The Washington times., 1909-11-12
Navy Determined to Defend
Hawaii and Philippines
Properly.
CAVITE NOLONGER
REGARDED VALUABLE
Pearl Harbor, Near Honolulu, Will
Be Largest Place Maintained
by Government.
By JOHN sNURE.

BY JOHN SNURE.
That Uncle Sam has no intention OF
allowing his possessions in the Pacific
TO be wrested from him without a pro-
longed resistance is made clear by the
announcement Secretary of the Navy
Meyer has given out regarding plans
for naval bases in the Pacific and the
facts which have come out OF the War
Department as TO insular fortiications.
Any foe that strikes at this country
and tries to seize Hawaii and the Philip
pines viii find real work carved out for
them, particularly if the blow is not
struck until the Governments plans for
defense are fully worked out.
Secretary Meyer has announced that
Pearl Harbor four miles TO the west of
Honolulu, is TO be made the great
American. naval base OF the Pacific.
Cavite, on the island of Luzon. near
Manila, is to be abandoned as naval
base Olongapo. in Subig Bay, north
OF Manila Bay viii be used as limited
the defense of the Philippines viii be
LETT largely 10 the army. which Is al
ready hard a work making Corregidor,
at the mouth of Manila Bay, an i'm
pregnable fortress.
Built Around Island
ne army QCAEllSE pan LII tAlC AAAAAF-
pines centers around the rock island of
Corregidor. at the entrance to Manila
Bay. Work on this has been going
ahead for years. The defenses there
are nearing completion. 1t is asserted
by army men that VIXEN the fortifca-
tions at CorregIdOr and on the small
islands IN the mouth of Manila Bay
close TO COrregidor are finished, the
United States will have a defensive
work as impossible of capture as Glib
raltar itself
Not only viii Corregidor be equipped
with the most powerful Of guns and
strongly manned, but Il will be pro-
Vided with enough supplies to Withstand
years of siege. Army men have real
lied thai owing 10 the isolation Of the
Philippines the ordinary seacOast foTti-
hcatiOns might be OF small use in case
OF a sudden attack. But with Corregi-
dor fortified as planned, the proposition
viii Be q different one The island has
almost vertical shores. and the batteries
are built a. a height Of nearly 400 feet
The guns from these batteries can easily
prevent che entrance OF a feet into
Manila bay. Add 10 this the fact that
the entrance to the bay would be mined
and IL is easy TO realize the powerful
nature OF the hold the army would have
on this particular part Of the Philippines
IN time of war.
A Military Secret
II is strange the fertilization Of Cor
regidor has gone forward with so lit
tie notice. It may be taken for grant
ed the military and naval experts Of
foreign nations have not shut their eyes
10 II. In a considerable measure much
of what has been done there is a milf
tary secret. Great care has been taken
10 prevent the admission OF any for
eigners 10 the fortificatiOns - panese
have been prevented from working on
the fortihcations. and. though at one
time some Chinese were employed, they
were soon shut out also.
The announcement that Olongapo,
which IS seventy miles BY water from
Manila, will not be made a great naval
base, but only a repair station-the
toiat army and navy board, Secretaries
Meyer and Dickinson and the President
having agreed TO this-means the naval
officers have once and for all abandon
ed their dream of making great naval
base in Subig Bay This project was
one which army men at all times deem
ed fantastic and iI-conceived. The
decision now TO make Olongapo a lin
tied repair station may be looked on
properly as a way OF allowing the naval
authorities to retreat gracefully from
The scheme to make Oiongapo a great
fortified naval base would have re-
quired many millions of dollars and
while the harbOr is good, army men
have shown repeatedly that the place
was utterly defenseless from the land
side. Troops caught in the place would
water supply for troops at Olongapo
would have been precariOus-
Millions Thrown Away.
In the opinion OF the army experts.
the Olongapo project would have meant
throwing away millions on millions OF
dollars without putting Manila in any
shape for defense. one estimate Of the
cost Of the great naval base originally
proposed for Olongapo was $50. 900 OO0
This could have been poured ont and
Manila have still been left helpless.
Even the fertilization Of CorregfdOr
leaves Manila in a bad way on the land
side, 70 the east and north, as IL Is
well realized If a hostile army attempts
TO take Manila IL viii land on tle east
coast Of IuzOn and march across the
island and try 20 take the city from
be made I'm time for waUding of at
tscks from the land direction At any
rate possession Of Manila by a foreign
force with this country holding Cor
regidor and naval vessels inside OF Ma
nila bay would be an easy matter
While this country is building IN a
mighty defensive work AT the mouth
or Manila bay. anothe- powerful one
fas been established at Diamond Head.
- tae Hawaiian Islands shortly to the
east Of Honolulu. ou the opposite side
Of the town from Pearl Harbor. This
IS another Gibraltar. N fact In the
crater of the extinct volcano at Dia-
mOad Head there have been estab-
lished powerful batteries, which are
capable Of sweeping the sea TO a long
distance. defending Honolulu and add
Ing materially TO the security of the
great naval base at Pearl HarbOr, which
Is about six miles away.