New-York tribune., 1902-08-01
AN INSTRUCTIVE CRUISE.
THE ALEXANDER, CARRYING COAL TO
PICHHINQUE. SHOULD BE AN OBJECT
LESSON TO CUBANS
[BY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE,

Washington. July 31--The naval collier Alex
ander left Hampton Roads to-day for the Unlted
States coalng station at Pichilinque. Mex.
straightaway cruise without stop. OF u 296 knots
Were the Panama Canal completed, the length or
the cruise would he reduced to $3.50 knots saving
in distance Of S546 knots. The Alexander. averas-
ing eight knots an hour, may reach her destination
in sixty-four days. BY Panama. at the same speed
only nineteen days would be consumed, clear saw
ing Of forty-fve days, without taking into con-
sideraton the rough voyage twice across the
Equator. through two oceans and around the Horn
the hand. and the comparatively smooth
and safe voyage through the Caribbean. on the
other.
This however, Is not the most important lesson
OF the Aexander's present voyage. II ought to
prove instructive TO the small politicians of Cuba
who oppose the maintenance OF n coalng station
Triscornia in the unsettled district across the
bay from Havana.
The Alexander carries over 300 tons of the best
Pocahontas steaIning coal, 200 OF which she must
burn in making the long She is to add 4.3oo
tons to store of 3063 tons already protected by
the United States nag near the southern end OF the
peninsula OF Lower California, about five miles
from La Pdz. Here at Pichilinque, where a small
pile of naval coal had rested on land leased from
private individuals for twenty years, there is
a regular naval establishment owned by the United
States consisting OF great storehouse OF 500 tons
capacity in large grounds tanks with liS.0o gallons
of fresh water, wharf 10 deep water, with modern
conveying apparatus and half dozen barges of fifty
tons capacity each. The custodian is the American
Vice-consul at La Paz. who employs as many men
as he requtTes-usualy two thrsc-tO take care
Of the property About three years ago the Mexi-
can Government gladly granted jurisdiction over
the place to this country act OF grace TO the
great ueiEhbOrnc republic, and cordially welcomed
the opportunity to have the United States there
an assurance of strength and protection to Mexico
itself.
The selection OF the site tho negotiation and the
station represent only one Of the trtcmphs OF Ad-
miral Bradford. who has established d or
more Ike II in the last four and is striving
to establish as many more before another emer-
gency inds the navy poor In bases II was in
1895. when. fortunately. il not a first class
naval power that had 10 be met. Pichilinque. half
mands the entire western coast of Mexico. yet the
far seeing Daz regards the presence OF the United
States there as one of the greatest safeguards of
Mexican independence 1t controls the Gulf of Cali
fornia, which is rapidly becoming the most impor
tant body of water the Pacific Coast but Mexi-
statesmen disturbed by il. but rather
regard the American Navy the chief instrument
to encourage the development of that rich region
and protect il from outside interference.
The sovereignty of the Gulf and the districts
tributary TO II is infinitely valuable to Mexico
than the little farm Of Triscornia be to
the CUbans. unless the latter 10 realize the
MeXcans have done. that the presence of Amer
lean coal pile guarantees against foreign aggres-
sion and insureS security from disorder The
United States has made such formal promise of
protection to Mexico that given to Cuba by the
Patt amendment. and the strategic value of Pichi-
linque the navy Is almost infinitely inferior. in
defence of the United States and its nelghbors to
that of Havana. but these facts are concealed so
the better class of people in Havana, who have no
time for politics, are aware of them. and viii
eventually insist sensible settlement of the
Triscornia question