The Opelousas courier., 1899-04-08
COAL STATIONS.
ooH LATE WAR TEACHES THAT THEY
ARE ALL-lMPoRTANr.

IN the Acquisition, DEVELOPMENT and
fortlncation of Hers England Has Spent
Nearly $500 900, 900 in Fifty Years.
spain's Helplessness in This Particular
Nothing has been more clearlv
taught by the war than the all-impor-
tanc. Of coaling facilities and coal
%pply to the weaker navy. The
9ong navy can seize bases and an
sorages for its needs, if it does not
appropriate to its own uses the enc
my's coaling-stations. This is what
Admiral Dewey did at Manila. Neu-
trails are tending to increase the strin-
gency of the conditions under which
oelllgerents are allowed to obtain SUP
-4les OF fuel in their ports and verv
rightly Sc. Admiral Cervera's opera
sons / n the West Indies were greatly
hampered by the fact that he found
hard to get coal. The nominal SUP
ply Of his cruisers was excellent; thew
y carried from 1000 to 1900 tons. and
u . theory radiuses of action of
~soutc1O, 900 miles. Unfortunately.
howeves, 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-
plen1shlng his bunkers, he was COM
PEELED to put into Curacao after COW
erlng little v e 5000 miles. and then
was only allowed a very limited sup
plyfor two of his ships. That he did
not attempt to fill his bunkers from
golfers in some unfrequented anchor
age, such as abound in West Indian
waters, seems extraordinary. This is
a perfectly feasible operation, and as
it was not essavel, we are bound to
conclude either that the GOLFERS were
wantlng-lf so. another example OF
Spanish mlsmanagement-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.
Camara's voyage to the Philippines
came to an untimely end at Suez, quite
as much because Of the coal difficulty
as because his feet was wanted for the
defence of the Spanish littoral. Had
he steamed east, he would not have
been allowed by Egypt, France, Italy,
or Turkey-the powers which hold
the shores of the Red sea-to coal on
their coasts or in their harbors. He
must have struggled as far 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 Getion, 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 fortifv 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 | great
Iy fear that she will find none. Here
England is without a rival. As her
sea-power has not been an ephemeral
growth, she has slowly, link by link,
forged a wonderful chain, binding
India, the Yellow sea, Australia, and
the Cape to the mother-country. In
the acquisition, development, and for
LITIGATION of her coaling-stations she
must have spent within the last half
century nearly $500, 600, 900. Thus it
will be seen that the power which is
to compete with her in this respect
will have to pour out money like wa
ter. It cannot be doubted that the
United States will equip itself with a
chain of stations linking Manila and
China to the Pacific coast. Already
they possess, or can have for the ask
ing, Hawaii, the Ladrones and Caro-
lines, and Pango-Pango in Samoa. In
the West Indies they will have Puerto
Rico, and Cuba. With these advanced
positions, the need for sea-goins ships
and not monitors, grows. From .'The
Naval Lessons of the War;" by H. W.
Wilson, in Harper's Magazine.
Maine Gum Gatherers.