THE BALKANS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10496, 5 November 1912, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

PASSAGE THROUGH DARDANELLES GRANTED.

United Press Association— ByElestrio Telegraph —Copyright. Received November 5, 9 a.m. Constantinople, November 4, The Porte has granted the Powers a passage through the Dardanelles. ' The Turks officially announce the withdrawal of Ohatalja. BRITISHERS LEAVING. Owing to the disquiet the British 1 Consul-General has despatched a j steamer to embark Britishers at ! Rodesto desirous of leaving. | DETAILS OP HORRIBLE ! MASSACRES. Sofia, November 4. The Turks at Kirk Kilisse shut Christian soldiers of an Ottoman Regiment in a house and massacred them. They killed a Bulgarian priest after {cutting off his nose and gouging out his eyes, .and they massacred women and children over the priest’s body. KING PETER. At Uskub large crowds acclaimed King Peter’s entry. The King 'assured Turkish inhabitants that they would be free to live unmolested under the new regime. THE TURKISH FLIGHT. The Turks took flight, hence the debacle. The scum began plundering and fired a depot containing ammunition. Volunteers extinguished it before it reached the shrapnel., Yankovich has reached Govstivar en route for Monastir. ANNExJITION INTENDED. It is reported that the Skuptschina next session will pass a Bill annexing the districts of Novi Bazar, Kassovo, Kumanovo, Uskub, Veles,. Prizrend and Si bra. CAPTURE” OF SUPPLIES. Belgrade, November 4. Three million cartridges, 500 rifles, and seven waggon loads of stores have been captured at Mitrovitza. THE SERVIAN ADVANCE. The Servians are within 30 miles of Monastir. , THE GREEKS. Athens, Noovember 4. The Greek fleet is cruising off the Dardanelles awaiting the Turkish fleet. A , Greek detachment was landed at Stravros and is advancing on Salonika. The Greeks occupied Nicopolis heights overtaking Preveza, blowing up the Turkish battery. The Turks and Bashibazouks fled. The Greeks captured 450 prisoners. The naval division co-operated at Preveza. The Turks sank a torpedo boat to avoid its capture. THE TURKISH BEt/lEF, Vienna, November 4. The Reichpost reports that captured Turkish officers state that Turkey believed the Bulgars to gain the attack, concentrated at Adrianople where they will bleed to death trying to capture it, giving Turkey time to mobilise. They admit want of unanimity among the leaders. The Fremdblatt warns Sefvia for having occupied Prizrend for neither military nor, national motives, but for operations beyond that point. ALLIES WILL NOT TOLERATE FOREIGN INTERFERENCE. Received November 5, 11 a.m. London, November 4. It is stated from Balkan official sources that the Allies will not tolerate foreign interference as to the conditions of peace. The whole campaign and political pro-*' gramme were pre-arranged and there was not'the least danger of a disagreement among the allies regarding the division of the territories and the definition of the frontiers.

MEDIATION. WHAT WILL THE POWERS DO? Paris, November 4, M. Poincare has suggested that prior to mediation by the Powers they should give a pledge not to make territorial claims. Britain and Russia have accepted, but Germany and Austria have not replied. Viennese papers argue that Austria is unable to pledge herself before hand without knowing the consequences. • French newspapers fear that Austria intends annexation, thus opening the way for other Powers’ ambitions, adding that Italy has an eye on Albania. * Other newspapers suspect Germany of preparing a surprise and urge M. Poincare to temporise. PORTE ASKS FOR lINTERVENTION.

It is semi-officially stated that the Porte has ashed Prance to secure the Powers’ intervention in order to stop hostilities and impose an armistice. ■ '

M. Poincare replied that Prance was unable to comply without infringing on international law, and was only to examine with all the Powers the demand for mediation properly so called if made.

