The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-27
NAVAL C0ALlNG BASES.
Thousands of Tons OF Fuel 10 BE
Transported TO Parkway Ports.

NEW YORK, Dec. ga dispatch to the
Tribune from Washington says: THE Navy
Department is going to be prepared for any
emergency that may hereafter arise in the
Atlantic and the Pacific oceans by carry
ing on hand the enormous stock of nearly
half million tons of the best steaming
coal for war ships that can be procured.
This supply, the most important of all
sinews of modern war, is to be systeEat-
ically distributed in American ports most
conveniently to care for the coaling of ships
for any operations the navy may be called
on to undertake, extending along the At
lantic and gulf coast line from French
mems bay Maine, to San Juan de Puerto
Rico as we'll as to the commanding positions
along the lines of commerce which have al
ready been secured by the United States
in the Pacific ocean, stretching from San
Francisco and Puget sound to Manila and
southwark to Samoa. The number of tons
which will be held in reserve at the various
coaling stations west of the American con-
tinent have been fixed for the present as
follows: Manila, 5000; Guam, 10000; Homo
lulu, $4,000; Page Page, 10000; San Fran
cisco, $1,000, and Bremerton, Puget sound,
$4,000.
With the exception of the long stretches
around the South American continent,
where in case of the enforced neutrality of
the Latin-American republics, United States
ships cannot purchase coal in their ports,
a continued recourse to armed Golfers will
be unavoidable. The government is now for
tunately possessed of seventeen of these in
valuab BILE vessels, with an aggregate carrying
capacity approximating fifty thousand tons
and it is the intention to keep these vessels
filled to their capacity and constantly ready
rangements, however comprehensive they
may seem and however great the improve
ment of the conditions that existed at the
outbreak of the hostilities with Spain, are
still far from satisfactory to the naval ex-
pertS who have devoted themselves to the
consideration of this important subject.
Stretches of two thousand miles or more
will still separate several of the stations in
the Pacific, and longing eyes are cast upon
islands with excellent harbors that could be
utilized to break in two the tedious and
trying voyages which still must graVely test
the coaling radius Of some of the most eff
fective United States war ships.
There is no concealment among naval Of
fcers of the almost priceless value that the
possession OF the Carolines would contrib
ute to the maintenance of American inter-
ests in the widest of the oceans. To Spain
this archipelago can never be more than
burden and expense, which must now APP
pear prohibitive to the government at
Madrid in it's straitened circumstances and
an auction sale to the highest bidder is be-
ieved to be among tire certainties of the
early future. 1t is no secret that the pres
ent administration at Washington is not in
clined to permit any European to buy this
group and emphatic evidence is given of this
determination in the orders issued naval
vessels in the last week providing for the
disposition of all the available naval forces
at Manila, Guam and Honolulu. There is an
other line of communication with the Phil
tppines during period of hostilites. This is
to be undertaken by naval auxiliaries and
army transports from New York by way of
the Suez canal early next MONTH but it is
route which gives to the strategists no
concern whatever for the present, as it
would not be needed in time of war nor aft
er the completion of the Nicaraguan canal. I"