The Washington herald., 1908-04-12

Coal is the bread of life to modern fleet
/ Every days delay on the American coast
would diminish the supply in the bunkers
and that supply must be kept up by the
/ ministrations Of a great feet of GOLFERS,
I coming and going, and through the
tedious and hazardous expedient OF coal
/ ing at sea. Fast American cruisers would
see to il that not all OF these supply ships
| and golfers reached their Western desti-
nation.
Could Seize a Base.
The alternatives Of the hostile feet
would be, of course, 10 seize base on
the American coast. A purely naval ex-
pediticn could scarcely do this. With the
buoys of the harbors removed and the
waterways sown with submarine mines;
with the excellent coast Notifications
which now defend the American harbors
sending forth their destructive fire; with
an American feet of nine battle ships, two
armored cruisers, eight protected cruisers,
i've powerful monitors. thirty-five torpedo
boats and desToyers. a feet of sub
marines, and a large hotila of small
cruisers threatening and harassing them
from the seward side. to capture a base
d
job as any hostile nation would remember
having attempted so long as its name
remained on the roll of nations.
II HostiIes Brought an Army.
. II the hostiles came with an army as
well as a feet-and that is how they
would come, If they contemplated making
anything more than a mere 'demonstra-
ton they would still find theft work cut
out for them Ne nation could expect TO
make q successful invasion Of the United
States with an army of much less than
100000 men. Il took thirty transports TO
carry the expedition of 5000 men from
Tampa 20 Cuba in 1895. one can imagine
what an immense fotilla Il would take 10
transport an army of 100000 men across
5000 miles Of water. with all their artT-
lery, ammunition, horses, and other i'm
pedlmenta.
The army moving to Cuba was going
only a short distance from its base of
supplies, and fresh supplies could be
rushed to it continually in a few days.
The army OF invasion for America would
have 10 carry in its train a great feet
Of storeships or starve. The modifying of
such an army. the assembling of such a
vast fleet Of transports and Of its guar
dian fleet OF war ships, the assembling
OF the supplies necessary, the embark
alton Of the troops. &c, would pe a work
not Of days nor OF weeks, but would ex-
tend over much time, no matter how well
the foreign STATS have got the thing fig-
ured out, For the great human euua-
tion' and the happening Of unforeseen and
unforseeable accidents always make ae-
C0mplishments in such matters lag far
behind theories, however well worked out.
Then the progress Of the armada across
the ocean would be slow, for Il would be
governed by the speed of the slowest
vessel in the fleet. Swift American yes
sells would harass it in its progress, and
woe TO the tagging transport or the one
cut out by bold dashes. Arrived on this
side there would stlll remain the task of
forcing a landing and of winning victory
after the landing had been effected.
The hostile feet naturally would first
seek out and attempt to destroy the
American feet But ii would not be so
easy TO destroy such feet as the Amer
leans still have on the Atlantic coast. and
one which would choose its own place and
time Of fighting-One which could seek
refuge in a safe harbor. protected by
heavy forts or sally out as is saw Mt.
There remains the chance that the hos
tile nation would send its amanda to the
West Indies and seize a base in Cuba or
Porto Rico and make war upon America
from there. But this could not be done
without fight in which the enemy would !
meet with some loss at least-loss which |
il would be hard TO repair and would |
mean an increase Of time. Every DAYS |
increase Of time also would mean an in |
crease in :he strength of the American !
fleet on the Atlantic coast. And a hos |
tile power lodged in Porto Rico would /
still BE- far from the accomplishment of /
It's objective.
Naval Fighters Available.
Nor did all the naval talent sail with
Fighting Bob TO the Pacific.
At Washington is a quiet, modest gen
tleman named George Dewey. who. |
though nearly ten years have elapsed /
since he sailed on that May morning into
Manila Bay, is still hale and sound and
it TO take the seas once more. The Ad-
niral now is just turned seventy, but