WAR CORRESPONDENT’S GRAPHIC ACCOUNT. TURKS MOWED DOWN BY THOUSANDS. London, November 4. Donohoe, of the London Chronicle, was with the Turks at Chorlu, and was one of two English correspondents who were caught in the stampede. He says irrevocable disaster has befallen the Turks, followed by confusion and a rout unparalleled since Moscow. He describes it as the completest military disaster, since Mukden, and the

greatest debacle since Sedan. Forty thousand Turks have fallen, while Abdullah narrowly escaped the fate of seventy-five per cent, of hxs artillery, who are captives. The men melted like snow before the summer sun. The disintegration soon became general, and their demoralisation is complete. By handfuls the army found its way back to Ohorlu, the Bulgarians’; artillery cruelly harrassing the flying Turks and mowing the down by thousands. The terrible scenes burned themselves on his memory. Throughout the terrible fighting the superiority of the Bulgarian artillery was pronounced. The Turks were unable to withstand the murderous fire, and withdrew slowly. The gunners were dead and the majority of the horses killed by the afternoon. The Turks shelled Lule Burgas, but the civilians had previously fled, and therefore the non-combatants’ loss was insignificant. The Bulgarians launched infantry attacks and stormed. The Turks had withdrawn, but the rear-guard were caught like rats in a trap. Donohoe states that two corps of defenders, though foodless for two days, stubbornly resisted and died to a man. At the railway station, four miles from Lule Burgas, the Bulgarians were checked for a couple of hours. Here the Turkish cavalry had concentrated, under Salih Pasha and Feud Pasha. As the Bulgarians approached, they were exposed to an unexpected raking from batteries posted on the hills round the station. The shrapnel tore their ranks, and then Salih’s cavalry, dashing from concealment, swept like a tornado upon the exposed infantry. The Bulgarians turned, and the cavalry rode them down, causing extraordinary havoc. Immediately the Turks pursued, when suddenly the Bulgarian machine guns opened fire, tumbling the Turks and horses in a mangled mass. Few who entered the charge returned. Meanwhile the Bulgarians’ heavy, artillery caused the Turkish garrison to retreat, butjfew reached the hills. The Turkish artillery then concentrated on the town of Lule Burgas. Houses were destroyed and many Bulgarians killed in the ruins, but the Bulgarians got their artillery in position, and a duel commenced. The Turkish positions were badly chosen, lacking cover, and there being no trenches for the supporting infantry. The Turks lost heavily, but their severe bombardment caused the Bulgarians to temporarily evacuate Lule Burgas. Towards the evening the Bulgarians’ advance became more rapid. The infantry pushed forward with incredible speed. The artillery took up their positions as cool as in peace manoeuvres, and knew the range to a nicety. . Their marksmanship was superb and murderous. The Turks were poorly supplied with ammunition, most of which was expended in the morning’s fighti Many gunners stood at their guns unable to reply, and awaited death, which came swiftly while the whole Turkish front was harassed by a terrible fire. As time progressed, it became simply carnage, men falling in hundreds. The appalling shell fire destroyed their morale. Night fell on foodless and sleepless men, but the Bulgarians seemed endowed with relentless energy. : The dead cumbered the ground Doctors were few and there were no ambulances. . The greater portion of the wounded perished during the bitterly cold night. The retreat for perhaps an hour was orderly, but the pressure at the rear reduced the vanguard to a rout, and two hours after sunrise the Bulgarians learned what had happened to Abdullah’s army and started in pursuit. They occupied Sakzjoz. without a shot being fired in its defence. The only ray of hope lay in Muxlitar’s effort to relieve the -pressure by turning the Bulgarians’ left. Abdullah was unable to accede to the second corps’ appeal for help at Bunar Hissar, where ammunition was exhausted, nor could the centre company, at his request, hold the ground. At three o’clock on Thursday a general sauve qui pent occurred. Everything was abandoned in the stampede across the Thracian veldt. Seventy-five per cent, of the wounded were injured by shrapnel. Out of two battalions which arrived at Lule Burgas on the day of. the battle, only sis were alive at sundown. The second corps caught six Bulgarian spies, whom they courtmartialled and shot.

