OCR Text |
Show WOULD NEW YORK BE EASY FOR HOSTILE FLEET? With all the bravery of an ostrich whose head is buried in the sand, New Yorkers are laughing at the prediction of Prince: Louis of Battenberg that the metropolis would fall an easy victim to a hostile ' f'tet. With all their regard for a lion, such as Prince Louis has proved to be since his arrival in the United States, Xew York cannot help laughing a little at the assertion that successful siego could ever be kid to her fortifications. To a group of newspajer men, in discussing New York the other day, the Prince said: What impresses me most is its liability of being destroyed if it U ever besieged by a hostile fleet. Any war would be disastrous to New York yea. more disastrous to New York than to any other city in the world! This is impressed upon me by the tremendous amount of traffic that I see coming up the harbor. "What New York wants above all things is jeace. but there are other things more important than war. The two combined fleets in j New York harbor could, I think, reduce the city to atoms in the time it fakes my cook to fry an omelet. . "I want to say that'I am very much impressed with the American Ameri-can Meet. Its apiearance, the smartness of its officers and the discipline dis-cipline of the men all give evidence that Ihe vessels are in the highest state of efficiency." Whether we are to take this as a joke on the part of the Prince r seriously is a matter of opinion. It is undoubtedly true that the two big fleets now in the harbor could soon wreck the metropolis. But the Prince must remember that the entrance of a fleet to New tork harbor would be vigorously opposed, both by land and sea forces. It is altogether improbable that any force of ships equal to that now in the harbor could get into position for Iwimbarding the ( itv. Besides, this country is at peace with all the world. There is no' prospect of a war, and that any nation would take the aggressive in such an event by attacking Xew York is almost ridiculous: |