Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-09-01
Almost as Important to England as
One of Her Own Ports.


Military men see in the German ad-
vance on Antwerp an attempt to seize
that port in the interest Of the German
North sea fleet.
The ships of the main German
squadron are believed to be in the
mouth of the Elbe, close to the en-
trance to the Kiel canal. The fortifi-
cations of Helgoland and on either
side of the Elbe estuary render the
Elbe anchorage safe from attack
These Notifications are believed to be
impregnable to ship attack.
The possession of Antwerp and
Client would put the Germans in po-
sition to direct torpedo boat attacks
against the mouth of the Thames and
against Sheerness and other east coast
of England ports.
The distance from flushing at the
Scheldt mouth is so short that torpe-
do boats could make forays on English
ports, and if undamaged could regain
port before daylight
With the advance OF the German
army into Belgium and a possibility OF
attack on Antwerp in view, military
men early perceived one Of the most
cogent reasons for England dispatch
ing a large force to the continent. Ant
werp is regarded as of almost as much
Importance to England as one Of her
own ports at the Thames mouth.
The taking of Antwerp and the utili-
zation of the Scheldt for effective op-
erations against England may spell
trouble with Holland. says the New
York Herald, but If Germany can pass
her torpedo boats down the Rhine into
the Scheldt it may mean that she can
find a sea outlet west of the Scheldt,
either from Belgium or France. The
entire Belgian and north French coun-
try is a network Of canals, and the eX-
tent of the tonnage handled on these
inland waterways is hardly understood
by those who have not actually ira
versed them. 1t is a fact that torpedo
boats can pass from the Mediterranean
to the English channel without going
outside, and torpedo boats are built in
the interior Of France and transported
to the north and south by waterways.
All the heavy artillery built at the
Creusot works in central France is
sent forward to the artillery shops Of
the same company at Havre by water.
To Germany the possession of the
north Belgian and north French coast
means greater striking power at Eng
land 1t means bringing forward the
numerous torpedo boat destroyers and
submarines held in leash in the Elbe
and at Welhelmshaven, and If they
mean that after all is said and done II
is England that Germany is aiming at
even more than France in this great
struggle.
The defenses of Antwerp, to which
city the king of the Belgians removed
his capital, are the strongest in Belgi-
um. They were designed as the STRAIT
egic center of the national defense OF
the country and are supposed to form
an intrenched camp for 100000 men.
The length of the enceinte is about
nine miles. The scheme included de-
tached forts. those which are on the
side not defended by inundation being
about a mile and quarter apart and
from two to three miles in front OF the
enceinte. They are powerful works
for q garrison of about 1000 men and
are intended for an armament of l2O
guns and fifteen mOrtars.
Although the system of defenses was
adopted in 1859, the present fortifica-
tions were started in 1878, when ii was
recognized that the old ones had be-
come useless on account of the in
destructive power Of explosives. 1t
was then decided to change Antwerp
from fortress to a fortified position
by constructing an outer line of forts
and batteries at a distance varying
from six to nine miles from the en-
ceinte This second line consists of
fifteen forts, large and small.
Antwerp has long been regarded by
the English as a port which must re-
main in friendly hands. Its position
opposite the mouth of the Thames is
too close to take chances. Napoleon
seized this port in 1904 and undertook
to construct a great naval depot there.
He is said to have declared that he
would make of Antwerp "A loaded pis-
tol to hold at the heart Of England.
Hopeful.-Bacon-I gave my wife a
morning.