The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-23

ing the island. They will he both nfan-
try and seacoast artillerymen. and theirs
will be the duty OF manning the bat
teries. big guns and smaller ones, that
are to constitute sufficient challenge
for any naval force that may be brought
against them. In short. Guam Is to
he naval station in It's entirety, and
upon the marines. as 1t properly should,
will rest the responsibility Of maintain
ing the permanent dcfenCes and IT
using them To good effect in the hour Of
battle.
The island is about thirty miles
long and has an average width of less
than seven. but even so 1t might seem
like pretty big undertaking to defend
the whole 4 the coast line. 1t would
indeed call for good many more guns
and lighting men il it were not for
what nature has done toward simplify.
ing the problem. Generally the shores
Of Guam are forbiddng. the volcanic
cliffs rising abruptly right out Of the
sea To heights varying from 300 to more
than 600 feet. An enemy could find no
place of Judgment or likely beach for
landing except within the limits COW
cred by the batteries that Will he planted
about San Luis d'Apra. And there the
work of the marines will De made easier
by the narrowness of the single channel
that leads from the sea through the
menaCing reefs into the sheltered haven
The isolation OF Guam, lying 1900
miles east of the Philippines, Is another
source Of protection, because any threat
ening squadron must come equally far
If not farther from its own base OF
operations and the nearest dry docks IL
can command. To invite grave injury
at such a distance from facilities of re
pair is not the course likely to he pur-
sued by thoughtful commander and
here again nature has helped tn make
Guam just so much more effective for
our purpose as a naval advance base
from which our fighting ships in the
far Pacific can be despatched tn the best
strategic advantage for the securing OF
n wide zone in that part of the world.
Dramatically Guam Is much superb )r
10 the Philippines. and our marines at
Agana will be substantial gamers by
their transfer from Cavite. The hot
test days of the summer seldom regis
ter a temperature in the shade of more
than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, while the
lowest average range during the cooler
months is scarcely ever less than so
degrees. Lying in the sweep of the
northeast trade winds there Is always
a refreshing breeze. and the nights OF
the hottest days are OF tempera turc
calling for substantial covering The
climate is likewise much more salubri-
Gus and invigorating than that Of the
Philippines because Guams shores are
washed by the flood Of the north equa.
torlal current, In short, the tempera.
ture conditions are singularly cquable.
Bur all this atmospheric stability, 50
to speak, is offset by the seismic rest.
lessness Of this pinnacle of a mountain
range rising from the bed Of the Pacih'
some thousands of fathoms down. Tn
doubtcdly Guam is Of volcanic origin, as
It's rugged contours show. and its
highest point is about 1900 feet above
sea level Scarcely a day, so II IL said
passes without some slight tromor and
after a whie you become indifferent IL
these miniature earthquakes. However
once in a while the disturbance becomes
good deal more violent, and then
buildings are toppled into ruins and the
best YOU can d during the period of
the 'quake,-a matter possibly Of four
or five minutes is to get down on all
fours and take the medicine thus in the
least unpleasant way
Occasionally, too. the breeze gives
: way to storm. and, in turn, a storm
is outranked Ivy typhoon. These fierce
blows send their swirling winds over
! the island with disastrous consequences
and houses are blown nat, harvests are
ruined, shipping destroyed and even n
toll of life exacted. Indeed. It ls some