| OCR Text |
Show Copyright, 1015, The International Syndicate How the Canal With Its Splendid Fortifications Will Become a Naval Base and Military Reservation Res-ervation Inestimable Value In Case of War. HT this tlmo war and the preparedness pre-paredness of a nation for war are the expected topics of discussion dis-cussion Differences of opinion opin-ion exist and these cause a great diversity di-versity of Judgment as to tho wisdom of the saying "In Ujjqq of peace prepare pre-pare for war." The United States has a long- sea coast both on Its Atlantic and Pacific borders, and with Its Increasing- International Inter-national trade, the upbuilding- of its merchant marine and its growing Importance Im-portance as a world power. It must be In a position to take its proper rank as a military and naval power. Its leacoasts must be adequately protected and patrolled, and in normal times its fleet Is likely to be scattered In both oceans. But necessity, urr-ent necessity, may require a rapid mobilization mobiliza-tion of Its navy on one sea coast or the other and the Panama Canal will be z.n important factor to that end Fortifications Planned. When the Canal was ncaring completion com-pletion the question of fortifications arose, and Congress talked for days over that question and the pros -nd cons from every point of view were threshed out. One side contended that to fortify the Canal would be a violation viola-tion of the Hay-Pauncefoto Treaty. '''r" ' They declared that the United States was under a solemn obligation to recognize rec-ognize the principles of neutrality as applied at Suez and cited the express terms of tho Hay-Paurtcefote Treaty las evidence of their contention. Those !who favored the fortification project asserted that tho Canal zone belonged to the United States and that our Government Gov-ernment had a perfect right to sot up a defense of our own territory; also that by falling to fortify the place we would lose the military advantages for which the Canal had been constructed. I Just what diplomatic pressure was I brought to bear on England has not been given out; however, that eoun-i eoun-i try waived Its rights In demanding a QfcrS f&i don Ericas? neutral canal and the fortification bill passed. The great forts, when completed, will mako the Panama Canal tho American Gibraltar. It will become a naval base of the greatest value, for here our ships may coal and repair, for great coal storage basins, machine shops and dry docks are being built. In time, with its splendid fortifications at each , end, the Canal will become of the greatest importance from a strategical point of -view and will become the cen- ; ter of oporalions of our fleets uf the East and West and the sole gateway berwoen the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans The great Importance of maintaining a naval base there can be readily understood when one con- , siders the present war, which has proved beyond all doubt that the strength of nations rests upon a military mili-tary basis. Radio Station. Another thing of value especially In ( time of war Is the navy control of the big radio station now nearly completed at Darien in the Canal Zono. It was built under the direction of the Bureau Bu-reau of Yards and Docks, while the installation of tho operating equipment equip-ment was performed by the Bureau of 1 i Steam Engineering. Tho atrial of tho Darien station will be attached to tho top3 of three steel towers, each rlx hundred feet In height. The towers of the other two stations at Balboa and Colon are about three hundred feet high. These stations sta-tions will be used to transmit messages to and from vessels In the adjac.nt canal waters and within a radius of about three hundred miles from the Canal. The equipment of the Darien station Is second to none in the world It will be capable of communicating with points at a distance of three thousand miles. It is so near completion comple-tion that before this story goes to print It Is very likely that Darien may 1 talk with Washington. About fifteen thousand troops will bo stationed on the Zono. At present they include the Fifth, Tenth and Twenty-Ninth Infantry and several : companies of Coast Artillery. The majority of them will b stationed at ' Mlraflores whero quarters and bar-racks bar-racks aro being erected at the cost Of 53.000.000. Biggest Gun Ever Made For This Country. As to the fortifications, they will bo practically Impregnable. They consist of largo forts at each end of tho Canal with fields for thousands of mobile troops The Pacific Coast do- j fense will be somewhat stronger than that on tho Atlantic side and have I been erected on both sides of the chan-I chan-I nel. They consist of one slxteen-lnch gun. six fourteon-inch guns, six slx-'lnch