Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-01
WANTS CANALSPAR
OF DEFENSE PLAN
Senator Salisbury Urges U. S.
Maintain Inland Waterways
Along Atlantic Coast.
WOULD THEN BE POSSIBLE
TO CONCENTRATE FLEET
Report on ACCESSIBILITY of Obtaining
C. & D. Canal to Be Laid Before
,..-,.. Senate This Session.


Jersey connecting Delaware bay and
New York harbor as means of greatly
increasing the defensive strength of
the United States Navy were strongly
urged today by Senator Salisbury of
delaware. In an interview he eX-
planned that by the construction of
these canals, capable of permitting the
passage of battleships. it would be pos
sible for the United States to concen-
trate its entire naval strength. or to
send reinforcements to points of threat
ened attack quickly and safely.
Senator Salisbury was instrumental
in having provision for the condem-
lnation by the government of the Chesa-
peake and Delaware canal and it's inn
provement in the last river and harbor
appropriation bill. but filibustering tao
tics on the part of the opponents of the
Iriver and harbor bill caused it to be
istricken out He was successful. how
lever, in having a resolution passed by
the Senate calling upon the Secretary
of War for report the advan
tages or disadvantages, both CONNER
cial and military. which would accru !:
from the requirement and improvement INT
of the canal by the government
This report" said Senator Salisbury
''has not yet been made public. but it is
now lying in the Office of the Vice Presi-
,dent to be laid before the Senate when
that body meets. However, 1 can say
military authorities in the country. de-
clares that such a canal, permitting
the passage Of battleships. will be of
the very greatest value and military
importance in the defense of our coast"
Obstacle to Land Attack.
The report, he said, goes into details
he If
forces to resist invasion, and of the
great advantage an improved canal
would be as an obstacle in preventing a
land attack through this secion on VIII
mington and Philadelphia
| These experts" said Senator Sauls-
bury, believe that hostile expedition
would probably be landed at the fine,
undefended harbor at Lewes, Del, and
that sea-level canal along the line of
this canal would be of very great mil
ttary importance for the movement of
craft which constitute an important
part of our coast defense system and
would also form an almost impossible
obstacle to the passage of troops ad-
vancinS to attack Wilmington or Phil
adelphia, and, moreover, would be of
great use in transporting men and ma
terial for the coast artillery in both the
bays.
| This enlarged canal, they say, is
necessity for the larger project of one
connecting the Delaware with New
York bay across New Jersey, a distance
Of thirty-four miles, and that a canal
through the whole distance would make
the landing of hostile troops almost i'm
| possible between Narragansett and
Chesapeake bays
which has been produced by this reso-
| luton. l believe the report of the
Secretary of War who, with the chief
of the general staff. concurs in this
ira cd NV h. chf tai Nf
| War College. will cause this great prof.
| ect to be taken up"
Advantage to National Defense.
Discussing the military advantages
to be derived from the project, Senator
Salisbury said:
I'VE have no mean navy now. and /
am glad to know or at least feel as
| sured that we are to have a better and
stronger one. II our present navy, or
the better and stronger navy we intend
TO have, can be concentrated readily
at any point from Narragansett bay to
| the Virginia capes: if we can surely pro-
move troops and munitions of war for
the defense of this section of our At
!antlc seaboard, II we can surely pro-
] tect the great industries OF the country
| in this section. we are multiplying
many times the efficiency Of our ma
tional forces. and If We may do this, at
l
cial facilities and cheaper transporta-
ton of the ordinary commodities in
use by all our people. it seems to me
| no better line toward national pre-
paredness can be followed
| TT is a maxim of our naval and mill
| tary experts that the power of a fleet
| Increases In proportion to the square of
| it's units; that is to say, II we had five
| warships of given power involved in a
| naval action at the mouth of the Della
| ware Day. the chances of success would
be dependent upon those five ships
| alone. If naval action at the capes
| OF the Delaware was expected and five
ships OF equal power and efficiency
| could be Joined to those there present
| and engage in the same action, the
combined force would not be relatively
twice as strong as the original fleet
! but the juHcture of the two squadrons
| would raise the relative efficiency and
| probabilities of success in such naval
| actlon TO the equivalent of four times
| the power OF the original feet joined
| only by an equal number Of vessels.
Increases Efficiency Of Fleet.
Il have used this simple illustration
10 snow what great advantage could
! De readily obtained by reinforcement
OF heets when about to enter into ac-
ton right here at home, but extend
that possibility along the vital stretch
of our Atlantic seaboard for hundreds
OF miles and see what advantages pro-
| tected means Of quick communica ton
would afford. We will probably al
ways have some ships in the Delaware
bay and always in Chesapeake hay
We will always have some in New
York harbor and Long Island sound
and yet an enemy invading force by
occupying the fine harbor at the mouth
OF our bay. could defeat the forces in
the Delaware: could defeat the forces in
chesapeake bay trying to join the fleet
at New York, and If superior in power
and efficiency to the fleet in New York
harbor and Long Island sound, could
defeat it seeking to relieve a blockade
| of the cities upon the Delaware or
those lying upon the Chesapeake,
| when II would have no reasona BILE
| chance of success against the combined
fleets.
! ITO illustrate this by simple figures
| let us suppose we had in the Delaware
bay and river five units of naval force
lit does not matter what they may be
| called, dreadnaughts, torpedo boats or
| cruisers In the Chesapeake bay or in
| side the capes of Virginia, say, we had
ten Of such units and in New York har-
| Dor and vicinity fifteen of such units
| By a sudden descent on our coast at
Lewes. Judgment might be effected
and hostile naval force of twenty
units find a satisfactory base for Of
| fensive operation.
Advantage Would Lie With Enemy
The ships in the Delaware would be
SO greatly overpowered in the proper