Show PACIFIC Is uncle sam ready for the japanese if they cone corie to our western gateway hunting trouble san pedro harbor the V vulnerable ulner able spot of the pac f c coast will be prepared to meet most for mic lable hostile incas on washington the fact was nas devel aped on tuesday that the united S ates government did not intend to be caught napping in the event of an attack by a foreign pow er which the general army state staff declared might be expected first at san pedro some weel s ago it was announced that general arthur murray chief of ar tillery had started two mine laying vessels around the horn for the pa upon the way to california lorts the emergency plan of defense at san pedro Is to lay the mines at the first intimation of the hostile move moie ment against the pacific coast sim with this a large num nuin her ber of field guns which have been lelec elected ted and are ready tor for shipment to be sent to san pedro the experts say that with the system of mines already perfected for san pedro harbor it would be impossible tor for a fleet to enter the harbor no n alter atter how formidable the tion of war vessels the large num nuin her ber of field guns would prevent the entrance of any smaller craft for the purpose of destroying the mines in the meantime orders were placed tor for rushing a n imber of pow erful gats of the sixty inch type and it has been closely esti estl mated that these would have been in stalled within a month if there was any suspicious movement of an en emy s vessels the vessels which are coming up the pacific coast have not only stores of mines and torpedoes on board but ISO expert mine layers one of the most interesting and illuminating features of these plans is that the war department officers say that the 1 government overn ment would not have had to rely on the supplies that are coming coining up the coast to california mines and torpedoes of all I 1 ands are now in large stock upon the pa coast and a good defense could have been pit up without the aid of the mine laying ships the scheme to be perfect however could not be possible without the ships one of the staff officers was asked how long a fleet could be kept out of qan pedro he ile said at least until the battleships on this coast reached the pacific and these were to be tol fol lowed in due time by the atlantic battleship fleet |