Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-06
be needed to defend completely our coast
by guns, mines and their adsuncts.
Defense Of Insular Possessions

Defense Of 1nsular Possessions
New localities are pressing their claims
| for defense The insular possessions cam
not be held unless the principal ports. naval
bases and coaling stations are fortified be-
fore the outbreak of war These considera-
lions have led me to appoint Joint board
| OF officers of the army and navy TO recon-
mend the armament, fixed and floating mo-
bile torpedoes. submarine mines and all
other defensive appliances that may be
necessary to complete the harbor defense
Win the most economical and advantageous
expenditure of money the board was
Iurther instructed to extend Its examina-
lions SO as to include estimates and recon-
menaations relative to the defenses OF the
insuiar possessions and to recommend the
order in which the proposed defense shaIi
pc completed. so that all the elements of
narpor defense may be properly and eff
fect1yeiy co-ordfuated'
The board has completed tts labors and
Is report. together with a letter of trans
INITIAL by the Secretary Of War Ia here
with transmitted for the Information OF
entrance to Chesapeake bay not hereto
lore recommended or authorized by Con-
gress. Is added to the lists Of ports in the
United States to be defended with the inn
portant reasons therefore clearly stated:
that the gun defense proper is well adj
vanced toward completion and that the
greater part OF the estimate is for new
work OF gun defense, for the accessories
now SO necessary for efficiency, and for an
allowance of ammunition which, added to
that ALREADY on hand, wal give the min
imum supply that should be kept In re.
serve to successfully meet any sudden at
| tack The letter of the Secretary of War
contains comparison OF the estimates of
the Endicott board with the amounts al
ready appropriated for the present de-
tense and the estimates of the new board
from which 1t appears that complete de-
Tense of our coasts, emitting cost Of am
munftion and sites, can be accomplished
| for less than the amount estimated by the
itndlcott board, even including the addi-
tional localities not recommended by it.
In the insular possessions the great
naval bases at Guantanamo. Subig bay
and Pearl harbor, the coaling stations at
Guam and San Juan. require protection
and, In addition, defenses are recommended
| for Manila bay and Honolulu. because of
| the strategic Importance of these locali-
| ties. In the letter of the Secretary OF War
will be found the sums already appropriated
! for defenses at some of these ports or
harbors and the estimates are for the COM
pletion of an adequate defense at each To-
cality.
Defense of Panama Canal.
'Defenses are recommended for the en-
trance to the Panama canal as contem-
plated by the act OF June g. 1902 (Spooner
act). and under the terms OF this act the
| cost of such Notifications would probably
| be paid from appropriations for the con-
struction and defense of the canal.
THE necessity for complete and ade-
quate system of coast defense is greater
today than twenty years ago, for the in
creased wealth of the country offers more
tempting inducements TO attack, and hos
| tile feet can reach our coast in a much
shorter period Of time. The fact that we
now have a navy does not in any wise
diminish the Importance Of coast defenses;
| on the contrary, that fact emphasizes their
value and necessity for their construction.
| 1t is an accepted naval maxim that a navy
can be used to strategic advantage only
| when acting on the offensive, and 1t can
/ be free to so operate only after our coast
| defense is reasonably secure and so recog
nized by the country. 1t was due to the
securely defended conditions Of the Japa-
| nese ports that the Japanese fleet was free
| to seek out and watch its proper objective
the Russian fieet-without fear Of inter-
ruption or recall to guard its home ports
against raids by the Vladivostok squadron.
| This, one Of the most valuable lessons of
the late war in the east. is worthy of seri-
Gus consideration by-eur country, with its
extensive coast line, its many important
| harbors and its many wealthy manufac-
| turing coast cities.
The security and protection of our in
terests require the completion of the de-
lenses of our coast. and the accompanying
| plan merits and should receive the gener-
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Tho White House, March 5. 1906
Cost of Completing Defenses.
| In his letter transmitting the report of
| the board to the President Secretary Taft
says that the board estimates the cost of
| completing the defenses at $3.50, or
| So 1896 COS less than the proposed by
| the Endicott board. The Secretary says
| the growth of the country. the improve
ments OF the ordnance and the increase OF
| the navy in the past twenty years have
brought about Encouragement of and adj
dtions to the list of ports made by the
Endicott board The changes that have
taken place in the system of defense have
been so radical" he says, that the one
proposed in 1885 is not comparable with the
scheme as Ii exists today"
The estimates for the ports added since
the Endicott board made its report. in
Guiding Chesapeake bay. are as follows
Eastern entrance to Long lsIand Sousa
O2t 263: Port Royal. already expended
$3.50, 1Oi: Tampa, including SO4,4SI already
expended. S,21o,377: Puget sound inei l1.i
ing. 81 2S0,915 already expended, Ss,Soo,2o4'
Chesapeake bay, s6,102,s11.
The amount far appropriated ana al
lotted is s72. 1888 He estimates the cost
for the defense of the insular possessions
;nc1uding the naval bases and coaling sta
tions, at s19,s73, S95 in addition to the 81
254 500 already appropriated Inc estl-
mated cost for the defense OF the isthmian
lanai ports. exclusive of the cost OF land,
The report is made by the Taft board;
which was constituted oy presioe m a.
order and consisted of Secretary Ia1t
Iaeut. Gen Chaffee, Maj. Gen. Bates, Rear
Admiral Charles NJ. Thomas, MAJ. Gen;
story retired. Gen. Greely, cHiSl SisHda
officer. Gen Crozier. chief of ordnance;
Gen. Mackenzie. chief Of ensineers; Samuel
nj Mills. chief of artillery; Capt. c.. L.
SHERRY United States navy, with Maj. Geo.
W. Goethals. general staff, secretary.
Report of the Board.
While the letter of Secretary Taft sum-
marizes a report of the board, which &C
companies the message, this report Is a
voiuminous document. and goes into every
detail upon the points covered in the Presi-
dents message and the Secretary's letter
considerable part of the report is devoted
to the necessity for defenses In the insular
possessions and isthn1ian ports The places
mentioned In this connection are Guanta-
namo. San JUAN Guam. Subig bay. Manila
bay. Pearl harbor. Honolulu. Colon and
Panama the latter two the canal ports.
The recommendations of the Endicott
board for the defenses of home ports have
been revised. and the following ports rec
commended: Kennebeo river, Portland,
Portsmouth. Boston. New Bedford, Nara
gansett bay. eastern entrance to Long
island sound. eastern and southern en-
trancea To New York. Delaware bay, Baltf-