| Show nu f 4 I 1 4 a 0 0 th 42 I 1 r rW PICKARD culebra Cul obra 0 Z the strongest do fonso of the panama canal in my opinion Is the fact that a hostile vassel must come into a foot channel long before it la is within striking distance of the vital points of tho the canal the locks and in doing so GO must pass easy range of tho the forts that are being built to guard tho the entrances 11 a so bo spoke colonel Goot goethals hals when I 1 I 1 naked him as to the vulnerability erab allty of the canal in time of war continuing he be said the naval power of the rations rations Is me co nicely nicoly balanced now that no ono one of them would bo be willing to risk the destruction of a single battie battleship ship by attacking those forts which will bo be equipped with powerful guno and of course the accuracy of guild on shore Is much greater than that of those on moving vessels I 1 do not believe the forts would be attacked from tha ao aea before the enemy had fought and won a naval victory the forts forte of which colonel Goot goethals hals spoke are nearing completion and the em placements tor for many of the heavy guns already have been constructed no one not officially connected with the work Is permitted to approach them buti but I venture to say eay that la in case of urgent necessity the guns could be hurried down to the isthmus and mounted ready for emergency service a very short time two forts protect the tha atlantic en J 4 W R wa VA quarantine station on culebra island trat trance lice ot of the canal ono one la is on toro point ot at the land end of the long breakwater that shields colon harbor nd ayd Is on a considerable elevation the other la Is on margarita Margarlt a island a low lying islet close to the shore share about a mile northeast of colon both these fortifications are shielded from observation by the palms and other tropic vegetation at the pacific end of the canal a tittle little more than three miles out in tho the ocean and close to the eastern side aldo of the deep water channel lie he the four little islands of naos perico culebra dad and flamenco these the united states stater acquired with the canal zone on culebra la is the quarantine station for that end of the canal on the others are being built strong torti aca f 13 N monument to the builders of the panama railway W H aspinwall henry chauncey and john L sta vens jn in the grounds of the wash ington hotel colon lions the rounded tops of the rocky islets have been cut off and a little army ot of men aion la is busy blasting and shoveling eling and preparing the bulwarks bulwa b hind which will bo mounted song cannon and immense mortars the four islands are all being connected with each other and naos the nearest la Is coined to the mainland at balboa by y a breakwater about feet long on which has been constructed a railway U alno borno porno omo eight miles billes away nearly duo bouth lies the larger island of taboga itna timid soula have ve suggested that R 16 would form a onto eafe shelter and elting point tor for a n hostile fleet for its hills hilla rise to fo a considerable and on its south side there is pienta of deep water but bui it if colonel aoe iloe opinion la in to be taken wyl 11 t should bo taboga need not causo cause undo uncle sam any anxiety arixie ty 1 k the mortars to lo be ln Installed stalle jn ln an fortifications said he aiu il bo 1 r ablo ablo to drop shells with accuracy clos behind taboga island making thal thai place untenable for an enemy be bides that there Is nothing on aitho th island that a hostile fleet would want tho the united states might have 0 quiren taboga but we need IV it how strong a land force la Is to bt b kept in the zone by the united states I 1 believe has not yet been determined it la in generally admitted that the great est danger to the canal la time of wai lies in attacks by forces that might have succeeded in landing on the lath inus AS a defenso defense against this athla it may be that a small army must be maintained in the zone and it has been sug eug that the towns of empire and Ciu lebra instead of being destroyed because they are on jhb wrong aide of the canal be utilized as aa quarters for the soldiers this would necessitate connecting them with the other obber side of the canal where the panama railroad has been beed relocated located re by ferry bridge oi 01 tunnel no decision on this matter has bai been reached yet by the authorities meanwhile the tha army has not boon neglecting its part of the defensive nelv work ifor for some time the tenth infantry ha has s been encamped in the zone zona and its men in ID small email detachments have been hiking oil all over that part of the isthmus the possibilities all 0 landing a hostile hostila force 6 on the shore abores of both the atlantic and tho the pacino pacific havo have been investigated and also the th chances that such euch a force would have of finding sustenance then little groups of soldiers eold lera have been started from various possible landing places with instructions to make their way as swiftly as possible to given points along the canal mapping the country they traverse in order to determine what ane an enemy nemr could do the result of this work of investigation so BO tar far briefly and wholly dally stated Is that tho the shores of tho the atlantic Atlant lo ocean within m a good many miles of the zone aro are impracticable for a landing force because of the nature of the country that a lai landing iding could be made easily on the pacific side bide some distance west of the zone but between there and the canal the jungle Is so dense na as to be virtually impassable th that atthe tho dangerous district is ia that lying immediately east of c the zone on the racine pacific side on the last mentioned shores an enemy could well land an army and the semi open rolling savannas sav annaa between there and the canal would give easy access to the zone tho the army officers on the isthmus make ho no secret of the fact that their investigations no are being carried on mainly with the japanese capane so la in mind how chobo islanders could land there and what they could do if they did tend land are the problems engaging the tha attention of colonel greene areene and his ble men ot 0 tho the tenth ono one defensive measure that has haa been adopted la Is the clearing out of practically all inhabitants from the zone except at the ends of the canal and in beveral of the larger towns which asi as I 1 have haTen said ald may bo be kept as quarters for the soldiers AM alt of land are being valued by a mixed commission and the residents moved away when the canal la Is completed the jungle much of which has been beem cleared out will be allowed to grow up tain gain for the experience of centuries has shown that that jungle itself la Is a powerful defense against an invading army the practicable roads roada through it are few and far between tho the streams not navigable and the growth ot of trees brush arid and great vines EO co dense that it Is virtually impassable for a body of men to say eay nothing of cannon and supply wagons A rapid dash through the jungle would be entirely out of the question and when the zone Is deserted all food supplies will have disappeared some fear has been expressed that a few men could land mako make their way quietly to the canal and blow up tho the locks fiul but it dems unlikely A I they hey could got get mav feut and transport w oe can at enough todo to do any great on the tho whole the ali canal will bo quite adequately protected protect ed provided it to la not attacked too soon |
