Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-05-20
new YORK DEFENSE
is GREAT PROBLEM.
Army Officer Tells of Great
Task Saving City if War
Would BE Declared.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
BOSTON. Mass, May 19-Brig.
Gen. Hugh A Drum. United States
Army coast defense. commander of
the I'd Corps Area, who has been
ordered to provide for the safety
OF New York city in case of war. adj
nitted today that he had some tough
job and advanced his reasons for
using that expression. -...,
His present problem of preparing
a defense for New York In case of
war is admittedly a hard assignment,
for he must not only work out the
plans, but so far as he is able he
must put his preparations to actual
test and conduct experiments to
prove to himself and to the Army
staff that his plans will stand the
test of war
New York Defense Vital.
The defense of New York Is a vital
problem. While the capture of
Washington by an enemy might seem
more important, Its relative value
compared with New York is slight
according to Brig. Gen. Drum:
There Is no mystery about, the
problem which confronts u.s." declared
Brig. Gen. Drum. Reduced to cold
facts 1t simply means that, unless we
do something positive, two enemy
atrplane carriers might easily anchor
500 miles off the Atlantic coast and
from that point between four and five
hours later thirty-two enemy planes
might be humming over head and
dropping bombs, on the financial dis
base In Brooklyn. on thess railroad
yards, the piers, the crowded tene-
ment district and the manufacturing
center.
The subways. or such of them as
escaped destruction, would furnish
protection for much of the popula-
ton. but the loss of life would be
enormous. the dislocation of business
crippling. and the blow to the morale
OF -"'l" almost incalculable.
"One bomb dropped on the Wool
wo. Ou.l1.ng would. be sufficient to
POST Once Square. Another in the
New Jersey railroad yards would cut
half. A hit on the Edison power
plant would plunge the city into
darkness, while another in the gas
house district might easily deprive
half the families OF their cooking
facilities.
No Limit to Disaster.
The transcontinental flight of
LleulS. Nelly anu hdCHtduS ana the
other recent test which demonstrated
that, planes can stay aloft for two
days and a night without returning to
earth to replenish fuel or supplies
merely hint at the possibilities of air
warfare. Frankly, I see no limit to
what might be accomplished by the
enemy.
But II is not likely that the United
states Will be the aggressor In a new
war, and for that reason the next
contest will be waged on our own
soil. Then. If New York is to be
saved, 1t must be by opposing force
with greater and more skillful force
and it is our business in the coast
artillery to furnish that force.
1T is on the huge harbor defense
guns at Forts Hancock. Tilden, Wads-
worth and Hamilton that the Army
relies to keep enemy ships from
steaming into the lower bay. wreck
ing the port and levying tribute on
the city, just as it is upon similar
guns at the eastern entrance to Long
Island sound and at Forts Tilden and
Schuyler we depend to keep enemy
ships from firing on the city from the
east"