Show mv 31 ii 11 I 1 11 i i I 1 7 I 1 1 c 12 W afir r i F ll 11 an 1 e V M P O w W 0 tm 0 if f I 1 V tj pa TS vv catel bast S abe ranee of modem Aj artillery box 1100 chanced OW condition an article of exceptional interest I 1 evidently written by a spanish military officer office appears in the current number of the memorial do de artillia Artl lUa showing that the extended rang of modern arti artillery nery has completely plemely revolutionized lut ionized the conditions which have hitherto enabled gibraltar to protect its own arsenal and dockyard and to afford safety for vessels at anchor under the guns of its fOr fortress tresEL when gibraltar was taken by the english in 1701 1704 the greatest range for artillery fire was 0 only ni Y a about bo u t uw yards so that a fleet under the batted les lea of gibraltar was sure secure against attack from the spanish coast it is now pointed out that with a small expenditure of money by the spanish governments government batteries constructed in the bay of algeciras Ge ciras upon the tha ridge of mountains known as the queen of chair would actually command gibraltar at a distance of yards yard and would be capable of demolishing the whole length of the fortifications from the galleries to europa point these spanish batteries would also threaten the entry of ships of war to moles this plan would merely involve the mounting of some forty heavy guns of from 47 inch to 12 inch caliber and a similar number of howitzer howitzers howit zem at the present moment the points on this part of the spanish coast are entirely and with present embarrassments embarks embarrass s ments ants in cuba and the philippines it Is not likely as the broad arrow points out that the madrid government will take immediate action in the matter but that these batteries may be constructed some day or other is far from improbable and in view of the great importance to england of gibraltar as a naval base and the renewed expenditure upon its combined arsenal and dockyard the subject is beginning to attract the serious rt mention of naval and military authorities new york herald |