The Washington herald., 1914-10-18
HOLLANDS DIKES
PROTECT nation
Movement Of a Lever at Am
sterdam Would Flood the
. Entire Country.
DEVICE A STATE SECRET
Engineering System Is the Key to the
Entire Military Defense of the
DutSh Domains.
DEVICE A STATE SECRET

The Hague, Oct. IT.-By the mere now
ment Of a lever at Amsterdam eVery
dixie and dam In Holland can be opened
simultaneously and IN q few hours the
whole country from Naarden. on the
zuyder Zee. by Utrecht. 70 Geertruiden-
berg. at the mouth Of the Meuse. can be
put under water.
The northwest corner Of the kingdom,
with The Hague. Amsterdam. and Rot
terdam. thus would be converted into a
well-nigh impregnable fortified island.
only to be approached in shallow barges
and small boatA
This would not be the first time Hol-
land has had to defend herself by bring
ing In the sea, but modern engineering
has permitted an enormous increase IN
the facility with which the country can
be flooded. II Is the probable contem-
plation Of Hollands almost perfect de-
fense which goes farther than anything
else in restraining the German Emperor
from violating Dutch neutrality.
Army Very small.
The army Of Holland Is not sufficiently
well organized or of large enough size
TO offer serious resistance. although the
infantry are good fighters.
William OF Orange flooded the country
in 1874, and by so doing drove the Span
ish invaders out. The same policy was
adopted on the occasion of the French
invasion OF 1S72- II was resorted to in
1ISI. when the Prussians marched into
Holland. but not quickly enough, and be-
fore the country could be put under wa
ter. the enemy had managed to reach and
take Amsterdam.
In those days the means employed for
cutting the dams and dikes were crude
and slow. But the development Of the
aEN0 r1N kr~ar - -
irrigation has enabled the government Of
Queen Wilhelnina to inaugurate devices
which are a profound secret
Has Germany managed to acquire pos
session OF this state secret Of Holland,
which is the key TO the latters entire
system OF defense against any violation
OF her neutrality? All that our authority
can say is that a few years ago a Dutch
army engineer officer. employed in a
very important confidential capacity at
the waterstaat department. was sudden
ly arrested. tried behind closed doors,
and sentenced to imprisonment for life
there being no death penalty in Holland
the only explanation vouchsafed by the
Dutch authorities being that he had sold
| some plans ~relating to the national de-
fense to the military attache Of a for
eign legation at The Hague.
That the Kaiser has contemplated a
Violation OF the neutrality Of the Neither
| lands. in the event Of his becoming in
volved in a war with France. has long
been surmised. not only in the Neither
lands. but also in the various capitals OF
Europe. For as recently as 1910 the
minister OF foreign affairs at The Hague
was compelled to admit in the legislature
that Queen Wilhelmina had received a
letter from a neighboring sovereign. in
which he notified her that. greatly to his
regret, he would be obliged in the event
Of war with France to occupy Holland
unless the latter placed herself in a state
OF defense against Great Britain by the
construction Of powerful forts at various
spots which he indicated, notably at
Flushing.
The Dutch government demurred. IN
| doubtedly fearing that IL 1t did build this
! fort at Flushing. Il would be seized by a
| German army or naval force. and be used
\ by the Kaiser against England and Bel
| GUM Every possible delay was resort
| ed to by the HoIlanders. who lived up 70
| their national reputation for being OF a
very phlegmatic character. in the affair
/ But under constant proddings from Ber-
| lin they were finally Obliged to vote the
! money for the purpose. and to commence
| building the forts. They are not COM
pleted. nor have they received any ar
! Tnament