The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-03-05
KEEPING ENEMIES
FROM OUR COASTS
Five Hundred Mile Iron Arc
VIII Be Kept on Guard.
ALL PLANS READY FOR WAR

Greatest Commercial Center, and
Pennsylvania Coal and OIL Fields Is
Provided For-Work Of the Fast De
stroyers.
A. relations between the United
States and Germany have become
more and more strained with the pas
sage OF every twenty -four hours. the
expert battle tactlciaus Of the navy.
especially those Of the naval war col
lege at Washington, are concentrating
their strategy upon the naval detenscs
Of the Atlantic seabOard. This means
primarily the defense OF the two zones
which have beer deemed To be the
most lmportant-the region immedi-
ately about New York and that about
the Delaware capes, says the New
York World
The necessity for the protection Of
New York Is considered obvious, MS the
financial and commercial center Of the
country. The demand for the ade
quate defense OF the Delaware capes
lies I'm the fact that from that point a
successful enemy would have access
to the great coal and oil fields OF Penn
sylvanLa. with the taking OF Philadel
phia as a natural result. And from
the capes the way would be more or
less open to the nations capital
First Line Of Defense 500 Miles Out.
To meet "A naval raid upon the east
ern seacOast the experts have devised
a plan, subject to Il number OF yaria
tons to cope with as many conditions,
which calls for "A naval battle line ex-
tending from Cape Cod 20 a point vel
below the Delaware capes.
This line. which would be the first
with which an enemy would come into
touch. extends I'M an are with II radius
of 500 miles-in other words, 900 miles
off the eastern coast. Ii IL to be com
posed Of the fastest d%estroyers the
navy can supply, those capable Of a
speed Of at least thirty knots an hour
They are 10 be stationed twenty-five
miles apart ana are to be kept con
stantly cruising along their particular
section Of the arc.
Fast Cruisers In Second Line.
Stretching from the center OF this
great are, a line Of destroyers would
be IN direct and constant communica-
ton with the base Of the Atlantic fleet,
which would be at Block island or
Newport. n. l. There, cruising about
at reduced speed. but preserving
the utmost mobility. the superdread-
naughts Of the navy would be assem-
BLEED. Two hundred miles beyond them
would be the second line OF defense.
The fast cruisers, capable Of making
first response to the word brought back
from the outer line that the enemy's
tieet was on the horizon.
After the outer line had discovered
the enemy and reported him its de
s%trOyers would have served their mi
tial purpose and would fall back upon
the second line aud eventually reioin
the main fleet Of battleships. The bat
tleships. accompanied by seagoing sub
m~arines-as distinguished from those
Of smaller size detailed as coast de
fenders-would then % 60 the attack.
With them would go the fast destroy
ers which had done duty on the outer
line. ready now 10 race to within at
least 1000 yards OF the advance guard,
discharge their %torpedoes aud dash
back under the protection Of the great
? er vessels, there 10 form for another
attack at the command OF the admiral
Of the fleet.
Ii l. confidently expected that in a
naval encounter with an enemy the
engagement would be fought decisive
IL at a distance OF not less than 800
miles off the Atlantic coast, as one
aim of the American ships would be
10 attack while the hostile fleet was
still encountered with it's transports
and auxiliaries.