National Republican., 1886-12-22
The Importance of sea-Coast Defenses
for San Francisco Bay.

The Importance of sea-Coast Defenses
for San Francisco Bay.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: There ap-
pears to be a substantial agreement among
people who have given thoughtful attention
to the subject Of providing adequate defenses
for our exposed sea coast that the work OF
erecting the necessary armored forts, with
heir armament Of modern guns Of high power,
and the procurement OF the other instru-
mentalties Of defense, Is n great patriotic duty,
which should not be hampered In its execu-
tion by partisan antagOnisrns. The recent eN-
prosslons upon the subject by the President,
The Secretary of War, and the Secretary OF the
Navy are worthy of commendatiOn by every
good citizen. They accord perfectly with the
Much has been written Of late upon the inn
portance of defending our Atlantic seaportsi
subject But let us not forget the duty which
the country also owes in this regard to the Pa
cliic coast.
The need of adequate defenses for the bay
OF San Francisco Is apparent II Is stated IN
the recent report of the board on fortihoa-
tions'and other dcfenses that at the present time
the bay can easily be entered by an enemy's
Vallejo, and the Mare Island navy yard be
destroyed or held for ransom. The peninsula
OF san Francisco Is n veritable Gibraltar from
military point Of view and besides II occu-
pies n position OF inestimable importance
commercially.
But while the fortress ut Gibraltar does not
command the entrance to the Mediterranean,
and the commercial value OF the position Is
still an enigma, the Golden Gate" can be
perfectly commanded by steel guns and other
appliances of war, and San Francisco is the
natural entrepot OF a vast area west oil the
Rocky mountain divide. The geographical
characteristics and commercial Importance of
the bay OF San Francisco may perhaps be the
better appreciated by saying that II is the only
great harbor and safe roadstead OF the Pacific
coast from Cape Flattery to San Diego, dis
tance of $50 miles, equal TO the distance from
Eastport Me-, TO Beaufort, 8. c., and that
along this whole coast there extends q chain
Of mountains broken only by the Columbia
river and San Francisco bay. This geological
,Sh wIse trade 'T such S0n"0S as we have on % the
Atlantic seaboard. For this reason the great
currents of internal commerce on the Pacific
SLOPE mnSt iiy ew9ys move Pn lnerlPT TbntH inas
meet Mt San Francisco bay, where nature has
provided the only harbor for maritime COM
merce on the Pacific coast south Of the mouth
cisco occupies much more important po'
| siiion with respect to the commercial and in
| dustrial interests OF the western side Of the
continent than does any one OF our Atlantic
| seaports with respect to tho eastern side. Vast
| commercial and industrial interests through.
| out the Pacific slope would, therefore, suffer
| by the fall of San Francisco
The value OF destrictible property In San
| Francisco alone is Slsl, 900 600, and the valu
| Of all the towns and cities on San Francisco
| DNy lullN
Bat the political interests involved In the
| defense of San Francisco and San Francisco
| bay ought perhaps to be regarded ms para.
| mount even 10 the important property and
| commercial interests to which reference has
| Just been made. While the war Of the rebel
| lion was going on 1t was deemed n matter OF
| sufficient Importance from a political as well
| as commercial point OF view, to expedite the
| construction Of the Union and Central Pacific
| railroads by on enormous land grant and a
| loan OF the national credit to the extent OF
| SCI 100000. But how much more important
to-day are both the political and the COM
| merCial considerations involved In the defense
| of San Francisco bay.
The board on fortifcatiOns and other de-
fenses, composed of military and civil ex-
| perts, in their report rendered jan, %, 1856
| estimate the cost Of adequate defenses for San
| Francisco at S27 SOS l50, which includes sl0-
| 725, 600 for Floating batteries and their arma-
ment. These batteries are necessary as sub
stitutes for forts in the case OF San Francisco
for the reason that II Is not possible to place
guns in defensive position upon the land far
enough from the city in order to prevent yes
sells nom approaching 1t within shelllng dis
| tance. When the cost OF the necessary saR-
coast defensCs for San Francisco is cOntraSted
with the important commercial industrial
| and political interests which would thereby be
| protected, delay in providing such works seems
| TO indicate a lack of sensibility 70 the honor
| ard dignity of the country, and blindness tC
an essential condition Of its safety.
HUNTINGTON, LONG ISLAND, N. V, Dec. 90 1856