Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-18
ENEMY COULD SEIZE
NATION THROUGH HOLE
IN WESTERN COAST
The Hole Is the Mouth of the
Columbia River, and People
There Are Eager for Pre-
paredneSS

ASTORIA. ore. April l5.-The old
song. There's a Hole in the Bottom OF
the sea- has given way to a more mod
ern chorus, There's = Hole IN the IA
cific Coast"
More than 1000. OOO citizens along the
stretches of the western water line are
singing il loudly in the hope that con-
gress will hear them. They want the
mole plugged up. The tune they are
singing is one of preparedness against
the aggressions Of any hostile nation.
The hole is at the mouth of the Co
lumbia river-the center of the west
coast. 1t is defenseless in its present
state and offers a tempting invitation
to any country harboring an animosity
for Uncle sam. Men familiar with con-
ditiOns at this point have presented
bill To congress asking for the appro-
priation Of 100000 for the construc-
ton OF a naval base and proper de-
lenses.
+. - Harley, chairman of the naval
base committee Of Astoria. points out
a few reasons why Pacific coast people
believes it is folly for the administra-
ton TO neglect this gaping hole.
COULD GET ENTRANCE.
An enemy fleet" he. said, could
easily gain entrance into the Columbia
by merely silencing a few guns in the
small forts at the mouth. Ingress would
thus be gained into the great inland
empire beyond and the advantage of the
easiest, shortest route to the middle
west and on to the Atlantic seabOard.
The Columbia river drains an area
larger than Germany, a region which
produces a large percentage of the food
and minerals of the nation; on whose
slopes is growing one-third of the
standing timber of the United States.
The greatest salmon fisheries i'm the
world are at the mouth of the Columbia
The resources of the Columbia basin are
tremendous and barely scratched as
yet.
The government has expended S20,-
100000 i'm building jetties and dredging
the channel at the mouth to a depth
of thirty-seven feet at low tide. Any
battleship in the world could navigate
the entrance in security.
The mouth OF the Columbia offers
every natural aid to a defense as i'm
pregnable as that of the Dardanelles,
with the additional advantage Of hav-
ing no low sandspit, such as the allies
camped on at the end of the Gdllipoli
peninsula. Tine Columbia enters the
sea between two high promontories that
run out beyond the mainland for 5000
yards. Ships passing into the Column
bia have to sail for seven miles be-
tween the jetties located but two miles
apart. Twelve miles inside the en-
trance another high promontory pro-
jects into the river behind which the
entire American navy could repose in
security from shell fire.
AT present there is a naval base at
Mare Island inside tine Golden Gate,
and about 500 miles north there is an
other one well inside Puget Sound at
BremertOn Wash But it is too much
20 ask that a coast line of more than
.O00 miles feel secure with only one
base TO which its ships can retire for
repairs and supplies. The base at
Bremerton would make two places, of
course. but it could not be depended
upon under all conditions.
About half way between these two
bases is the great fresh water harbor of
the Columbia. This harbor is 400 miles
nearer Yokohama than is San Francisco.
II is unprotected. There are no war
entrance to the only grade route from
the Pacific to the Mississippi valley.
From San Francisco or from Seattle
railroads enter the heart of the United
States through high and narrow noun
tain passes. but from the Columbia to
the Mississippi there runs a wide ave-
nue. that would require a tremendous
force Of soldiers to close should its en-
trance be forced by invaders.
The people of the coast are not de-
sirous of plunging into war; they are
not hysterical. But the exhibition
across the Atlantic has aroused them to
the realization that the days of war
are not over and that preparedness be-
fore trouble starts is a wiser course
than an attempt at protection after a
blow has been struck