New-York tribune., 1911-10-01
By william L. AItdOrfer.

~ the history Of the world there has
nan but one Gibraltar-the ROCK Oh
4 ,-r,raltar-eternal guardian OF the en-
+o the Mediterranean sea, now uh-
.o-trol Of England. "As strong as the
O., ~ Gibraltar is an expression Ia
~ ~ to every one When Gibraltar Is
me. -.,o,,o5 YOU know at once the strongest
IL most impregnable fortress in the
A4 40 meant But within the next
s ,,sa~s or by the time the Panama
~, ~, ,s finished. Uncle Sam intends 70
"a NOT one but two Gibraltars, or
's,~erert pattern. however, one at eacn en-
60 10 the canal. And ne intends 10
.,,ots his Gibraltars even stronger and
-,ore inpregnable. If that be possible than
IA British forudcation.
~be Pacific entrance 10 the canal will be
-,.r5e5 by the most powerful gun IN the
o-ld the monster 16-inch rifle now
y. ssrSv Hook. y. J. There are only two
a.,sr Guns IN the world as large as Uncle
s,,,'s big gun one is owned by italy
- the other by France But neither OF
80 Guns can throw a shell anything like
80. r~aar distance such projecule can
:. .f~oU-r with the great 16-inch rifle
- --e limited states. The American gun
.---v-s a shell as big as a man, weighing
IN. mounds. filed with the most powerful
- terrific explosives known, a distance
Of more than twenty miles.
ARMAMENT OF THE FORTS.
In addition TO the giant gun there viii be
eight l4-'uch rifles, which are only second
,, mower 90 the 1f-inch twelve 6-inch rifles
and -veutv-four Ic-inch mortars, all Of the
greatest size and power IN tho possession
az The United States. equally distributed
between the two Gibraltars- The Pacific
end of the canal viii be the stronger OF the
TWO. because Of the location az tnat point
rr four islands recently purchased by the
United States for the purpose Of making
The f5rudcauons there as strong as Yam
%se energy and ingenuity can make them.
the targets M which they are firing.
The monster l6-inch gun was built about
-sr wears aEo. but IL is still the most
-ovc~fuI piece Of ordnance ever construct
81 The firing distance is so great that no
s++s-rrt has eyer been made to introduce
q gun with a longer range or more de-
srr,ctive power. Tt is we'll known that IL
inch guns. which are the largest now used
either tu coast l-ANlct OF On BdLLleollAt''
lave an effective FIRE beyond the limit Of
the ordinary horizon. Their fire is now d.
re~ied by the use Of powerful field glasses
and the men behind the guns do not see
the targets no which they are firing.
BIZ new system Of range finders 70 be
iqstaIed in the Panama fortidcatons. to-
cather with several steel towers as high
ss the Washington Monument in which
The officers directing the firing Of the great
1-lncb gun VIII be stationed, they will he
able 10 control the fire of the gun for dis
tance Of at least sixteen miles. At this
distance even the gigantic super-Dread-
rourht OF the most powerful navies in the
world can be- sunk by a shell from this
yln. This ie not the limit Of the great
gun. but 10 IS about as far as hits can be
made even with the aid Of range finders.
The rrofectile Of the gun is one OF the
mechanical wonders Of the age. It is
virtually an aerial torpedo. II weighs 2,4oO
pounds and carries $50 pounds Of high eX-