The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-25

harbor-defense vessels. It will be a des-
perate risk for men in aeroplanes. carry
ing a ton of explosives in the form of
counter-mines. Still, there are always
volunteers ready to risk their lives"
A more familiar method of destroying
mine fields Is to send out from the fleet
vessels of a draft shallow enough to
pass over the mines in safety, and to
have these vessels grapple for the mine
cables. lift them to the surface. and cut
Bay. Both of these methods are extreme
ly perilous and Of doubtful issue. owing
to the fact that these misunderstanding
craft. during the whole period Of their
activity. are under shatering fire from
the forts. assuming that there is no fog
or that the fog has lifted.
Even il fog held the harbor, the coast
defenses would retain their advantage
against Misunderstanding vessels. since
they would send out against them their
floating harbor defenses. monitors, tor
pedo-boats. gunboats. and submarines.
And. even without these. they could do
great injury to the intruders through the
service of patrol-boats familiar with the
home harbor. that would be able, even
in fog. to locate the mine-destroyers
with great precision. 1t should be ex-
planned that our fortified harbors are
divided into many squares. measuring
500 yards on a side, these squares being
charted and numbered and so accurate
ly located. with exact ranges known.
that. IL word came Of the presence of
hostile vessels in square 36O7, every gun
in the fortress could be raining shot and
shell on that particular area within one
minute. even though the gun-pointers
saw nothing but a wall of fog.
Summing it all up. war-game experts
declare 1t improbable that an enemy's
fleet could destroy Fort Hancock's mine
fields and searchlights. and. unless they
did this. they could not advance to the
Narrows. Even il they succeeded at
Fort Hancock. they would have the
same thing to do over again at Fort
Wadsworth, and again at Fort Hamil-
ton, before they could steam into the
upper bay.
Europe Cannot Teach Us Coast
Defense.
What would you consider the best
way Of attacking one of our fortified
harbors?" was asked of a foreign at
tache. And the answer was:
I'VE wouldn't do 1t. The thing can't
be done" Then this naval authority
continued:
You Americans have nothing to learn
from Europe in the matter of coast de-
lenses. Or the contrary. Europe CAM
learn from you. And your fleet is all
right: but your mobile army" He
shrugged his shoulders. You have an
empire that reaches half way around
the globe. from Portland. Ne. to the
Philippines. from Alaska to Panama,
and you are trying to guard it with so
small a mobile army that-well. it's a
joke; joke that may end in tragedy"
nave Hedru tnlS OiSturDlnS view from
others-from distinguished officers in our
service who admit that our army is in
adequate to the needs of the country.
Our harbors are, splendidly fortified
a sainst attack from the sea-" said an Of
ficer of our Coast Artillery Corps, but
how about attack from the land? Why
should an enemy try to take Boston Har-
Dor from the front. when they have only
to land troops a few miles up the coast
or down the coast and take 1t from the
rear? Gen. Leonard Wood did this in
maneuvers some years ago. What's to
prevent an enemy from doing 1t now
any timer
You mean Boston particularly
II mean any Of our fortified harbors-i
all Of them. Take San Francisco. What's
to prevent an enemy from landing troops
below the defenses OF the Golden Gate?
Can't you see them swarming up the |
peninsula and capturing the Preside
without receiving a single |
shot from the big guns?'
Because the big guns have only a lin
tied field Of fre." I
Exactly"