Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-01-16
FORTIFYINC AMERICAS GIBRALTAR AND HOW

Il
the nation the preservation cf rs
finest naval .harbcrs and its most I'M.
| portant base of naval operation. Ia
the event of war. undefended Cape
| Henry would require a fleet Of battle
ships: the defended cape could rely
upon itself and leave the navy un-
! kampered.
The ports of New York, Boston and
Galveston, representing our geograph-
ical as well as commercial poles.
lie almost within gunshot OF the ocean;
and they would require In addition
10 their present defenses. cons!d
cradle naval reinforcement The
! American navy in none too large
when the immensely of the countrys
coast line is considered: and. to IN
vite serious drain upon its strength
is a needless injustice.
What Chesapeake Bay Offers.
Within be entrance 10 Chesapeake
Pay there are several hundred miles
Of water navigablc for vessels of
seventeen or eighteen feet draft. Five
hundred and fifty miles are navi-
gable for vessels drawing twenty
feet; four hundred and twenty
five miles yield twenty-five feet OF
water and four hundred miles may be
traversed by ships that penetrate
thirty feet below the surface. An
alyizing these depths from the stand
point Ct naval efficiency. we find that
the eighteen foot channelway Is
ample for torpedo boats. destroyers.
gunboats. mentors and light. protect
ed cruisers. Twenty feet will accom-
modate mcst of the troop and supply
ships and many of the lighter armor-
ed cruisers. Twenty-feet will accom-
channel may be navigated by an
auxiliary craft Of a navy. by first
class cruisers and by every battle
ship our navy that is now in commits
sion The greatest depth will bear
such leviathans as the immense Del
aware.
Against feet sailing up the Ches-
apeake. the guns of Fortress Mon
roe would be absolutely powerless. A
squadron could pass these sentinels
and be hull down on the horizon.
Even IL stacks and smoke should be-
! tray the location of the hostile craft,
| the distance would insure immunity
for all except tae most fragile object
and the lighter craft might obtain pro-
lection behind the heavier. II is true.
| theoretically, that the fourteen inch
gun can penetrate Tin Krupp armOr
at a distance Of $4,000 yards, but
even this monster weapon is admit
ted to lie ineffective against IL
inch armor al more than five miles,
A feet can pass Fortress Monroe on
its northward journey up the Chesa-
peake and never approach nearer
than 22cOO yards or twelve and one
half miles.
Against this allegation CT ineffici-
ency will be urged the protection ar
forded by mines: but if we assume
that an enemy is sufficiently strCng
to control the Fay we must admit
that he can remove or destroy the
mines. Mines are powerful means
lcf protection but they require de
Tense in order to defend-unprctect-
led they are practically valueless.
The PeninsuIss Of the Chesapeake,
In the matter of channel way
Baltimore. Norfolk and Newport News
are accessible to warships OF the
DreadnoEght type. Vessels OF that
class may eEter the York river
twenty-five miles: the Potomac
thirty five. and the Patuxent, eighteen
Annapolis may be approached with
In a mile and many CT the hsrbOrs
lon the eastern side OF the Bay may
he entered. Forming the four main
IpenirsuIas On the western side Of the
chesapeake are the James. York Rap
Ipahannock. Potomac and PatuxenI
rivers. which may be utilized b.
large was vessels for distances vary
ing frow forty to enc husdred miles
inland. At their nsrroSest points
these peninsuias measure from six to
nineteen miles. Between Hog Island
on the James. and Sandy Point. o.
the York. six miles: between West
Point. on the York. and TuiIe. Point,
on the Ihappahanock. fifteen ~miles:
between Corbun's Creek. on the Rhap.
pahannock. and Yeocomico. On the
Potomac. nineteen miles; between
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