The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-09-30

which are agitating the officials of
the United States and of other coun-
tries. are whether we have the RICH,
to fortify the canal and whether we
can do it successfully if we have the
right.
No less an authority than Rear
Admiral Bob" Evans has said that
it cannot be done. The board of
army experts says that it can. The
task offers difficulties but they are
not insurmountable. The essential
feature of the defense p1ans is that
the big guns Of the shore batteries
must be placed so that no fleet in
time Of war can draw near enough
to the entrance of the canal on
either side to bottle it up against
another feet.
If the canal is to be strictly neu-
trail it must be kept open to ships
of any belligerent nation. This can
not be done If a fleet or one of the
combatants can stand off the en-
trance at sufficient distance to be
beyond the range of the guns of the
shore batteries and pick off a hos
tile feet coming through ship by
ship before it could deploy in battle
formation. If this were the case the
canal would be as effectively bottled
as though the Louisiana we're sunk
in it's channel for no yeet of battle
ships would run the risk of a fight
under such adverse circumstances.
For this eason the Notifications
must be SO placed that the coast
guns can stand off a fleet at suffi-
cient distance to allow another fleet
to pass through and form in battle
line for its own defense before COM
ing in range. AS the range of the
coast gun and the modern big gun of
battleships are approximately the
same, it will be necessary u mount
batteries in Notifications on islands
! COu1lIduuluH Iu0 cAI1duCO VI LIE
canal.
Fortunately no artificial islands
need be built to obtain this end. On
the Panama side there are several
admirably situated. On the Colon
side there is one which will serve the
purpose. From these positions the
batteries or motars and big guns
will command a stretch OF water
large enough for the fleet to man
euver in.
The guarding of the canal. at in
terror points is not so difficult a
problem. A garrison will be main.
tanned within the zone which can pa
troll the route. The vulnerable points
will be the locks which could easily
be disabled by the explosion OF a
; stick of dynamite and serious dam.
age might be done in the same way
at one of the dams.
Precautions will also be taken in
, time of war between any nations tc
prevent the sinking of a ship in the
channel to obstruct the passage of
fleet.
!, There is little doubt of the ability
of the United States to rortify the
canal effectively. Whether or not
!, it has the right to do so according to
the agreement with Great Britain is
a more involved question.
1
> Apart from treaty considerations
the right Of the United States can
. not be questioned. The United
. States controls the ten-mile strip
: through which the cana1 runs as
much as it controls the Philippine
Islands. This country spent hun.
dreds of millions of dollars to dig
the waterway. The right Of the
United States to erect what FORTH
cations is pleases within It's w ter.
ritory and to defend it's own posses.
sion cannot be questioned.
Those who object to the fortia-
cation are either the militant advo-
Gates" of universal peace, notably
Gen. ]. Warren Keifer of Ohio,
whose reasons YER based On anti
war sentiment, or persons who hold
that it is contrary to the spirit OF
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty with
Great Britain.
Against the peace advocates there
is only one argument-whether it IL
, wise or foolish to promote the cause
. of universal peace by exposing to the