St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-29
NEED CoAL1NG STATIONS.
Uncle Sam Dependent on Britain
in Caribbean Waters.

WASHINGTON. April 2S.-The recent
experience of Admiral Meade in his
cruise with a squadron through the
waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the
Caribbean sea has served to again at
tract the attention of the officials of
the navy department to the necessity
of acquiring at least one or two coal
ing stations in those waters for the
use of the navy. Although the cruise
lasted only q few weeks the difficulty
of procuring sufficient supply of coal
at different points and at reasonable
prices has strikingly indicated the
trouble that may be expected when it
snail be necessary to maintain for long
periods OF time or perhaps permanent
~ number of cruising gunboatS in
those waters. Such a contingency is
being prepared for by the construction
OF number of boats calculated for
just such service. The sources of coal
supply in that section are at present
largely in British possessions The
price Is always high in some ports, but
it is very much higher in others, being
known to reach to SIS ton at Colon at
times.
Now that the navy has rid itself al
most entirely of sail power and the
ships rely altogether ON steam, the
amount of money expended in coal is
assuming formidable proportions and
the naval authorities are using all
their ingenuity to keep down these ex-
penses without injury to the service
Perhaps for this reason a number of
officers who had not regarded favor
ably the proposition to establish coal
ing stations outside of the United
States are now becoming convinced
that such plan would be decidedly in
the interest of economy In the case of
Admiral Meade's cruise, to prevent the
laying of eXtortionate charges for coal
the navy adopted the plan OF contract
ing with an American firm to deliver
coal alongside the vessels of the squad
ron at some. of the ports. This plan
worked well within certain limits, and
a considerable economy was effected
But there were grave objections to the
adoption of such a plan as a perman-
ency.
1t requires the arrangement of the
movements of the vessels of the squad
ron with great exactness a long time
In advance, and this would be quite
impossible in times of trouble Just
when the ships are required to be we'll
supplied with coal SO as to be able to
make sudden movements. There is
also reason to believe that while no
objection has yet been made to this
experiment, the nations owning the
ports where the coal is transferred to
our cruisers will not permit the Drac-
tice to continue without the collection
of heavy duties on coal, and up to this
time no thoroughly satisfactory meth
cd has been found by which the coal
can be transhipped on the open sea.
But aside from these purely econoini-
cal reasons for the establishment of
coaling stations, a much stronger one
is found in the fact that in time of
war, under the neutrality laws. our
ships would be excluded from the priv
ilege of recoaling in foreign ports, and
would thus be absolutely prevented
from hostile operations. if they did
not fall easy victims to an enemy bet
ter equipped with bases of coal sup
ply. 1t is said by naval officers that
the common belief that these coaling
stations would be very expensive to
acquire and would require to be
strongly fortified TO defend them, also
at great expense, is without real foun-
dalton. Some of these officers who
have been giving much attention to
the subject are confident that the
United States could readily arrange ;
for the acquisition of coaling stations
from almost any of the countries fac
ing the Gulf OF Mexico or the Carib-
bean sea at nominal price. Nothing
in the way of equipment is required |
save landing wharf. and the services
of one man to watch the place would
suffice. In case of war, if the station