The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-15
NEW OR[EANSIS
 RAISING PROTEST Argues Against Removal Of
 Naval Yard POINT OUT DANGER Only By Running Expensive Channels and Blocking Trade Could the
 Great Port Be Protected
 From Invasion
POINT OUT DANGER

New Orleans. July 14-(Special.) )-Be- cause, In case of need the government may destroy the channels to the sea on the lower Mississippi, thereby prevent inr invasion of the Mississippi valley by foreign warships, the navy department has determined to abandon the modern navy yard established at New Orleans few years ago at a cost of $Soo0'eOo, move its immense floating dry dock and valus- hle machinery to Guantanamo, Cuba, and leave the entire gulf coast unpro- tected save from naval base 15oo miles from the nearest United States source of supplies.
 This programme has been protested against by the people of New Orleans on the ground that it subjects the only water outlet to the sea enjoyed by more than 30 per cent of the states and by considerably more than 50 per cent of the people of the United States to danger of destruction. This deep water outlet now has two channels, known as South pass, which was made available for large ships hy the world famous Eads jetties, and as Southwest pass, which the government has just finished improving at a cost of some s15,oooO00. Ships drawing 30 feet now use these passes regularly.
 By blowing up the revetment that con- fpes the current, sediment would quick ly fill these channels. This would stop ingress by foreign warships, but 1t would also put an end to exports by way of the Mississippi river and the Gulf of Mexico during years to come. This would im- pose immense har1ships on the producers, merchants and exporters in all of the states between the two great mountain ranges.
 It has required 25 years of effort and nearly s2o,00000o of government money to bring these two passes to their present high state of efficiency, all of which might have to be destroyed in case of war as defensive measure by the Washington war board in the event the lower Mis- sissippi river be rendered inhospitable for the home feet through the destruc- ton of the docking and other naval fa- cilities at New Orleans.
 In order to combat this policy of de- struction, joint committee of the New Orleans exchanges is now engaged in tell
 
 what the destruction of the New Orleans naval station means to their commercial welfare, and in securing their co-opera- tion and influence in Congress in order to bring the navy department to view the matter In a broader light.
 The subjoined Is a sample of the letters tfat are being sent out by the committee: MT. w. L. Park, Vice President Illinois Central Railroad, Chicago, Ill.,: | Dear Sir: The Secretary of the Navy seems determined to eliminate the New | Orleans naval station
 Our principal reason for desiring it re | tanned and used by the government is | that in the absence of adequate naval protection and especially in the absence of naval repair facilities in the lower Mis- | sissippi river, channel destruction in place of channel defense would, through 1 sheer necessity, be resorted to in time of war by the United States war board.
 This would mean the elimination dur ing d period of years of the Mississippi valleys outlet to he sea-
 What such a thing would mean to the | foreign commerce of the Mississippi valley and to the railroads that now handle that commerce must be apparent to you.
 We do not fear g. foreign invasion, but we fear the monster financial losses that would follow in the wake of the destruc- ton of our channel in case invasion | should be threatened.
 We are appealing to the people of the ] Mississippi valley to oppose in their own 1 interest the deliberate destruction of the | New Orleans naval station by the Secre- tary of the Navy and we appeal to you | on the same grounds.
 The government has invested some g, ,0t0o00 in creating this plant to supply q fresh water harbor where all naval re- rars and supplies may be obtained. in order to protect it's s15,0O0,0Oo channel in vestment, and from our point of view its destruction for any reason whatsoever would be a crime against the valley and tie western states which must depend on the Mississippi river for their outlet to the sea.
 ''rhe naval dry dock. which the Secre- tary of the Navy wishes to remove from | this station. Is the only dry dock south | of Newport News capable of taking care | of the larger class of merchant liners coming to this port and for that reason | Is a commercial necessity here Very | truly. c. H. ELLIS. Chairman |"