The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-01-02

Tense more sharply than at any time
since the early days OF the republic
Our tremendous coast lines on the
two oceans offer almost countless
opportunities for attack from the sea
While the more important strategic
points and the entrances to the har
bors OF the great seaboard cities are
guarded by coast defense batteries
yet there are still many places al
which an enemy could land troops,
and there is always the chance as
has been demonstrated in every re
cent war, Of a successful naval at.
tack even against such great guns az
those which guard the harbors OF
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Bal.
timore, and San Francisco.
The submarine has demonstrated
its paramount value as a naval wea.
pom OF offense and defense; the aero.
plane has proved its worth as a
means Of detecting the approach of
an enemy whether by land or sea;
the wireless has developed into a
ready and invaluable means of com
munication. A navy adequate to
guard our 1900 miles Of coast line
against any possible attack would
have to be Of such proportions as al
most to bankrupt the nation to pay
for It. Any navy the United States
can afford to maintain would have
to be 90 scattered 40 to Its units, II
the effort were made to protect the
entire coast, that the inevitable re-
suit would be to furnish adequate
protection nowhere. Why not, then,
rely more upon the submarine, the
aeroplane, and the wireless, and less
on the battleship? It would be feas
ible from every engineering and mill
tary viewpoint, and practical at a
financial cost certainly not much
more than half the sum which has
already been spent on the navy and
coast defenses to protect every mile
OF coast on both oceans against any
possible attack from the sea.
Let the Atlantic and Pacific coast
be divided into 10 mile sections,
measuring along the main contour
and disregarding the minor bays.
headlands and inlets. At each 10
mile point let there be erected
wireless tower of height and capac-
ity sufficient to enable it to commun.
icate a minimum distance OF. say 800
miles. Let this wireless tower, or
rather the spot at which it Is located
serve as the .asa AID harbor for one
submarine and two scouting, bomb
dropping areoplanes; the aeroplanes
and submarines all to be equipped
with means Of wireless communica'
ton. On the towers searchlights
might also be mounted, and they
could likewise be utilized as light
honsas or landmarks for Mariners as
we,, as a. tions for the coast pa'roi
and life saving S~er'ice'
With 800 such wireioses submarine
aeroplane coast defense statN-is III
constant communication with eat.
other, no hostile fleet could approach
our shore from any direction with
out being discovered and its exaGs
position noted and reported back by
the aeroplane scouts. Even II they
found no opportunity to drop bombs
on the advancing warships, they could
guide the submarines to the attack.
Long before the enemy's smoke we're
visible, so miles out at sea, the sub
marines from 20 stations would De
toward the hostile ships.
The air would be filed with aero
planes whose pilots could direct the
movement OF the submerged craft
with unerring accuracy. Before the
watchers on shore could get glimpse
of the hulls OF the invaders, only a
a rare combination of chances could
prevent the entire fleet from being
sunk.
Should all or most of the units OF
the attacking fleet succeed In evad
ing the submarine attack, fields of
mines, placed by mine patrols work
Ing from each 10 mile base and sown
so thickly as to form a continuous.
Gordon along the shore, would serve
rs further and final defense. These
might be contact mines, or electrical
ly connected to the shore stations.
By the time such a scheme of de.
Tense could be put into operation,
however, there Is little doubt that
means OF controlling and exploding
mines and torpedoes by wireless i'm.
pulses will have been perfected. In
deed, II the results already known I.
have been achieved in Europe by Tor.