deck, but rolled right over. Only the ram was showing above water when she rested on the pea bottom. As she sank a sailor ran the whole length of the keel and sat astride the ram, and was taken off not oven wetted. Some of the crew were dragged down in the fatal nets, and others were killed by the explosion. The fact that only fifty were lost was due to lifebelts, the smallness of the suction, and the prompt assistance from a crowd of boats.