Imperial Valley press., 1912-07-15

! On the fact of this point there is a
military searchlight, one of the strong.
est in the world, reposing in its shell
proof hut back in the side of a hill
IL resembles-this spot-the entrance
to cave or a mine. There is a tiny
! railroad running from the shell proof
| hut to the very point of the prOjec
| ton. The great light can be run
out on this specially constructed car
| A snap of an electric switch and the
night would be cut through and made
as light as day for radius of ten
| miles. A hostile fleet would find it,
self exposed to the guns of the fort
and while in the face of the light the
fleets gunners could do little, the
forts gunners behind the light could
do much, as hostile fleet would no
doubt soon discover to its sorrow.
Post to Be Larger
Plans are now under way, also, TO
enlarge the post at San Diego, and It
is probable that the war department,
following out its intended program Of
concentrating the army in a few great
posts instead of scattering it through
out the country in small garrisons.
will place one of these great posts
on the Point Iona government reser-
vation. That will mean in the neigh
borhood of 10000 additional soldiers
for San Diego. This, taken together
with the fact that San Diego bay is
one of the homes of the Pacific fleet.
Will make the city one of the great
est government posts in the country.
In addition to Fort Rosecrans and
Uncle Sans little secrets, there is to
be found on the government reserva.
tion at Point Iona the Point Iona
lighthouse, the government wireless
telegraph station and a military school
and naval cemetery. In this cema-
terry sleep, among others. the dead
of the gunboat Bennington, the de-
struction of which in San Diego bav
COVE the city and the port its one
great disaster. The honored dead
sleep at the base of an imposing mon
ument erected in their memory. If
would be hard to find a cemetery in
the entire country more beautiful or
better kept.
Should war with foreign power
come, San Diego could feel far mora
secure than many a seacoast town
1or even with the loss of the Pacific
heet' should such a thing come to
pass, the guns of Forts Rosecrans
would protect the city.
Inc army post means more than
that, 100. 1t means an added attrac-
tion to visitors. it means thousands
OF dollars spent annually with San
Dlego merchants and it means thar
San Diego society is made more bril-
ilant by the presence of army officers
and their ladies'.
Here, protected by the guns of Fort
Rosecrans, warships could coal in time
OF international trouble.
The fact that San Diego is a naval
pase ADDS its interest to the city. If
ADDS dollars to the city's business IF
gives a touch Of the picturesque #
piedseS business men and it pleases
newcomers who are unused to s,ch
things and it is good all the wav
through.
Sailors behave themselves in Sa,
Diego. There is never any trouble
any rioting, here, because the man
are treated correctly, and thev real
lie that they are at home. And there
IS NOT a sailor or cruiser or DESTROYER
OF submarine but who boosts for San
Dieso no matter what port he may be
H. IN San Diego they have their base
pall games, their boat races. their 9th
er athletic events They furnish .
eoouly percentage of the sport for
'noSe who like to watch sprots. They
.ake as much interest in a ball game
between teams of two craft as inhab-
l'ants OF two great cities would in .
game between teams fighting for tba
worlds championship.
'heh' III addition to the regular
naval visitors, others come to San hi.
ego NOW and then another United
states man-of-war drops in for
friendly visit, and the officers of the
nome fleet welcome her officers and
the men mingle together, and there are