The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-07-21
Besides the Twenty-Five Sixteen
Inch Guns and Many Others of
Shorter Range Which Our La
test Defense Plans Call For, an
Aerial Patrol Will Protect Us
From a Sudden Surprise At
tack.
FATHEN the coast defense prof
wv ects of the the arm ye experts st. are
will uQSSPSS some pmpu

1EN the COAST ue1el1So pIoJ-
HSRf ects of the army experts are
carried out the United States
will possess some tremen-
dously powerful weapons which can be
brought to bear upon a hostile fleet.
There will be additional Notifications
at Portland, Me-; Boston. New Bed
ford. the eastern entrance to Long
Island sound (Fisher's island,, Sandy
Hook. Rockaway Beach. Delaware bay.
Cape Henry, Charleston. Pensacola.
New Orleans. Galveston. San Francis
co. Columbia river and Puget sound, in
continental United States and in Ha-
:waii, the Philippines and at Panama.
This project calls for an addition to
the present armament Of the coast de
fenses Of twenty-five 1G-inch guns.
t~wenty-four 12-inch guns mounted for
long range fire: tWenty-three G-inch
guns, four 3-inch guns and forty-eight
1G-inch mortars, all for continental
United States; for the insular posses
sions eight Pinch guns, mounted for
long range fire, and for the Panama
canal four 16-inch guns. four 12-inch
suns " AOl1S 4di1-e l anu / N14NS W.
inch mortars.
While the present type Of fortifica-
ton, utilizing the disappearing gun
principle, will be retained, the army
also proposes to experiment with steel
fturrent construction for big guns, and
the bureau of ordnance is working on
plans for such a turret. to be built on
i1N;-hor'- clio ,l OF %1n onrto~ &. VT .n WA.
to Long Island sound.
The war department is also recOm-
lmending the construction of sixteen
inch movable hoWitZers, six in number.
(which may be used in connection with
the operations of q mobile army and
will be handled by motor tractors. 1t
is also about to experiment With a
fourteen inch gun mounted on a rail
road car, which may be employed for
defense against hostile landings in I'M.
fortified harbors. If the theory OF
mounting heavy guns on railroad car
riages works out the United States may
ultimately make extensive provision
for such a mobile type Of coast dc
Tense.
>A4OAt VI lAC 4lSAAS al IN q
tions bill show heavy increases ove
the corresponding items for the cur
rent fiscal years. The probable appro
priations follow:
Constructing guns and mortars. :. il. So 800, CO
Fire control stations. 5000
SearchlightS for harbors. 226, &c
Mountain, field and siege guns. 2,S21, 80
Ammunition for the above.......... 2, 10000
Seacoast artillery. 1,2S4,5
Ammunition for above. 3, OO0,W
Seacoast guns Gnsular) ........... 24O,W
Ammunition for aboVe............ ], 1000
Hammond destroyer torpedo....... 1,lG1,M
Facilities for manufacturing arms 1000, E
For the past thirty years the annua
Notifications act has carried an ave
age appropriation Of about s., 100000
The present bill provides for q toti
expenditure of more than four time
that amount. The eacOast defens
plan upon which the army is now work
ing contemplates a total e%xpenditur
for continental United States of 500
49,, 5S4, Of which amount the sum O
1923 ,707 has already been apprc
printed by previous congresses. Fo
the defense Of the insular possession
the army plan calls for a total expcnd;