The times., 1898-07-26
There Are Many Weak Ports on
the North Coast.
MOUNTING ANCIENT ORDNANCE
Great Reliance Is Placed on the
Submarine Mines and Torpcdoes
Which Are BEING Hurriedly In
stalIed-San Sebastian and FcrrOi
Protected by Strong Forts.

| ly. which are supposed TO provide thor
ough defense against the dreaded Amer
| lean naval raid.
At the mouth of the Bidassoa River,
at the French Pyrenean frontier, there
is a strong new fort on the crest of the
hill behind Fuenterrabia whose guns COM
mand the mouth of the river and seawards
| could give nasty salute.
The inland bay at Passages, very i'm
portant outlet for the wine and ore trade
| TO France and Belgium, lies next to the
west 1t is not fortified though on or
near its banks are important wine depots,
railway stations, and mills situated at
! Passages Reuteria and Hezo.
Next is San Sebastian the Spanish New
port, a fashionable summer resort for
both Spaniards and foreigners during the
| buil nShting season in August II con-
tains the summer palace of the Queen.
San Sebastian has the strongest forti-
! fcations in the north of Spain-the Cita-
del San Maurus and Choritoquita, on in
accessible heights some four miles out
side San Sebastian. whose guns sweep
Passages Bay and the Urunnes Valley on
both sides of San Sebastian City and bay.
| The fortiiications in San Sebastian itself,
including the old Monte Urgul Citadel
and the Damas Battery at the left en-
trance to the bay. are old-fashioned.
worthless defenses, now undergoing some
| improvement.
The Basque coast from San Sebastian
/ to the Bilbao River is dotted with little
| ports. villages, and beaches perfectly de-
! fAnsalaGS
! stone breakwaters. but a bad harbor bar
! at the mouth of the Hervion River and
! narrow channel upstream for vessels
/ over 5000 tons.
| The approaches to the mouth of the
/ river will soon be in strong condition
] to repel sea attacks. Batteries are nearly
! complete on Mount Serantes. above Por-
/ tugalite and Santurce, which will cross
fire with the other works near Algeria
a headland on the left of the mouth of
| the Hervion. Artillery and engineers are
| actively pushing these works. which will
! have Krupp and Ordonez guns.
The Bilboa garrison is 1000 strong
! The port is the chief outlet of the iron
! trade to England 100000 tons a year,,
and TO Germany, Belgium and France.
Further along the coast westward are
old forts at Carbro Urdiales. Lardo and
! Santona, splendid bay. where there is
! where new works are in progress.
] The next place on the coast Is the port
| OF Santander, also with magnificent
| bay and anchorage; city shorn of it's
importance through the decay of its
| trade with the Antilles. Sam ander will
be we'll defended. If the works now in
progress can be completed in time and
the engineers say they will. An artiI-
| lery regiment, l.000 strong. has arrived
/ with forty heavy
! mounted
Both headlands are to have batteries
| crossing fire. and submarine defenses
! are being laid TO protect this important
| harbor where the mail steamers from
| cuba go in and out. and where the
French and English transatlantic and
Pacific liners stop both ways. The
wheat and ore trade of Santander is i'm
| Dortant
! The weakness of Santander lies in IT'S
position on promontory between the
| bay and the sea beaches of Sandinero
where landing could be made and the
! defenses taken in the rear The garri
son has about $500 men Santander
like Bilboa, has enthusiastically assisted
! the governments with money defenses.
| ana is forming local volunteer CORPS
drilled. clothed and equipped at the ex-
! pense of the local corporations.
further west are number of small
ports, hshing villages and estuaries OF
rivers that have. like every river in Spain.
! from Bidassoa to Cape FinIsterre. shift
| ing sand bars and shallow waters at the
J mouth making navigation dangerous
| without pilots. Charts and ordinary in
dications would not serve much lust now
as no lighthouse shows a light at night
the buoys have been removed and ey
erything has been taken away that could
assist the Zoe The European nations
have been warned not to approach the
! coasts or enter the principal ports with
/ out pilots.
West of Santander the nrst inportart
/ port is Gijon. poorly fortified, though the
/ center of much trade and frcGuenteI in
! summer by many people from the interi-
/ or of Spain
| Half dozen other Asturian Province
| ports have tumble-down defenses adorn
ed with venerable guns of the days of the
struggle against Napoleon at the begin.
! ming of the nineteenth century. bur The
local press and the Madrid papers talk
big Of the contemplated resistance 70 the
| American fleet
AT the extreme northwest is the prov
ince of Galicia, with rugged, inden,ad
! picturesque rocks, dangerous coasts Of
evil fame for mariners or all countries
! because there, even more than on the
| coasts of Biscay and Asturias stor,nc
| are possible. fogs thick squalls sudden
| and the northeast and northwest Winds
! equally treacherous.
The coast of Galicia around Finisterre
! has been very metropolis for vessels of
! all nations. Every fishing village has
! numerous crosses and monuments raised
! TO the memory of foreigners washed
ashore dead or dying on this nhospit-
! able coast in the dreaded nights when
! even the hardy, daring seafarfng popuia-
! ton of such regions never dream of res
I cue
! In Galicia there are many bays and
! estuaries where the English and French
/ squadrons spend a pleasant time in their
/ annual cruises their officers angling and
boating up the rios of Galfcia or the
! fine bays of Vigo. Arosa and Vilagaria.
! II is the boast of Spain just now that all
/ these peaceful resorts of trade and holi-
! day seekers will soon be bristling with
! Qualifications. guns, troops and torpe-
! does, but a fontnight'S notice in a land
! where so many things are wont to be put
/ off to the morrow seems short space
! for preparing such warm reception for
| the Yankee Armada
Corunna on the western coast an i'm
/ portant center of trade with the New
! World, north and south. the usual start
| ing place of emigration for South Amer
! ica. a station for outgoing and incoming
/ steamships to the West Indies and South
America. has a few antiquated forts and
/ batteries. which are being hurredly pro-
/ yided with guns and garrisons