Evening star., 1915-01-24

NDAY MAGAZINE FOR JANUARY a. l9
Washington if the hostile fleet should northeast
By the time the Caribbean relief formed floating wall
of steel in front of the Golden Gate, the Pacific Squad
ron would be on the job in the North.
And that is not ALL The southern coast of Alaska is
of great strategic importance to attacking fleet, be-
there is inexhausble supply of coal the
sea- and of it is good steamng coal To keep this
from falling into the enemy hands would require
naval representation at places like Cordova, Seward
and Valdez. In the first furry of threatened invasion
whatever cruisers and destroyers might then have
in the Puget Sound region could rush Alaska, while
the relief boats from San Francisco Bay heading
northward to take their places.
THIS possibility of a system of relays, whereby al
most the whole of the American navy could be dis
tribued along the Pacific Coast before any hostile
squadron could from Honolulu, is due entirely to
the Panama Canal Hitherto the Pacific side of
country has been almost without defense, except that
afforded by the batteries of the coast artillery. We
have known this all the while; but did not want to
spend the money to build second navy in western
ocean, Now we do not need to do So The canal makes
it possible for the Pacific Slope feel that the American
navy belongs much to the West to the East
two navies for the price of one.
As for any coalng station that foreign power might
wish to acquire the Mexican coast of what possible
could it be the event of war? couple of super
dreadnoughts like the Texas and the Oklahoma could
slip through the canal and stop for lunch their
up the coast; after lunch they could take possession
of the coang station and turn it to smaller
boats. Instead of being to it would be
asset for it could not possibly be protected from
This, then, is the great advantage of the canal in the
future,-that makes two coastnes one and gives
protection to that half of it which has been safe
guarded before. The only time when needed two
navies when had quick way of transferring
fighting ships from coast to the other.
RUT Our peaceful victories the high will far
surpass any future victories of 1t seemed NOR
ally certain that the digging of the canal would nd
rect1y result restoring the American flag to merchant
vessels all the oceans 1t did more to awaken the
nation to the magnificent opportunities of merchant
marine than all the essays and speeches on the sub
ject for the last fifty years
Of course wiseheads differed widely and sometimes
hotly about the methods by which this happy result
might be attained Wiseheads still differ about it;
but the calamity that to shipping in the inter-
ference with transportation, result of the
European war; is rapidly bringing about the establish
ment of an American merchant marine. Congress has
been persuaded land also enabed) to pass law that
it could have been persuaded to entertain in any
other circumstances As result large number of steam
ships built abroad and formerly sailing under foreign
flags (though many of them were owned by American
companies) already plowng the Atlantic and Pacific
with the Stars and Stripes Tapping in the salt winds.
This is but the beginning, and there many prob
lens yet to be worked out. When the finally ends
it will be that flag does not disappear from the
merchant fleets of the world We can build ships
well anybody and just as big. steamship is not
a symphony a work of art, but work of steel.
When it to the manufacture of steel matters
involving steel construction nobody can beat u.s. No
one has built such bridges we and has raised
the heavens such steel skyscraper
And when the wiseheads have evolved plan whereby