Dardanelles again

Destroyers’ 10m dash

Battle in Carpathians

Air raid on Hamburg

A little news regarding the operations in the Dardanelles has at length come through and it is gratifying to find, reading between the lines of the communication, that the position is rather better than was generally expected.

The fact of the matter is that silence is not only hard to bear but liable to misconstrue and so far as war is concerned no news is seldom looked upon as good news.

The difficulties in the way of forcing the Straits have been insisted on to such an extent, and very real the obstacles certainly are, that in some quarters doubts had actually arisen as to the possibility of the task being successfully carried through.

These doubts will not of course be entirely dissipated by the crumb of intelligence to hand this morning, but the message though short is not without detail and it has the right ring.

The destroyer Renard appears to have found it possible to make a ten mile dash up the Straits on a scouting mission, penetrating probably farther than any ship of the allied squadron so far.

The undertaking was not unaccompanied by peril for the shore guns at various points barked loudly at her as she passed. Most of the enemy fire however was drawn by the battleship London.

The active batteries were on the Asiatic side especially its howitzers but on the European side there was silence and the supposition is that the Turks have withdrawn part of their artillery here in order to mass it quickly at any spot the allied forces may choose for landing.

On Saturday too at least some of the units of the Fleet were at work, for the battleship Triumph is reported to have put a battery out of business.

Evidently, and this is the main feature of the news, the Turks and their German helpers are not getting the period of unbroken rest and they may be sure that preparations are going on all the time for the delivery of smashing blows.

Since writing, a telegram has just come to hand which indicates that there was a very heavy bombardment of the Straits forts on Monday night. The cannonade was so violent as to be heard 50 miles away.

From the two main fronts there is not a great deal of news. The surmise cautiously worded, that the Russians were not having matters all their own way, unhappily receives confirmation.

The enemy have received heavy reinforcements of late, the Germans recognising the imperative necessity of keeping control of the Passes.

The aim of the counter stroke is evidently to divide the Russian forces by driving a wedge through these two passages in the North while other Austrian forces are moving against the Russian left flank.

If the enemy can get the railway junction the advance into Hungary will be held up.

The task set however is likely to prove too big.

Unofficial messages state that an airman has been daring enough to fly to Hamburg and drop bombs on the barracks. This is pleasing news if true.