The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-10
If WE TAKE PORTO RICO.

Spain viii be Crippiei-oniy Available
spot whiei, she Now Has IN Nor,h
American Water at Which 10 Strengthen
tho sinrwao OF vi
New York Press: Porto Rlco's direct
value to the United States while the a
with Spain lasts Is strategic. Even In
the old days OF sailing ships this island,
and especially Its capital, the fortified
and strong hurbor OF San Juan de Porto
Rico, were the objective points OF al
most every British expedition against
the Spanish West Indies. That was be-
cause q fleet OF sailing wnrshlps had to
own a place where damages could be
repaired. where fresh provisions could
obtained and where the sick and wound
ed men could he treated. Now in the
day OF the steamship, the possession OF
4 fortified harbor near the scene Of any
considerable naval action Is n necessity.
The most desperate personal bravery Is
useless without It. The need simply
has been changed from that Of the old
days to a new and paramount one, that
Of coal. Without coal a modern fleet
Is helpless. 1t lacks not only motive
poHCi but tNth tiiC 2po"Gt W iSitH "
big guns, for they are worked with
steam or with compressed air or cleo
trlcity, which demand steam as the
| prime mover.
PREY TO LIGHT ENEMIES.
In the whole western world Spain has
no coallng basis when she Is deprived
of Cuba and Porto Rican ports. II is
all well enough TO speak OF coallng at
sea, but there is no naval commander
who does not know that 1t Is a desper-
ate chance to take In the face OF q
watchful and strong enemy. Coaling
vessels are a ready prey to swift YES
sells, even though they be practically IN
armored and lightly armed like our
great fleet Of hastily equipped auxiliary
cruisers.
The possession OF Porto Rico. then.
ut this time, even though Its direct
value to us we're not great, Is Of enor-
nous Indirect benefit because 1t cripples
Spain. Without Porto Rico as n port
of call and a supply base. the Spanish
vessels must steam more than one thou
sand miles further west to- reach the
next port. that of Havana, and every
mile that they steam in this direction
| iiNsLits " llliiN# ~ Az INV - RScSicAN : I
from which they may never emerge
They can reach Porto Rico from tho
open sea. where at least they have ar
even chance to manoeuvre and q fail
chance to run II they must. for theil
squadron speed is good. But let then
once be forced to steam further wes'
and they are In network Of island:
and channels where q battle means tina
they must take 1t as and when It Is
offered by the enemy and where defeat
means surrender or destruction.
THE ONLY WAY OUT.
Porto Rico is the most eastern Of the
Greater Antilles. Stretching westward
and northward thence like a big chair
are San Domingo, an independent ant
neutral island: Jamaica a British ant
neutral possessIon; and Cuba, q hor'
nets nest, blockaded from the sea nnt
and inim'cal on shore except In q few
harbors which may be In the possession
OF the United States at any time. The
strength of this chain may be under
stood best from the fact that In one o.
the more recent geological periods thest
Islands formed q bridge Of said lant
between the North and South American
continents. They are separated to-day
by narrow sea passages. and II the
Spanish fleet gives unsuccessful battle
inside of these Islands, its only way
back to Spain or to the Canarlcs, the
nearest port at which 1t can refit, is
through the narrow Windward Passage
beween Cuba and San Domingo or
through the still more narrow Mona
Passage between San Domingo and
Porto Rico.
The only other way out Of the trap
would be the southern course. through
the Caribbean Sea. and thence through
the maze, of the Leeward Islands, which
are owned by Great Britain, q nation