The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-11-02

There are miles of caves and tunnels
most of them still in a natural state anG
many still unexplored thoroughly aAu
others perfected artitlcially- These wolld
provide abundant shelter for the garrison
from even the most deadly and long-con-s
tinued bombardment. siege of IS Glib
raltar would have to be aimed at starry
ing out the besieged rather than at TAX
ing the place by assault or destroying It's
defenses by artillery fire. But Gibraltar
merely as fort Of defense is not worth
to Great Britain the powder to defend it.
The great rock is useful to the empire
Only as a place of offense. If its garrison
were drawn from the batteries and had
to lie hidden the value CT Gibraltar would
be absolutely nothing. Only SO long as
its guns can command every foreign
shore and fort within range and
silence any artillery that might be
brought to play on the harbor is it worth
raltar fails to protect the British navy
when it lies in the Straits that moment
Gibraltar might as well, be lost to the
British empire.
. Now that guns are being built every
where, in France, Germany, Spain and
even Russia, that can fire either solid or
bursting projectiles over ranges that rare
ly are less than six miles and rise as high
as twenty miles, Gibralt ar harbor. which
Is the really valuable and vital part of
Gibraltar is safe from attack only as long
as the batteries on the Rock can wipe out
any ininical battery.
The Spaniards have the advantage Of
lots Of ground where they can construct
earthworks. Those earthworks can be
please. There is no limit to such work on
the mainland. Great Britain does not and
dare not calculate that Spanish, gunnery
.;ill always be as poor as It was in the
Spanish American war. Besides, Great
Britain knows perfectly well that, even II
her war should be with Spain, the chances
would be preponderating that in reality
she would be fighting French guns and
French gunners. s#.s
: Gibraltar is a menace to France far
greater than it is to Spain. So long as it
remains invincible ana offers a base a
harbor, = csaling station, a DRY dock. ar,n
?. rsll,,1ea to British Warships so long noe->
Trance have to expect that her 1Iediter-
ranean fleet never will be permitted to
pass the Straits in time of war. With
French guns and French gunners in
earthWorhs to the west in Algeciras and
in earthworks in Lines de le# Conception
To the north, there would be shooting tina.
would be bound to hit a mark and do
business: for whatever opinion the world
may have Of modern French military and
naval genius, their artillery is excellent
and their gunners are good ones. This
was proved to- America when the batteries
around Havana were manned by French
/ men who had French cannon There was
no fooling about them.
French guns proved their effectiveness
drastieally to the British III the BoeT war.
I They developed astounding range and
| equally astounding accuracy Of fire. Pos
ii8sibly the lighter calibers Of French guns
| are the best in the vi rld tod lay. nd II
| they do not hold absolutely the first RANK
1 in the heavier guns.from ten to sixteen
lsInch--they are not far from the top, while
| some OF their improved gun carriages ass
really better han any thing that can BIZ
sfosInd elsewhere. The all-steel riied can:
| non OF large cnliher ofsthe United States
PROBABLY are the best in the world. After
them come the & rupp guns. Il is believed
BY Military expeg1s that the s-.e;s ca prac-
ltically tie with the Krupps IL Silence.
|. So, unless English or finance a-s fortifi-
the edicament. y no shall be able to say
| hereafts strong as Gibraltar
| This famous place has been APPLY com
! pared to q knife. with the point directed
toward Africa. while Spain holds the ham
die. The knife blade itself is the rock,
three miles LONG from north to south and