Imperial Valley press., 1914-12-17
COAST SECURE FROM
ATTACK, SAYS COMMANDER

/ Washington, Dec. 17.-Commande,
Yates Stirling of the Atlantic sub
marine flotilla before the House com
mittee on naval affairs expressed
doubt that the big cities of America
would be exposed to the danger of
bombardment in the event of a war.
A lot of things would have to hap
pen first, he said, before such cities
as New York would be exposed to
such danger. In the first place, ac-
cording to Commander Stirling, an
enemy that contemplated taking any
of the large cities or bombarding
them would first find it necessary to
sweep the American fleet from the
seas.
The strategy of the situation would
impel an enemy first to land a mo-
bile army at convenient base, but
the landing of such force would de-
pend upon the annihilation of the
feet. Of course, the witness said, the
fleet might be swept from the seas,
but he did not regard this as prob
able.
The question as to the preparedness
of the Pacific coast for war was
brought up by Representative Steph-
ems.
"Is the Pacific coast adequately de-
fended?" asked Mr.. Stephens.
"No nation on the Pacific side would
attack US there without reckoning with
our fleet" was the answer, "unless
they could block the Panama canal.
If the canal could be kept open we
could protect the Pacific coast. The
nations on the Pacific are smaller in
military power than the nations on
the Atlantic side"
as not the Pacific unprotected ?"
pressed Mr.. Stephens.
Although apparently unprotected,
there are forts at San Diego, San
Francisco and Puget Sound" said the
witness. "No enemy would want to
take these forts unless to use the
harbors and our fleet coming around
through the canal in conjunction with
our land forces would have to take
those forts again."
Commander Stirling testified that
Submarine G3 was out of commission
Four others, he said, We're undergo
ing repairs at the Norfolk navy yard;
five were now in the Canal Zone
waters, and nine others in New York.
OF this number, he said, several were
eng constructed and several others
also were in various stages of re-
pair.
The witness explained that the YES
sells in the Canal Zone were in good
condition. He also insisted that the
tOrpedoes of the fleets first division
were all cold and of an unsuitable
type"
Commander Stirling recommended
an increase in the travelling radius
and power. of submarines. He said
the feat of British submarine in
blowing up Turkish vessel after
lodging the mines in the Dardanelles
was not as difficult as the general op-
Grafton of trying TO get inside line
of scout defenses and under the screen
of battleships to fire torpedo.
Naval Weakness.
Washington, Dec. 17.-Despite the
length of the American coast, the
United States navy has only one ship
equipped to lay submarine mines, the
House naval committee was told to
day by Rear Admiral Fiske, member
of the general board of the navy.
Representative Bullock of Pennsyl-
vania strenuously objected to this por-
ton of Admiral Fiske's testimony. He
said the admiral should not be asked
to discuss such weakness in public.
"If was of an unfriendly nation,
said Bullock, "that is exactly the kind
of information | would want. We
tell the world we have but one ship
to lay mines"
"The other nations know it, any
way" interjected Hobson. "What we
want is to let the people of the Unit
| ed States know the truth, or else we
Eever will get any more ships"
Fiske testified later that it would
take five years to put the American
navy in state of thorough effective.