Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-11-25
A FLOATING FORTRESS
Arson Phelps Stokes Has aPlan
That May Revolutionize
Coast Defense Projects
A FLOATING NAVAL BATTERY
Invents An Apparently lmpreenabIe
Floating Fortress That Naval Ex-
perts Believe Will Be Perfectly
Feasible and Far Superior to ordin-
airy Coast Defenses.

New York, Nov. 25.-with the asser-
ton that the eXigencies of modern
warfare call for an engine of destruc-
ton more powerful than 16,00O-ton
battleships and 12-inch guns, Ansoh
Phelps Stokes, ex-vice commodore Oh
the New York Yacht Club, presented 10
the twelfth general meeting of the So
ciety of Naval Architects, Wednesday,
his latest plans for an 1mpreenaple
floating naval battery for the harbor
and coast defense.
The members of the society, includ-
ing naval officers. shipbuilders and
naval architects gave the closest at
tention to Mr.. Stokes novel scheme,
which is departure from existing de-
signs as radical as was the Monitor.
In the discussion which followed the
reading of the paper, the naval men
present spoke favorably of the idea.
Drawings and diagrams of the new
fighting monster We're examined with
the keenest interest. The machine de-
scribed by Mr.. Stokes is an improve
ment of the first invention. The first
plan was for a circular battery; the
modified form is semi-globular. Mr..
Stokes has named his island OF steel,
with it's equipment Of guns or aWtul
destructive power, Tie Cerberus. ana
has protected himself with patents at
and in Europe.
MIR, Stokes has long been known as
q philanthropist. Three Of his sons
have been prominent for years In
charity work, one of them, Arson
Phelps Stokes, Jr., being clergyman.
Mr.. Stokes said of his invention:
"rhe late naval battles make 1t evil
dent that for a leading position III sea
power and for the proper protection Oh
our coasts and of our officers ana
crews in battle, there is need for some
thing more powerful than the present
16. OOO-ton battle ship, with its l1-llch
guns and insufficient armor, and tnat
only the very foremost nations VIII DE
able to maintain really effective neets'
.with the increase in size and power
Of new types of battleships and naVai
batteries may come the naval suprem-
acy of America alone.
CITATIONS weak in battleships may
hug the idea of commerce destro!srs'
but the barbarous system OF Wasihs
war must be destroyed, as We're prlVa-
teering and piracy. Commerce.
sells are now built much lar. ''iai'
tho largest battleships. But more pow
arfu, battleships are sure to De puiie
ana more powerful guns. Land 1ort-
aan+ions cannot now be made Suftlclent
to protect our ports
"IJow dangerous will be the posltloh
of New York and other large clues
wien attacked by naval guns having
r,,,ge Of twenty miles or more II we
do not provide adequate coast delehse
ships? What would the capture VI o.
orr foreign merchant vessels beheht
an enemy or iljure us as compares
with the capture OF one Oh our siea'
cities by a hostile fleet!
Mr.. Stokes then described ms IN
vention in detail. ;,
zone such semiglobular battery
said Mr. Stokes, could defend or
blockade an important strait; coulo
protect the mouth of transcontlnen-
tai canal, or dominate almost any
large seaport, and could safely resist
more than a dozen of the largest bat
Sleships, which cost $7,500,000 apiece.
"As the purpose Of the Cerberus is
defense rather than aggression, 1t IS
necessary that 1t be able to move rap
idly from one place to another. Should
the Cerberus need to move quickly to
a distance, an ar1nored cruiser might
find useful and safe employment In
towing her. The two vessels might
sometimes be used together as small
squadron The roll Of the Cerberus in
a gale would be very slight.
'The naval powers know the exact
position of the large guns in our coast
Notifications, but the Cerberus could
change its position.
Defending Panama Canal.
"when the great struggle comes for
the control of the Windward passage,
that key to the Caribbean and to the
Panama canal, which we may be call
ed upon TO defend, the existing type
Of battleship may be found insufficient,
and land Notifications and mines will
not SUFFICE for the Windward passage
is wide and deep as are also the other
entrances to the Caribbean sea-
Mr.. Stokes concluded by saying he
was planning still larger battery
with less draught and a large number
of guns.
The opening session Of the Society
of Naval Architects and Marine En-
gineers was held at the society's head
quarters, ~ West Thirty-f1rst street.
President Francis T. Bowles, former
chief constructor Of the United States
navy, and now president of the Fore
River Ship & Engine Company, in his
address called attention to the fact
that the returns for the past year show
but one merchant vessel Of moderate
size building in American yards on
either coast for deep sea traffic.
To better these conditions, he de-
c1ared, some present aid is needed from
congress. President Bowles referred to
the burning of the Slocum and a warn
ing to employ nom combustible mater
ials in shipbuilding
"The year is notable" he said,
"from the complete demonstration af-
forded by the Russo Japanese war Of
the value to nation of the command
OF the sea-"
OBJECTS TO "AMERIcAN."