Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-11-30
COAST DEFENsES IN
DEPLORABLE CONDITION
President Will Urge Congress 10
Take 1tsDs Toward Remedy,
Ing The Evil.
LACK OF men THE CHIEF TROUBLE
Force now in Service is Hardly
Large Enough to Keep Guns from
Rustins-At Least Forty Thousand
Soldiers Needed to Make Effective
Defense.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.-one of
the subjects which President Roose.
welt VIII treat In his message to
Congress will be the deplorable con.
uitlon OF our coast defenses. Deplo.
rable, not SO much through the lack
oil notifications, guns or machinery,
1ithough much remains to be done
on all three. but especially becau ,e
OF the lack of men necessary to keen
the guns and machinery In order in
Time OF peace, TO say nothing OF ma
n1pulating them should war break
out. What the President ~" have
to say on this subject will be short
nut TO the point, and he will take
firm stand IN favor OF legislation
calculated to remedy existing con-
dttions. He has already placed him.
self sQuarely on record and only
SIX months ago addressed special
letter to the Senate i'm which he
pointed out that the increasing i'm
portance and wealth of on. ports
offered more inducement to an en-
envy. THE fact that we now have
navy does not in any wise dimin.
ism the importance OF coast defenses;
on the contrary 1t emphasizes their
value. and the necessity for their
construction, he said recently It
is an accepted naval maxim that
a navy can be used TO STRAIT.
egic advantage only when acting on
, the offensive, and It can be free to
so operate only after our coast de.
tense is reasonably secure and so
recognized by the country
Tie President takes the ground
4 tv nd
our interests require the completion
of our coast defenses, and that the
/ plans of the National Coast Defense
Board should receive the generous
support OF Congress.
In the Forthcoming message the
President will reaffirm his position
especially so far as pending legis-
lation providing for the reprganlza-
ton of the coast artillery is con-
cerned. The Senate Committee on
Military affairs has favorably reported
n bill to separate the Field Artillery
cry from the Coast Artillery, on the
ground that they are two distinct
branches Of the service. The Dili
provides for the gradual Increase
during five years of 296 officers
and 5,043 men for the coast artillery
and S5S for the field artillery. The
/ great trouble of the coast artillery
has been to secure and keep trained
electricians, engineers and firemen.
1t will surprise many to know that
most of the cost of Qualifications is
for electrical machinery, ''fire con-
troll" and search lights, the fire
control" being the system of tele-
graphic and telephone communica-
ton between forts and batteries, and
with observing stations. Millions
OF dollars have been spent, and adj
ditional millions will be spent to
establish power plants and install
costly electrical machinery, and yet
the coast artillery Is expected to
take care of them with enlisted men
at s13. s15, and SIS a month. For
example: sixty engineers are abso,
lutely necessary and the bill provides
for that number at $3.50 per annum
each. The places OF these engineers
are now filed by privates and non.
commissioned officers, the pay Of the
highest being SIS per month AS
such engineers can get from SIS
to 500 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 addition,
! 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; artillery to a high state OF
efficiency.
The private statement. of the con,
dltion 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,G75 men, and 357 officers scarcely
enough to keer the guns and machin.
cry 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 inyes
i tlgate the facts. Take New Yorl
for instance, with Fort Totten, Schuy
Ter, Slocum, iWadrworth, Hamilton
and Hancock, equipped with Biz
guns torpedoes, search lights. etc.
1t would require 224 ofiicefe ant
1862 Elen to man these forts alone
without providing for any relie
whatever. That Is more than, two
thirds OF all the officers and half OF
all men now engaged in taking
care OF all the coast defenses OF
the entire United States. y
Il Other cities present interesting
statistics. There ia San Francisco
the terminal Of the Hartman and
|other great transcontinental lines