The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-12-01

officers, the pay OF the highest being
SIS per month. AS such, engineers
can get from SIS to 800 per month in
private life. 1t is almost impossible to
get them to re-enlist after they once
qualify as engineers. and thus the
costly and intricate machinery Of our
coast defenses is almost constantly in
the hands of untried men. In addi-
,tion. the work of constantly breaking
in new men is extremely trying to the
officers, and discouraging to those who
are attempting to bring the coast ar
tillery to high state of efficiency.
private statement of the condition
OF the coast defenses Of twenty-eight
fortified ports shows that to man
them with one shift of officers and
men, that is to say, each man at his
proper station, would require 40,675
men. and 1854 officers. There are to-
day available at the different forts l0,-
us men and S57 officers, scarcely
enough to keep the guns and ma
chinery from rusting.
Commercial interests in general,
and especially those concerned with
shipping and terminals at our great
ports will be interested in this mat
ter. If they take the trouble to inves-
tigate the facts. Take New York, for
instance, with Forts Totten, Schuyler,
Slocum, Wadsworth. Hamilton and
Hancock equipped with big guns, tor
pedos, search lights. etc. 1t would re-
quire 224 officers and 5,662 men to
man these forts alone. without pro-
viding for any relief whatever. That
is more than two-thirds of all the off,
GERS and half of all the men now en-
gagged in taking care of all the coast
defenses of the entire United States.
Other cities present interesting
statistics. There is San Francisco. the
terminal OF the Hartman and other
great transcontinental lines, and from
which the ships of the Pacific Mail
and other trans-Paciic lines carry
our goods to the orient: in many re-
spects the key to Hawaii. Guam and
the PHILIPPINES. To defend San
Francisco are Forts Foster. Miley,
Barry, Baker, Mason. Winfield Scott
and Mcdowell. To man these would
require 175 officers and 1868 men.
The coast defense plans call for the
expenditure of $3.l19,242 to complete
the defenses OF San Francisco, of
which $439, 800 is to be spent for guns,
emplacements and carriages; $459,955
for submarine mine defenses; 1884,
952 for central power plant; $780,
900 for reserve power plant; $685.
900 for search lights; $19,6So for mod
ernizing older empacements, and ST.
473.991 for fire control" 1t will cost
$1,473,991 to install complete sys-
TEN Of communication alone at San
Francisco, and 1t is a significant fact
that this fire-control installation will
be the only one recommended to con-
gress this year, because there are no
men available to care for others If
they should be installed. And, in pass
ing, it may be remarked that for Forts
Mason and Mcdowell at San Fran
cisco there are no men available at all.
Portland is another place on the
Pacific coast of importance. Forts
Columbia, Stevens and Candy defend
Columbia river. 1t would require G7
officers and 1,446 men to properly man
these defenses. Ten officers and GAG
men are available. The National
Board estimates that 1.O41 1882 is nee
essary to complete these defenses, but
there is no prospect at present of con-
gress being ever asked to appropriate
4 dollar for this purpose. so long as
ten officers and gao men do the work
of G. officers and 1,446 men, and en-
listed men at SIS month will fill
positions as engineers, firemen, mas
ter gunners, electricians, observers,
gun pointers etc. Seattle, Takoma
and Olympia, Washington, are impor-
tant cities on the Pacific coast. How
are they provided with coast defenses
Puget Sound is defended by Forts
Worden, Casey and Flagler These
forts are manned by the magnificent
equipment of q officers and 9O2 men,
where 139 officers and $3.50 men are
now required. Even at that there is
only one officer to 81 men where the
proportion should be one officer to
twenty-four men.
The coast defense plans call for an
elaborate system of defense for Puget
Sound. An expenditure of $5,519,349
is estimated as necessary to complete
it. Of this, $3,413,600 is for new forts
alone. including guns and carriages.
The National Board on coast defense
says that these waters have become
of the greatest stragetic and CONNER
cial Importance, due to the completion
In the extreme northwest of great rail-
way systems, and the establishment of
navy yard containing the only docks
on the Pacific coast with the capacity
for battle ship. These considera-
tons press for an increased and ade-
quate defense at an early date. The
opfr i. IL