Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-09-14
DIAMOND HEAD.
Uncle Sans Great Volcano Fortress
In the Pacific Ocean.


In the Pacific Ocean.
Since England instituted her vast
and mysterious system Of defenses in
the great rock Of Gibraltar the world
has witnessed no project of military
fertilization so important as that
which has been undertaken by the
United States 10 the island Of Oahu
OF the Hawaiian group
In the belief that the Pacific ocean
Is to be the theater Of the next great
international struggle for commercial
and territorial control. the American
government has entered upon a project
which is destined to give it an invinci-
BILE base and outpost in midocean at
Hawaii. To that end it has begun to
fortify what is known as Diamond
head, which is a vast extinct volcano
in Oahu on which Honolulu is built.
and when the works are completed
the place will be justly entitled to be
called 'the Gibraltar Of the Pacific"
Situated as 1t is at the lower ex-
tremity Of the island, with it's northern
slope forming part Of the city OF Homo
lulu, says Edward 2. Irwin in the
World Today. Diamond head com
mands the seward approach from all
directions to the city, and the fire Of
its guns, combined with the cross fire
Of the Pearl harbor Notifications seven
miles away on the other side Of Homo
lulu, is sufficient to render the town
safe from attack.
The crater itself is comparatively
shallow, being only a couple Of hun
dred feet deep. But the walls are
steep and rugged, and it would be
practically impossible for a ship at
sea to drop a shell into the cavity.
This is being taken advantage Of to
form safe shelter for the gunners
who are to man the battery.
The guns themselves, eight Pinch
mortars Of the newest and most pow
erful type, are not located in the era
ter itself, but are mounted on the
Leah slope. toward Kaimuki, behind
the mountain. Should there be occa-
sion to use them in time Of war the
gunners would not see the vessel at
which they were firing, but would di-
rect their aim according to the tele-
phoned instructions Of the range find
ers stationed at various points on the
circumference Of the crater's rim.
Such is modern gunnery, a matter Of
rather than Of accuracy
of vision. But to such a degree of per-
lection has the modern science Of gun
merry attained that the crews of the
Diamond head battery would be able
to drop on to the deck Of a battleship
miles distant and completely out Of
their range of vision a projectile which
would sink the vessel before ever it
had a chance to get close enough to
the island to use its own less powerful
guns.
Through the thick rock walls Of the
volcanoes crater grimy workmen, I'M
der the direction of United States mil
itary engineers, are driving a tunnel
This is to form a passageway to and
from the batteries for the officers and
range finders and, should occasion
ever arise, for the crews OF the NOR
tar battery.
The sides of the volcano are very
steep and cannot be scaled except In
l few places where narrow paths lead
up the precipitous heights. A few
'ilemen and machine guns could east
y defend these passes against a force
many times their number
About the only way the volcanic
fortress could be captured would be
)y starving the defenders out. Water
would be the most difficult thing for a
defending force to obtain, but it will
be no insuperable task to provide a
plentiful supply.
When this is finished Hawaii will
have the most novel and at the same
time one Of the strongest fortresses in
the world--a fortified volcano.