El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-29
WAR MAY MAKE
JAPANESE OUR
NEAR HEIGH80R
sland Outposts Of United
States Are Close to
German Islands.

ElLQEE UOEQerluS on me racine ocean
the American government naturally re
CARDS with interest, If not with con-
cern. the probability Of having japanese
substituted for German Eeighbors e
several Of its island possessions
Stretching across the Pacific. from
san Francisco TO the mainland Of Asia
the United States now has in order
Hawaii. the Midway island. Guam Zone
Of the Ladrones) and the Philippines.
Steamships seldom take straight
course from san Francisco to the
Philippines. They swing off to the
north TO touch at Honolulu. and usually
some japanese port. Because of the
varying ocean depths too, the cable
lines touch at Honolulu
Midway, a tiny stretch Of sand, was
brought to the United States by
treaty The Spanish war brought us
Guam and the Philippines Then far
TO the south. lies American Samoa.
II is a naval station with the best
harbor in this archipelago, Pagopago.
IuTulla and the three islets known col
lecrively as Manua, fell to the United
states in 1900 after this country, Ger
many and Great Britain had been
brought near to war over the subject
Germany took UpOlu by treaty terms
and Great Britain took Savaii and
promptly relinquished il to Germany
for the consideration Of complete rights
in the kingdom OF Tonga and the with
drawal Of German claims TO the Solo
mon Islands, lying south of BOugain-
Vile
samoa Of No Economic Value.
Samoa has absolutely no economic
value. The largest American island
Tutuila- is only Is miles between east
and west, and scarcely attains the
breadth Of five miles Its population
Is scanty and lacks industry; IL is only
as a result of constant prOddiug on the
part Of the commandant OF the station,
who is also governor OF American Sa-
moa, that the island produces enough
rnaf- n#
value is wholly military, a most impor-
-ant post III naval strategy.
The possession Of the PagOpago har-
hor carries with ii the control Of all
the Samoan islands. In the German
Islands of the former kingdom Of Sa-
mOa there are but three harbors- Apia
is wholly indefensible, and its record
Of destruction in the gale Of March.
1889, shows its danger for ships; the
harbors Of Saluafata and Fangaloa af-
ford poor shelter in this season Of trade
winds, but in the summer Of the south
ern hemisphere, from November to
March, they are danger rather than a
protection TO ships
Hawaii Bottles Up Pacific.
Hawaii is so situated that 1t bottles
up the whole Of the Pacific coast from
the isthmus to Puget sound. II in
possession Of a hostile power the canal
commerce is threatened. and California.
Oregon and Washington lie open to a
series Of wearing attacks delivered
from that convenient base From Oahu
TO san Francisco il is a four davs'a
journey at war speed for battle cruisers
Allowing eight DAYS for the advance
TO the point Of attack and return 10
base a hostile fleet could carry enough
coal to allow a week or even ten DAYS
for operation in American waters.
Could Be Repeated IndernIteIy.
Such attacks could be repeated in
definitely from this base until the in
vading fleet has been destroyed. A
naval base is in process Of completion
at the Pearl HarbOr LOchs, near Homo
lulu The commercial harbOr at the
latter place is nothing more than. a
rOadstead protected by a coral reef.
It serves well enough for the vessels
Of trade, but il is quite unsatisfactory
in naval requirements The town IS
protected by batteries established in
such natural fortresses as Punchbowl
towering above the residences. and
Leahi- or Diamond Head, at the end
Of Waikiki Beach The artillery Of
coast defence type is considered suffi-
cieut TO Withstand such an attack as
in the modern theory Of war would be
delivered from sea
Pearl Harbor has every advantage
that a great naval harbOr could re-
Quire, il has one DISADVANTAGE. When
the harbOr has once been entered. there
Is ample room for fleet, it has every
facility which might be needed for the
creation Of q dockyard and reDair STA
ton The obstacle to its use has been
the existence of a coral barrier across
the entrance, which has blocked the
passage Of vessels Of any but the shall
lowest draught. although there is deem
water within the lochs Construction
at this important point has been in
progress ever since the annexation:
just what is the present condition at
the reef, whether IL has been blasted
out TO admit the entry Of vessels Of
the first type, is known only to the
general board Of the navy. The build
ing OF the repair shops has not been
prosecuted with vigOr, but after a doz-
en- years Of work it may reasonably be
expected that the reef has been dis
posed Of
Guam and Midway, though coming
into American ownership through diff
Iereut means, have the same sort Of
Importance The former certainly thu
latter probably, must be held in order
TO Insure the safety and even the action
Of the Pacific cable. Midway. a low
group Of sandy islets, is indefensible.
Its harbOr is no more than a cove.
accessible only TO schOoners Of the
llghtest navigable draught. Its value
lies in the fact that it affords q speck
Of land on which to equip in utter
loneliness relay station where mes
sages may be reinforced over the long
stretch OF ocean between Honolulu and
Guam There is reason to believe the
Midway might be sacrificed without
stopping the use Of the cable.
The relation to these American out
POSTS Of the German possessions in the
Pacific IS somewhat intricate They are
the Marshall islands. the Carolines. the
Ladrones, the New Guinea colony. in
Guiding Bismarck Archipelago. and
Buka and BOugainville the most north
erly Of the Solomon islands, and in the
south German Samoa New Guinea and
Samoa alone possess economic value:
not enough to attract avarice-
The Marshall Islands.
The Marshall islands. in two chains
known as Radak and Raliz. lie midway
between Hawaii and Guam, but some
what south Of the most direct line OF
travel They are lagoon islands, the
navigation is dangerous, and the only
point which might serve as a bare rem
devious Of a fleet is the lagoon Of ia
Init
The Ladrone islands extend north
ward from Guam I'm the direction Of the /
BONN Islands, which have long been
in japanese ownership. From Salpan
the most southerly OF the German La
drOnes. Guam is visible.
The Caroline islands extend from the
vicinity of the Marshalls in a long
chain OF unimportant islands destitute
of harhors, and in thei rprolongatiOn.
through the equally untmpOrtant Palau
group, came close to the coast Of Min
danao Of the Philippines. The impor-
tant point in the Carolines is the island
Of Nap- The harbor there is tOrtuOus
. md haGa+ with coral reefs &c in no