Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-11-30

MhSs tbulTSi. BuReT, MASON, WhnHpld,
Scott anu Mcdowell. TO man these
Wodld require Ito officers and 4 2682
men. There are available ~ Off.
GERS aud 400 men. The coast de-
tense plans Gull for the expenditure
OF $3 1928 to complete the de-
tense OF San Francisco. OF which,
$A39,G00 is TO be spent for guns
empiacements and carriages $780,.
D66 for submarine defenses; $33i,952y
70" central power plant; $193.O64.
fof reserve power plant; Sl9S,000.
Tor search lights; $4,000 for modern..
izlns older emplacements and Slate,
99l FOR fire control"
1t will cost $1.473,09t to install
O complete system OF communion,
ton alone ut San Francisco, and It,
Is significant fact that this fire
control installation will ba the only
one recommended To Congress this
year, because there arc no mon avail.
able TO care for others IL they should
bo Installed. And. In passing. III
may be remarked that for Fort Ma.
son ami Mcdowell at San Fran.
cisco there are no men available at
all.
Portland IL another place OH the
Pacific coast of Importance. Forts
Columbia, Stevens AID Canby dc.
fend Columbia River. 1t wouil re.
Gnirc ~ officers aud l,il6 mon tD
properly man these dofenscs. Tea
officers and 2i6 men arc nvaIlnble,t
The National Beard estimates that
81 0i1,SS2 is necessary to complete
these dcfengcs but there is no pros,
pect al present Of Congress bane
nVnr n :Hp1 A.. Jot a ~,
for this purpose, 80 long as ten
officers aud $50 inca do the work OF
G7 officers aid l,4i6 men, AMI ON.
listed mon ut sl3 to SIS month
Will fill positlons.I as engineers. Gre.
men, master gunners, electricians,
observers, eu:, poiaters, etc. Seattle
lakoma olympia and Washng.)n,
pre In Dortant cities on tho Pacific
cnhst. How are they provided with
coast defcnses? Puget Sound Is de-
fendel by Forts Worlen Casey md
Fiagler. These forts are manned Ivy
the magnificent equipment of 81
officers and 902 men. where 100 IN
GERS ana also men are now requlra,i.,
Even AZ that there is only one officer
In 81 men where the proport ~
shoiid be o::e officer t., twen v.
four men.
+ The const plans call for an elab.
crate system of defense for Puget
Sound. An expenditure OF s5.519,3i9
Is estimated as necessary to c)m-
plete 1t. or this $3,413, GOO Is 'for
new forts alone, including guns and
The National Board on
Coast Defense says that these wa.
tiers Lave become o. tie greatest
straset!c aud commercial Importance
due 10 the completion in the extreme
northwest Of great railway systems,
and the establishment of Il navy,
yard containing the only docks on
the Pacific coast with the capacity
for battle ship. These consilora-
tons press for an increased and
adequate defense at an early date.
The entrance is four miles wide AMI
so deep that 1t can not be SUCCESS,
fully mined. Fogs are very prevalent
In Puget Sound, and a bold, enter
prising naval commander might be,
willing to take the risk of running
the entrance ut times when ships
could not be seen from the batteries.
In order to strengthen the artillery
defense, to meet this condition, the
Board recommends second line
OF gun defense, extending from Foul
Weather Bluff to Double BLUM, some
seventeen miles from the outer en-
trance.
But under present conditions Puget
Sound will get nothing. On good
1t may be stated that the
Senate Committee on Appropria-
tions has taken the ground that until
sufficient men havo been provided
to take care CT the guns and ma
chinery now In position, 1t will not
appropriate money to complete our
coast defcnses. The Committee
takes tho ground that there Is no
use providing additional costly guns
and machinery when the coast artil>
lery can not take care of what we
have.