Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-04-06
NAVAL COAL STATIONS.
OUR LATE WAR TEACHES THAT THEY
ARE ALL-lMPORTANT.

In the Acquisition, Development and
Fertilization of Hers England Has Spent
Nearly S5Oo,000,0OO in Fifty Years
Spain's HeIplessness in This Particular.
Nothing has been more clearly
taught by the war than the all-impor-
tance of coaling facilities and coal
supply to the weaker navy. The
strong navy can seize bases and an
chorages for its needs, if it does not
appropriate to its own uses the enc
my's coaling- g-stations. This is what
Admiral Dewey did at Manila. Neu-
trails are tending to increase the strin-
gency of the conditions under which
beIligerents are allowed to obtain sup
plies of fuel in their ports and very
rights y so. Admiral Cervera's opera
tions in the West Indies were greatly
hampered by the fact that he found
it hard to get coal The nominal sup
ply of his cruisers was excellent; they
all carried from 1909 to 1900 tons, and
had in theory radiuses of action OF
about 10, 600 miles. Unfortunately,
however, theory and practice do not
always coincide, and in coal-endur-
ance less than anywhere. Instead of
being able to steam to Cuba from St.
Vincent and back again without re-
planishing his bunkers, lie was com-
PEELED to put into Curacao after COW
ering little over 5000 miles, and then
was only allowed a very limited sup
Ply for two of his ships That he did
not attempt to fill his bunkers from
c0lliers in some unfrequented anchor
age, such as abound in West Indian
waters, seems extraordinary. This is
perfectly feasible operation, and as
it was not essayed, we are bound to
conclude either that the GOLFERS were
wanting-if so, another example of
Spanish mismanagement-or that be-
ing a weak power, Spain was afraid to
risk trouble with the South American
and Central American states. In a
war between two strong navies we may
expect to see much more disregard for
the rights of weak neutrals.
Camaraa voyage he tla Philippines
came to an untimeiv end at Suez, quite
as much because OF The coa. difficulty
as because his flee wanted 10y the
: il-e sfesmeF east, ne -osusJeq Had
been allowed by ] 5vrr france, / re
/ or Turkey-tbe powers which
+ the shores of the Red sea to coal O.
gheir coasts or in their harbors He
must have strugg, ca as iaa as Colombo
or Singapore before the rules of inter
national law would have allowed him
TO fill his bunkers with fuel to take
him to Manila His helplessness
coming so close upon the voyages of
the Deutschland and GeRon, and of
the Navarin and Sissoi Veliki, to the
Far East-voyages which would have
been almost impossible had England
closed her coaling stations to these
rival powers-has not escaped notice
on the continent of Europe. France,
under the guidance of NJ, Lockroy, is
preparing to fortify and provide with
docks the chain of harbors which link
Toulon and Madagascar. Germany IS
eagerly looking for points of strategic
value on the trade routes, but l great
" fear that she will find none. Here
England is without a rival AS her
sea a-power has not been an ephemeral
growth, she has slowly, link by link,
forged wonderful chain, binding
India, the Yellow sea, Australia, and
the Cape to the mother-country. In
the acquisition, development, and for
tifcation of her coaling stations she
must have spent within the last half
century nearly $500, 900, 000 Thus il
will be seen that the power which Is
to compete with her in this respect
will have to pour out money like wa
ter. 1t cannot be doubted that the
United States will equip itself with
chain of stations linking Manila ano
China to the Pacific coast Already
they possess, or can have for the ask
ing, Hawaii, the Ladrones and Caro-
lines, and Pango- Pargo in Samoa. IL
the West Indies they will have Puerto
Rico. and Cuba. With these advanced
positions, the need for ea-going ship
and not monitors, grows. From Tn
Naval Lessons of the War, by II. w
Wilson, in Harper's Magazine.
WHY He Was Puzzled.