The times., 1898-01-01
rs THE STRATEGIC POINT.
Hawaii Essential as a Mid.Pacific
Base of Supplies.

| Base of Supplies.
| At the request of some Senators the hydro
| graphic office of the Navy Departn ent has
OF tile Hawaiian Islands that is one of
| the most interesting of auy of the rec INT
| publications on this subject. 1t shows at
glance !, ty tints. the area In the Plcific
the only hase of supplies In trans-P acific. and
voyages. The islands form the hub Of
an immense portion of the Pacific, and
are clearly shown to be the only place in
of the ocean lines of trade where steamers
can stop for supplies.
This Is equally true with respect 10
the military and naval value Of the isIan Is.
TEis area, OF which the islands form ibe
base oi supplies for vessels III the Pacific,
begins at Shanghai China, runs up the
coast t. Yokohama then To the W esternmost
point d. the Aleutian Islands. thence over
to Unalhsk a, ar q on to Sitka. From Sitka
the line proceeds down the coast tt i,an
Francisco; thence south to Panama, 1aita
and Callao, in Peru. Still further extenicd
tile liue runs to Valparaiso, CiIili, and
along tie western pataguuian coast to the
Horn.
1 Starting back in nDrthwesterly dirac-
tion, the line runs To the Marquesas Isla ids,
belonging to the French; thence southwest
To the Society Islands, also a French pos
sessioL; thence west to samoa, and again
southwest to the Fiji Islands, which be-
long to England. From this point it pro
ceeds III In irregular nortieTly lire through
the Gilbert Islands, belonging to Great
Britaii,. and the Marshall Islands, belong
ing to Germany; then northwest to the
Spanish Caroline Islands, and from hat
point to Shanghai again.
This enormous area is composed entir ly
of water, and vessels from one port, pro-
ceedinc TO another, on the regular lines Of
travel, arc required to touch at Honolulu
for supplies. As the trade of the Pacific
increases, the value OF Hawaii a base OF
supplies will be enormously enhanced. The
distant IS between Honolulu and the lo.ts
indicated are as follows: Shanghai, 4 ,325
miles; Yokohama, 8 ,408 miles; Malarka.
2,O16 miles, Sitka, 2,395 miles; San F AN
cisco, 2,100 miles; Panama, 1868 miles:
Paita, Att miles; Callao, 5,I47 miles.
Valpartiso 1916 miles; Marquesas Is
lands 2.11o miles; Society Islands, 2,3S9
miles; Samoa, 2,240 miles; Fiji Isll1 Is,
2,736 miles.
For the purposes of comparison the Hy-
drogra phic Office has placed this tinted
area, of which the Hawaiian Islands Form
the sole base of supplies, over the Allan
tic Ocean and The comparison is startling.
The whole Atlantic forms but a small .,or-
tion of the whole. The line in this case
begins at San Diego, Cal, and proceeds
orthea stwardiy to A point north Of tie
center Of Texas, then at a sharp angle nogsh-
east lea Wing the continent to the ncrth ,if
Newfoundland. through the Atlantic 30
point north of the Irish coast.
Then the line is ORA wn through Queens
town; Theme" sontheasteriy, taking in all of
Portugal and the western part OF Spain.
the line dividing that country at Ma drid
Then crossing the Medite rranean, IL III
cIudeS all of Morocco and half Of Algeria,
proceeding southwark TO point near the
middle o. the great desert It then runs
over TO the eastern coast of Africa, down
through Zanzibar, and, being projected
farther south, enyelops half of Ma dagas-
car, and runs far south into the India
octdL his pioJsttfoH taxes III tHe IOWe1
half Cf Africa.
The line then runs back to point in he
4 Atiantic Ocean eight degrees south OF
the equator; then southwest through Brazil:
to the Bolivian boundary; thence north
west to the Caribbean Sea, including al
OF British, French and Dutch Guiana and
Venezuela. Proceeding westward through
the isthmus TO the Pacific Ocean, the line
again runs up the western coast 20 san
Diego.
This enormous territory of land and
sea is only equal TO the territory in the
Pacific Ocean which the Hawaiian Islands
control both in time OF peace and war.
In peace the constantly going traffic OF
the Pacific requires Honolulu as its source
OF supplies of all kinds. In war, the
power that holds the island will control
the Pacific. This map is an object lesson
SO plain that even the Kindergarten states
men must understand it.