Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-23
home AND ABROAD.
RUMOR OF A PLOT ON FOOT TO
DEPOSE POWDERLY.
Terrible Storm in Matters
in Ireland-Pacific Coast De-
fenses Recommended.
lsPEcIAL DISPATCHES TO THE RECORD uS1oS.l
COAST DEFENSES
Strong Recommendation for Protecting
San Francisco Harbor.

strong Recommendation for Protecting
San Francisco Harbor.
WAsHINGroN, December 22d.-Joseph
Nimmo, ex-Chief of the Bureau of Statis-
tics. has written a letter to The National
Republican on the deficiency of coast de-
fenses in California. Nimmo saws: The
Golden Gate can be perfectly commanded
by steel guns and other appliances of war,
and San Francisco is the natural entrepot
of the vast area west of the Rocky Mount
ain divide. The geographical characters
tics and commercial importance of the Bay
of San Francisco may perhaps be better APP
preciated by seeing that it is the only great
harbor and safe roadstead of the Pacific
coast from Cape Flattery to San Diego
distance of 1850 miles, equal to the dis
tance from Eastport, Maine, to Beau
fort, South Carolina, and that along
this whole coast there extends a chain
of mountains broken only by the Column
bia river and San Francisco bay. This
geological feature of the continent forbids
a coAstw S trade such as we have on the
Atlantic seaboard. For this reason the
great currents of internal commerce on the
Pacific slope must move almost exclusively
on railroads. Those lines meet at San
Francisco bay, where nature has provided
the only harbor for maritime commerce on
The Pacific coast south of the mouth of the
Columbia river.
Relatively San Francisco occupies a
much more important position, with respect
to the commercial and industrial interests
of the western side of the continent, than
does any one of our Atlantic seaports with
respect to the eastern side. The vast COM
mercial and industrial interests throughout
the Pacific slope would therefore suffer by
the fall of San Francisco. The value of de-
Structble property in San Francisco
alone is 51S1 100000 and the value of all
the towns and cities on San Francisco Bay
fully $500, 100000; but the political inter
ests involved in the defense of San Fran
cisco and San Francisco Bay ought perhaps
to be regarded as paramount, even 10 the
important property and commercial inter-
ests to which reference has just been made.
While the war of the rebellion was going
on it was deemed q matter of sufficient i'm
portance-from political, as well as COM
mercial, point of view to expedite the
construction of the Union and Central Pa
cific Railroads by an enormous land grant,
and the loan of the national credit to the
extent of SOL 900 900, but how much more
important to-day are both the political and
the commercial considerations involved in
the defense of San Francisco Bay?
The Board on Fortifications and Other
Defenses, composed of military and civil
experts, in their report rendered January
%, 1886. estimates the cost of adequate de-
fense for San Francisco at 81, 1868, $50,
which includes $40, 725 600 for floating bat
teres and their armaments. These ba.-
teries are necessary as substitute for forts
in the case of San Francisco, for the reason
that it is not possible to place guns in
defensive position upon land, and far
oft IN orlar 70
vessels from approaching it within shelling
distance. When the cost of the necessary
sea-coast defenses for San Francisco are
contrasted with the important commercial,
industrial and political interests which
would thereby be protected. the delay in
providing such works seems to be indicative
Of want of sensibi ity 10 the honor and dig
nity of the country, and blindness to an
essential condition of its safety.