The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-05-03
STRA1EGICAL POINTS.

The West India islands, the probable
/ scene of many great naval battles in a war
] between the United states and Spain, have
/ had more than their share OF lighting since
| the romantic days of the Spanish main,
when England wrested from spain suprem-
| acy on the sea. Nearly every one OF the
islands that curve about the Caribbean sta
Play ed u. part in the stIuggAes between
| spain and England in the seventeenth, and
| England and france in the eighteenth CEN
| turies.
/ Besides Havana and MatanZas in Cuba,
| Spain has but one Tortured haioor among
TIE An1lIies, san Juan Baliista, OF D.
Johns in Porto Rico. 1t is an excellent
! harbor and could be strongly defeAded by
! the Vizcaya and Oquendo with the torpedo
boats against our squadron. But the lat-
ter alone could do nothing iii 81. Jonn
against our pattlesnIps. Inc Iortlfea-
lions are old-fashtoned and the guns are
| Useless against IRON SHIPS.
In Southern CuDa, the harDor OIL San
4 tiago de cuba could be detenaed with
| weak force. as the entrance is narrow and
| deep, .wltn forts naturally stIe.i5 me
! forts are not modern, however, and the
| spanish government ho.as bul lmitei
I area around the city, SO that the Spanish
/ probably will make the main defense at
| Havana and everything be mace subser-
lent 70 holding the capital.
| Inc sympathy OIL DOIn OF lne pHdch re-
| publics In Hayti is with the United
! states as against any European power. A
! moments Consideration OF their history VII
! explain this. the TWO republics Haytt IN
| the west and San Domingo in the east, are
| the only countries in the West Indies whose
! form of government is like cur own--except,
| of course, the republic of Cuba Toussaint
! fOuvertures successful struggle against
| France and his capture by treachery, fol-
lowed by the complete expulsion OF the
| French is one of lbertys favorite tales
| The Spaniards invaded San Domingo in 1861
and their defeat left the islanders free.
4 There are quiet million people on the
| island, but they daily on the way to CIV
| iizetion. There is no army, So Haytfs
| only use to us would be in lending us a
harbor. There are no harbors on the
! north coast, but Port Prince in the
public of Hayti is well-protected port
| lying behind the island of Gonnaive. In
| the Dominican republic there are the har-
bors of Santo Domingo and Porta Plata,
which would make convenient bases for
| operations in the Caribbean.
| The Mona Passage, only sixty miles wide.
| separates Hayti from the beautiful island
/ of Porto Rico. Porto Rico is a valuable
possession and Spain is putting up rich
! stake on a turn of the war cards VIXEN she
| risks her control of that fertile island
| st. Johns is an ancient town. The old
| buildings are curious and interesting, es-
| pecially the palace which was erected by
| Ponce de Leon, who conquered the island
| for Spain. The principal city on the south
ern coast is Ponce, with 10000 inhabitants,
/ situated three miles inland Mayaguez on
the west coast contains $4,000 people. 1t is
separated from its port by river spanned
by an iron bridge. There is a barracks
| here, but no fort. The other seaports of
| Porto Rico do not deserve notice. Their
| harbors-as in fact, is the case with all
| the harbors of the island-are rapidly filing
| up with silt and are dangerous to heavy
| vessels.
In the group of the Virgin islands to the
| east only the two Danish islands, st. Thorn
/ as and ST. Croix, are probably factors in the
present situation. Their Importance would
be considerably gerater If they had been
secured by the United States, as was at one
| time suggested by our state department.
| The harbor of st. Croix is unfdrtified and
| not more than sixteen feet deep, so that it
| cannot be of much service as a base. The
| island is hill that rises LOO feet out of
the water. Denmark bought it from France
| for $l45,500 in 1858
ST. Thomas is but 100 miles away from,
| ST. Johns. The harbor is nearly land
locked and has "a depth of thirty-six feet.
| A dry dock is here and q steam slip for
| small vessels There is no more pleasing
! sight in the Indies than the harbor of Char
lotte Amalie, the capital, and the towering
| peak fifteen hundred feet high which forms
the bulk of the island.
Point Pitre, in Guadalupe, is an i'm
portant station. That it has fine military
harbor may be concluded from it's sobri-
quet, 1.-THE Gibraltar of the Antilles"
Nevertheless this Gibraltar is not as
strongly fortified as it might be. 1t re-
/ sisted the English successfully in 1866, 81
I and 1908 but was taken by General Barring
ton and Admiral Moore in 1853. The cele-
| braetd victory of Rodney over Admiral de
| Grasse occurred here. curious feature
of the island is La Rivere Sale (salt
stream, Ito to 44o feet wide, which divides