The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-09-27

'tt''f''f't tbbf oNliNs "ANON AittA
Il United States is about TO complete
4 the Panama canal, many nations are
interesting themselves in the ques-
ton Of its fortification and have sue.
ceeding In raising discussing of the
proposition. The United States, how
ever, is going ahead calmly with
tplans for defending the canal, which
Iare before President Taft, and the
I question, II any serious opposition
develops, must be settled in congrss
this winter.
\ The eyes OF the powers are turned
toward the little strip OF land ten
miles wide and forty miles long
through which the United Stats, to
the creaking of the steam shovels and
1.-The boom OF the exploding dynamite.
Is rapidly opening the big ditch which
| is to unite the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans
The Panama canal Is no longer a
project. II is now reality. Al
| though the date set for the opening
is 1915. the engineers art confident
that ships will be taking this short
ont between oceans a year sooner or
ll914
Two years or even year ago for
eigners were content to admire the
energy and skill which the sweeping
away giant obstacles. Today they are
wondering what is its effect is to be
| on world politics and what advantages
are 10 accrue TO the United States
through control Of this strategic wa
terway.
For this reason, more than any 9th
er. foreigners are debating the ques-
ton OF the fertilization of the canaL
AT the present moment also this con
sideration is OF paramount interest to
the United States because the defense
must be in place by the time the ca-
nal is open for traffic.
The two problems, therefore. which
are agltating the officials of the Unit
ed States and of other counties are
whether we have the right to fortify
the canal and whether We can do II
successfully II we have the. right.
No less an authority than Rear Ad-
miral Bob Evans has said that II
canot be done. The board of army
experts says that it can. The task
offers difficulties but they are not in.
Isurmountable. The essential feature
lof the defence plans is that the big
guns of the shore batteries must be
so placed that no fleet in time OF
war can draw near enough TO the en-
trance of the canal on either side TO
bottle il up against another fleet.
II the canal is to be strictly neut-
raj it must be kept open 10 ships oil
any belligerent nation. This cannot
be done If fleet OF one of the coni-
batants can stand OF the entrance at
sufficient distance to be beyond the
range OF the guns of the shors hat
teries and pick off hostile fleet cons
ing through ship by ship before Il
could deploy in battle formation. III
this were the case the canal would be
as effectively bottled as though the
Lusltania We're sunk in its eaaneei
for no fleet OF battleships woulo rrn
the risk of fight under such adverse
circumstances
For this reason the fortiications
must be placed that the coast guns
can stand on a fleet al sufficient dis
tance to allow anot er fleet to pass
through and form in battle line for
Us own defense before coming in \
range As the range OF the coast
gun and the modern big gun of bat |
tleshilis are approximately the same.
!, will be necessary to mount batter |
les in forIiicatioas on islands com
manding the entrance OF the canal
Fortunately no artificial islands
need be built TO obtain this end. On
the Panama side there are several
situated. On tie Colon sid
taerei 5 one which will serve the pur-
pose. From these positions the bat
tories OF noriars and big guns will |
command stretch of water large
{ nough for the fleet TO maneuver in.
The guarding of the canal at inter-
iof points Is not SO difficult problem. /
A garrison viii be maintained within
the zone which can patrol the route. /
The vulnerable points will be the
heks which could easily be disabled I
bf the explosion of a stick OF dyna-
nit and serious damage might be
done II the same way at one of tat
iams
spnetauti0ns1 1will also he taken II
tine Of war between any nations to-
prevent the sinking OF a ship In tht
channel TO obstiuct the passage of
leet.
There Is little doubt Of tie ability
y The United tSates to fortify tht
N (