The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-07-17

SWING them together so that the little
horns touch.
But if the mine sweepers are per
mitted to work on the mines may kill
and XIII and kill, yet in the end they
will be gathered in
There is an absolute answer to the
mine sweepers. 1t is to hammer them
with rapid fire from the shore. These
little vessels. dragging lsboriously, pre-
sent targets that scarcely move. No
artillerist can miss them.
But again there is an answer to the
mine protecting guns. 1t is long range
fire from the ships that lie safely out
side Of the mine fields.
There is only one answer to that. 1t
is for defenders On land to plant huge
guns far inland that can reach the
ships and beat them back that they
dare not come close enough to reach
the lesser shore artillery nearer tho
sea.
This formula of shore defense is a
formula SO simple that a mathemati-
cian given the conditions can work it
out with simple arithmetic though he
never had seen cannon In his life.
Guns, guns and again guns-and an
army to protect themI This was the
only possible reply to the feet that
was pounding the coast The United
States had not enough sufficiently pow
erful mobile coast guns and siege guns
It had not enough artillerists to fight
what guns there were. And it had not
enough ammunition to provide them
with food.
In Bethlehem, Pa; up the Hudson, in
smoky Watervliet; in Hartford and
Bridgeport and New Haven and dozen
other towns, with machinery hastily
assembled and workmen hastily learn
ing, they were trying row to make
projectiles enough and guns enough.
They were trying to make enough pow
der In Delaware and New Jersey.
In the encampment OF the United
States army at that moment trains
were delivering guns-gIIns made in
record time, magnificent testimony to
American efficiency under stress. But
the guns were coming In one by one,
to meet an enemy who was beating at
the gates and could not be stopped ex-
cept with hundreds.
Even then the flagship OF the coast
was sputtering code into the night.
It was a long code, but its meaning
was short. 1t meant "NowT'
The mine sweepers hauled their gear
and came out. Fourteen had gone in.
Those that came out were nine.
Before they had well begun to move
the beach was white with ships boats
and 900 bluejackets and marines sci
foot on the mainland Of the United
States.
With sharpened knives in theil
sheaths, and loaded carbines and ban
doleers filed with cartrid ges, and en-
! trenching tools and provisions, each
man of that first force presented the
highest attainable unit efficiency fol
/ war;
The boats were scarcely of the beach
to return to the ships before 800 Of
these units were trottfng through the
upland, throwing out advancing par
ties and making hasty trenches from
/ which In a moment there looked the
/ greyhound muzzles Of machine guns.
On the shore the strand party wal
sinking sand anchors and rigging der
ricks. Others were setting together tn,
| five and one-half foot sections of joint
4 ed hollow masts for the wireless
I When the boats beached again, witt
I. more men, two forty foot naasts reach
/ ed into the night, and hand power gen
orators were making the antenna'
| pulse with their mysterious life
! Launches came in now, draggin,
| wide, fat bottomed pontoons anC
| swinging them on to shore and speed
| ing back for more Men snatched a
| them and held them in the surf and raj
/ their mooring up the beach, while 9th
! ers carried out Hedges and boat an
| chors from all sides to make them Ii,
/ steady In the ground swell
The beach shona white ar day all a
once. The destroyers had steamed II
/ and were giving their men aid wit
their searchlights.
In swung more pontoons. Broadsidr
to broadside, kedged and anchored out
they were moored out into the sea a
half dozen parts OF the beach. Lail
far enough apart that they should no
touch, however hard the swell Nigh
strive to grind them together, the.
formed floating piers reaching beyonc
the farthegt outer line of surf. From
pontoon to pontoons ran gangplank
| dashed fast
/ Three hours had passed. Three time
the ships boats had made the trip be
tween warships and shore-thirt.
naval service cutters, each carrying
thirty men. Twenty seven hundre'
sailors, marines and soldiers were hold
ing the Rhode Island coast.
From the trenches Of the advanc
party q wireless spoke to the cruise
bearing the senior officer. Motto
scouts reported in front. on road. tire
thousand yards in VIII fire rookie
indicating direction"
The rocket burst. For minute
made all that part of the black countr
stand out as under lightning. Crash!