The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-06-24

At the present time it is proposed TO construct
placements batteries, Notifications military posts
and auxiliary batteries at that will range between
sSO00OOO and $1O,0OOOOO exclusive armament. For
the outlying and principal batteries there will be sixty
14-nch rifles, capable of sinking the battleship
afoatonce it comes within range. The minor batteries,
which will protect mines and be available for repeine
landing parties have not yet been designated,
The 14inch guns alone will cost upward of $1,000,
900. Each cannon of rifled steel $4,000: the
carriage adds $4,000 to this and the total is in
creased by the addition of $150000 for the emplace
men This totals just 5000 for the big gun in
sition to fire. and the of sixty is matter of easy
mathematics.
These gigantic guns hurl proiectie weighing 1850
pounds. The heavy projece, of high explosive power
is effective at distance of miles, and for any
thing less than the most modern oaeships is effective
practically all Combined with the 12-inch
mortars which will also be installed. the combined
main batteries both sides of the canal will be able
fire single round of metal excess
of 100000 pounds.
greatest activity fortifying the canal will be
expended the Pacific side. Lying off the coast some
ten fifteen miles group of islands. AS matter
of fact, they number fifteen but four have
ed as commanding the channel entrance and these will
be crowned with owlyng batteries. skillfuy
sructed that it will be practically impossible mark
their presence from the sea- The huge guns within
them will be mounted disappearing carriages and it
will be next to impossible to locate their deadly pres
ence except by the flash of their discharges
The four islands selected Flamenco Culebra Naos
and PerlcO The last named two practically
lie Immediately behind Culebra, which, in turn
shoudered of clear view of the by the bluffs
of Flamenco The arrangement of the quartet of is
lands however, lends strategic strength they
so situated that each supports the other, and.
bined they command the entrance the both
sides
In addition to the batteries of 14inch guns the
islands Notifications will include mortar pits equipped
with these 12nch weapons of destruction. The NOR
tars in pits of the direct range of Shells
and have been developed to point where they
highly thought of by the service. The mortars Gre
shells in great arc, the explosives falling the
enemys decks the most vulnerable part of ship When
made they effective than a shell
a straight shooting gun
And the American gunner has mastered the art of
handling the mortar. In the past the a
has been to carry terror into the ranks of an
enemy than in the hope of doing him any great phys
ca harm. Now, however the art of range-fnding has
been reduced to such exactness that recently a gun
in the Coast Artillery made record of eight hits
range of three miles.
The batteries of big and mortars the islands
will be reinforced by shore batteries each side of
the entrance the canal These batteries probably will
be built terraces, supporting the other, and all
commanding the channel If any warship runs the
gantet the outlying Notifications it will stand an
excellent chance of being either sunk disabled by the
blaze of fire from the bluffs
If by any miracle foreign fleet does silence the