Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-29
SEA COAST DEFENSE
BALTIMORE TO SUPPORT BILL
FOR INCREASE OF ARTILLERY.

BALTIMORE. Nd. November 29.-In an
endeavor to obtain the support of the lead
Ing cftizens Of Baltimore In furthering the
passage In Congress Of the bill providing
Tor the increase In numerical strength OF
the coast artillery the increase in pay Of
the men composing 1t and the separation
and reorganization of the field and coast
artillery, Lieut.. James A. Thomas, COM
! handing officer Of Fort McHenry, will
make ON effort to interest the Baltimore
Chamber Of Commerce. the board Of trade,
the Merchants and Manufacturer Assoc
citation and other organizations Of influen-
tial citizens.
Lieutenant Thomas will do as every other
officer in the artillery corps is doing-letting
the people Of the coast cities know that
the protection of the seaboard with the
present force is Inadequate, and that the
passage Of the bill would insure better de-
Tense.
The present coast defenses Of the country,
complete as they are, are only partially
manned, and even in time of war, when the
protection OF our seaports against attack
Is Of paramount Importance. the small
number of artillerymen competent to handle
weakest point, the officers say.
Although President Roosevelt. the Secre-
tary of War, officers Of both the army and
navy and many others desire the passage
Of the bill. it is recognized by those inter-
ested In 1t that the support and sentiment
Of the leading people of every coast city Is
necessary to secure the bills success.
Lieutenant Thomas has already succeed
ed in arousing the interest of the people at
his home in Savannah.
What Bill Provides.
The three principal features of the bill
are:
Provision for the increase of the coast
orff f1A
734-to 19.147.
The increase of pay of enlisted men,
which, it is said, will insure the retention
Of good and competent men in the service.
The separation of the coast and field ar
tiliery and the reorganization of the latter
into a regimental organization.
The question of defense is Of particularly
vital interest to Baltimore. The city is pro-
tected by chain of complete Notifications,
numbering Forts Howard, Smallwood,
Armistead and Carroll. These Notifications
are of the best and strongest type, but their
one weak point is the insufficient number-of
men to man the batteries. The mine de-
lenses are stored in classmates because Of
the lack of men to drill with them.
AS shown by the report of the board of
review Of the army and navy joint exer-
cises, which were held in the Chesapeake
bay from June II to June II. 1905, the
proper defense of the Chesapeake bay and
the cities of Baltimore, Washington, Nor
folk and Newport News in the exercises re-
quired the depletion of the entire chain of
coast defense from Fort Mckinley, Maine,
the northernmost fertilization, to the
southernmost at Key West.
In the exercise area which covered only the
Chesapeake bay, there were 5,92T troops en-
gagged, Of which 1888 were coast artillery
men occupying the Chesapeake forts per-
manently. The rest, drawn from the other
forts protecting the entire Atlantic sea-
board, so crippled these defenses that If
We had been under actual service condi-
lions the country would have had to de-
pend entirely on the navy to protect the
seaboard.