The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-04
rHE DgvELOPNENr or OR
COAST DEFENCES.

ctvh var To the latest and moat modern
construction 81 material and one OF the
hest organized systems Of ere direction and
control
This system was nrsi recommended By
the Endicoti board In lisa. and VAS i'm
proved. expanded and modernized twenty
years later by the Taft board % IsOe The
present state Of our defenoea n therefore
the result Of tSenty-fOur years Of develop
meni. and a. We look abroad Ne can con-
graduate ourselves on the position attained,
but incidentally Se must not overlook the
Lesson taught. namely. the length % time
required to reach such a position Of CON-
| paratiVe security
AccordinR TO the report II the chef
OF Coast Artillery the amount expended
under the original board for our home
ports In the Tinted States proper was
nearly o.. OOO. 90. and the Taft board recon-
mendsd an additional eK penditure OF nearly
, Isl .0oo. 600 to complete the system with
such accessories and such additional de-
fences - we're considered necessary to
bring the system up to date Since the
Taft board another port. san Pedro. Cal =.
not considered by that board, has been
added to our defenoea. and e7SO. 100 has
been Appropriated for the purchase Of
the necessary land there
The great desideratum At present IL the
completion Of the equipment of our home
ports with the necessary accessories to
make our guns and forts effective search
lights. electric power plants. range finders
&c and with the required mine material
to make our ports secure
tpon this subject the Chief NJ Coast
Artillery makes the following pertinent
remarks
For several years past u has been stated
IN he annual report Of The Chief Of Coast
ARTILLERY the; the expenditures foF The
detenoes In home ports have been mainly
for guns and their emplacements. and Il
has been uniformly recommended that
the submarine mine equipment Of theas ports
and the accessories for the guns and mines
| already Installed control apparatus
seaTchliGhts. power plants and ammuni.
ton be provided before more guns are
Installed or new defence protests begun
This for the reason that. considering the
present condition Of the home ports the
provision Of these accessories would secure
the greatest measure Of public safe, at the
least cost. and what IL more that without
these accessories the immense sum. about
$40. GO .ooo. expended on the guns Installed
would be wasted. a. these guns without
their correspondents accessories would he Of
no more value In the defence Of the ports
in which they are mounted than 80 many
dummies
The present tendency. therefore. - to
compls;s the equipment Of all the gums
nov Installed a. estimated for hv the Tar,
board. and this will require about sIS. 90 .0aO.
Ono item in the estimates Of the Tar,
board. that for undermining older en-
Placements. needs some explanation The
work contemplated by this estimate ron-
sisted only In the widening Of the plat
forms. hut IN order to bring the older bat
teries OF large calibre guns up 70 the stand
ard Of efficiency secured by tho Iateaf TYNE
OF emplacement IL u also necessary 20
install powder hois's and other modinca-
lions. and the Appropriations must he in
creased accordingly
The duty Of the artillery 3. 20 hit and 10
hi rapidly and often. hence the necessity
for ihsae Improvements The older en-
placements were too narrow In the plat
forms The original Ntdi was determined
by mo protecting power Of the parape,
hut the artillery prefers 10 ind it, hest pro-
lection against b~tng hn by hitting m.
enemy, ana Wider plat form. although
giving less direct protection. Offers greater
facilities for rapid arins
Regarding the mine equipment u must
Ne remembered that We cannot AFFORD "a
wait for war before completi ing our mine
defence. hut must he prepared beforehand:
for unless Ne aTe thus prepared no amount
or money made avail sble a. the OUT break
81 var could procure mine material in time
" should be made possible to mine every
harbor within forty-eight houru When I,
h considered that n the mine defence Of
ne country IL completed the navy would he
comparatively free TO perform its true funs-
ton ~ seeking The enemy a. sea unhampered
nv the thought Of poorly protected hAThor.
a. home. u will he apparent that this com
pletion shall he accomplished a. the earliesi
possible momenf
kEa
necessary personnel for the mine defence
Of every fortified home port and onlv
small sum Il required 10 complete the min.
material for all ports from Portland Ne
to Galveston. TeX snd from San Diego
cal 20 seattle. Wash and this sum should
he Appropriated o. once
~ regsrds our insular possession. ne
appropriations have been sumo len, for the
emplacementS for honolulu snd >uh,R Rav
and the greater raTi ~ tho work for Mani.
Raw snd Pearl Harb"r. but the rro scted
dsfenceS for ~ Frails and CahaIlo islsn ds
are Necessary 10 render he other defeucs>
enscti'e
The material for me Is,hnisr canal
norris will REQUIRE nearly i've millions ana /
Q hs time hs7 nov arrived whoa The work ~ /
tnr'ifyIng ih-ss poTis should 30 bsaun
u l. thus evident that our .nast dersnces
in our home ports are rapidlv nearing COM '
pietton and those In our insular possession.
sTa well under way
The sums VOWED appesr ,erv xr.ot
" hen cOns'dered nv themselves b,Ii Nhso
u - considered that without thes~ forth b
hcAtions every coast region wauld reuuir.
. separate feet stronger than the enemy.
for fun protection. and that every one Of .
these fleets would b~ tied 10 he coast and 7
could not -Hfely 30 out 70 md the en~Ay's
feet 'its highest functi ION IN war their
value heCome~ ApnA rent not only - a dire,t
protection for the coast. but also indirectly
in lib~ratinS the navy for H- highest duty
and its leEt' innate NoTk. and he cost after
al 10 very small. ina -much 80 they ems bic
me fee, IN do the uSrk for Nhirh several
v ould Ne required without them. ami battle
ships cost far more than fOEtihcationa
Revival 90 90 ARcbeas E.Gsaesrtas Dev,c..
To rHN EprToa 90 TIVE SuN >V YOU speak .,