THE FEAR OF AUSTRIA. - London, November 4. The Daily Mail’s Vienna correspondent f sa y s Austria’s disinterestedness has become the overthrow of Turkey an impossibility. The gravest peril to European peace is that Austria should be allowed a field, she being squeezed between Europe and the Balkan League or she will find herself isolated as a disturbing factor to the concern of the Powers. ' BRITISH BATTLESHIPS FOR THE EAST. Gibraltar, November 4. The King Edward, Zealandia, Africa and Hindustan have sailed for the East. The remainder of the fleet will follow immediately.

THE, POWERS. London, November 4. Britain is communicating with the other Powers before replying to Turkey. , .. M. Poincare has proposed _ the recognition of political and administrative changes in the parts occupied by the allies, the retention of the Sultan’s sovereignty in Constantinople and surrounding region, and the summoning of a European conference to which the Balkan States will be invited. Pourparlers with the Powers are proceeding on the basis“of|M. Poincare’s proposal and are likely to be expedited by the Porte’s application aiming at the cessation pf hostilities.

BULGARIANS CAPTURE BUK RAILWAY STATION. Received November 5, 1 p.m-. Sofia, November 4. The Bulgarians, after fierce flght- < ing, captured Buk railway station | eastward of Drama, thus severing j Turkish communications from Macei donia with Adrianople. | TURKS ROUTED, i The Turks attacked the Bulgarians

in Bunaxhisar districts on Friday, but were routed, five officers and 1300 men with a quick-firing battery being captured; , BULGARIANS AND SERVIANS JUNCTION. Two Bulgarian divisions operating in Tamresli and Mehomia districts have effected a junction below NeVrOkop, and the Bulgarians and Servians have united in Varda Valley. Both armies are marching on Salonika unopposed. TURKISH GUNBOATS SUNK. Athens, November 4. Greek gunboats participating in the attack on Nicopolis sank two Turkish gunhoats. The Greek forces at Preveza included Cretan and Enirot Volunteers. Turkish officers were allowed to retain their swords. UNFOUNDED STORY. The Turkish story of the Greek defeat at Todena is unfounded. THE CROWN PRINCE’S ARMY. The Crown Prince’s army after two days’ fierce fighting routed thousands of Turks at Yenidje, including many strongly entrenched, and they hotly pursued and captured fourteen Turkish guns. ■ DESTITUTE FUGITIVES. Constantinople, November 4. Anxiety is increased hy the arrival of hosts of fugitives in a most pitiable state of destitution. The military is requisitioning bread,, the sale of which to the public is forbidden until the afternoon. GERMANS ORDERED TO TURKISH WATERS.

Berlin, November 4. The cruisers Bertha, Venita and Geyer, at present in the Mediterranean, have been ordered to Turkish waters. Two cruisers also leave Kiel. MORE WARSHIPS FOR THE LEVANT. v Vienna, November 4. {■six warships have left Trieste, presumably for the Levant. AT ADRIANOPLE. The Reichpost; says the activity of the garrison at Adrianople is diminishing. The Bulgarians hope soon to transfer their heavy siege guns to Ohataldja. FRIGHTFUL ATROCITIES. The Bashibazouks were guilty of frightful atrocities in the region southward of Babaeski. Newspaper correspondents at ; Ohorlu were imperilled. KILLED AND WOUNDED. The concensus of estimates at Sofia is that -300,000 Turks were killed and wounded at Line Burgas. The Bulgarians/during the past few days had 30,000 wounded. It is officially stated that 4000 were killed. TURKISH STEAMER WRECKED. Constantinople, November 4. The Turkish steamer Ohimlees was wrecked t at Karpin Island in the Black Sea. It. is reported 'that the crew and 42 passengers were drowned.

GREEK ARMY CHECKED. Athens, November 4, The army marching to Fiorina was checked by a superior force of Turks beyond Banitza and compelled to entrench within 2t) miles of Monastir. THE POWERS’ REPLY TO THE PORTE. ( - Paris, November 4. Government in reply to the Porte states that there is no prospect, of the allies accepting Turkish overtures as more definite proposals are necessary. It is understood other Powers are making a similar reply.