Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1907 — SEA COAST DEFENSES. [ARTICLE]

SEA COAST DEFENSES.

Atlantic Seaboard Can Look After Itself Without Battleships. The determination to send the battleships of the North Atlantic fleet to the Pacific coast, whence, even in the gravest emergency, they could not return in less than two months, has letT to some anxious inquiry regarding. the security of the great cities along the Atlantic in the possible event of attack from an enemy’s fleet. The grave anxiety which-attended—the departure of the Atlantic fleet for the Caribbean,' in the Spanish war. when it was feared that a port of the Spanish navy was on the high seas bound for the North Atlantic, has not been forgotten, and there is some disposition to question the wisdom of a move which might leave Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Charleston and other great centers "without protection,”

The conditions are, however, radically different, from those which obtained in 1898, atid, according to the military experts, the cities and harbors of the At-, lantic 'coast would be amply protected from capture or bombardment by the coast defenses, which have been so extensively improved in the last ten years. Of course, the presence of a fleet along the Atlantic coast in time of war would be essential to prevent the landing of an invading army at points not covered by the coast defenses, but the harbors and great cities would be entirely safe. ,Only one weak spot remains, and plans Tor its protection have been perfected, although the money necessary has not been appropriated. The weak spot is the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, which is out of range of the great disappearing guns of Fortress Monroe. In the opinion of the National Coast Defense Board, “with the entrance as it now is, unfortified, & hostile fleet, should it gain control of the sea, can establish, without coming under the fire of a single gun, a base on its shores, pass in and out at pleasure, have access to large stores of valuable supplies of all kinds, and paralyze the great trunk lines of railways crossing the head of the bay.”

The entrance to Chesapeake Bay is 12 miles from Fortress Monroe, while the effective range of the big guns there installed is only 12,000 yards. To remedy this defect, it is proposed to construct an artificial island, practically midway between Capes Charles and 'Henry, and to erect thpreon a modern battery of disappearing guns of the most effective character. But in all the harbors of the Atlantic, on which have been built large cities, giant strides been made in establishing effective coast defenses. A year ago $72,750,000 had been expended on the coast defenses of the country, most of this sum being used along the Atfltntic coast. Something over $50,000,000 remains to be spent to complete the defense* in accordance with the present plans. This year Congress has appropriated sl,624,000 for the continuance of the work. Of this sum, $150,000 has been set aside for the construction of a 14-inch gun for the artificial island above referred to, $475,000 is being expended for submarine mines, $125,000 for searchlights and $700,000 for the establishment of fire control stations. Under the present system every foot of navigable water in the harbors Is covered by the powerful guns which have been installed in the coast defenses. Every channel is susceptible of being mined according to plans already worked out, the preliminary work, including the assembling of paraphernalia, having been so carefully done that every harbor on the Atlantic could be effectively mined on 48 hours’ notice.