slx-'lnch jruns and eight four-and-seven-tcnths Inch howitzers. Tho sixteen-Inch sixteen-Inch run shown In the accompanying 'photograph, made while it was on its j way from the Walorvlcit arsenal, is the largest ever built for this country ! It will he mounted on Perico Island, one of the threo islands which rlso precipitously out of the water on the tho east side of the Pacific Coast en-' trance. Nans Island Is connected by a breakwater to the mainland, while I Porlco and Flamenco are connected with Naoa by a stone causeway. Por-! Por-! lco Is an Ideal site for heavy defense, and when this gun rests upon the top It I- very doubtful whether the warship war-ship of any nation would attempt to nter the Canal, for a single shell from this terrible engine of destruction I would put any battleship yet built out I of commission. The gun can hurl its I projectile weighing more than a ton ' a distance of twenty-one miles and do. what seems almost Incredible hit a target with accuracy at a distance of seventeen miles. The shells are filled with high power explosive, and it makes one shudder to think of the destruction they could cause. All the guns are mounted on disappearing carriages so they are exposed only for a moment when firing. On the Atlantic side of the Canal the defense consists of four twelve-Inch twelve-Inch guns, sixteen twelve-inch mortars, mor-tars, six six-Inch guns and four four and seven - tenths - Inch howitzers. These guns will be divided between Toro Point on the west side t the channel and Margarita Island on the oast side. They will bo so arranged as to sweep the entire channel toward the entrance from the Atlantic. The mortars aro designed for use against the enemy both on land and sea, for In case of a hostile force comlns overland they could be loaded with S AitenlrcJ'nc &&c?fO cTt&tcn Te&s-r Yd &f2 2 shrapnel and fired at a distance of four miles. The howitzers could he used to protect tho locks or moed from place to place whenever they were heeded. Eight of these will bo per- ' manently stationed at Gatun. $2,000,000 Of Ammunition. About 52.000,000 worth of ammunition ammuni-tion will be kept at the Canal at all times, for Uncle Sam does not intend to be caught napping with an empty powder house. This includes at least i seventy rounds for tho big gun on ' ' Pcrlco Island. Some idea of the I amount of smokeless powder used can be understood from the fact that tho j j fourteen hundred pound projectile .fired from a fourteen-inch gun re-j : quires a charge of over three hundred pounds of smokeless powder to propel it through the air. Every time a jrun 1 of this type is fired it costs the Gov-eminent Gov-eminent J700. The land about tho sea level ends i of the Canal will be platted off just like city squares, and shou'd an enemy's troops come Into any one of these squares tho mortars can be so turned as to hurl their deadly missiles upon tho very square they are occupying. occupy-ing. In order that there shall be no sur-I sur-I prise attack, the fortifications will bo equipped with fourteen searchlights, i each using a sixty-inch reflector. These lights, which cost $20,000. will sweep the sea and land a3 far as gun range. The electricity used for operating oper-ating theso as well as the big guns j will be generated at each fort. Named In Honor Of Generals, The fortifications at each end of the Canal have been named In honor of some of our great general. For In-stance, In-stance, tho fort at Toro Point la named In honor of General William T. Sherman, and the one on Margarita Island In memory of General W. F. 'H Randolph. The battery at Manaanillo, Point Colon, is called Fort DeLeaseps, so named to perpetuate the memory of Count De Lessps. while the threo great, forts on the Islands of the Pa- H ciflc have received the name of Grant ll In honor of that valiant hero of the H Civil War. At Balboa the battery hae received tho name of Amador, so H called to honor the first President of the Republic of Panama. The batter- iH ies of the different forts and the army posts along the Canal have also been 1 named after our military heroes. Tho most recent post to be occu-, occu-, pled by the Twenty-Ninth Infantry has ! I been given the name of "Camp Gall- H I lard" In memory of the late Lleuten-ant-Colonel D. D. Gaillard, who died ll In 1913 a well deserved honor for the man who gave his life for his 'work. Colonel Gaillard was a mem- 'M I ber of the Canal Commission and was in charge of the Central Division from 1907 until his death. All this description of the fortifies- 1 tlons and plans In case of war may I seem out of order at this time when the American nation are praying for peace, but even the most peace loving citizen knows that a big army with lll j plenty of fortifications and a big navy ! with g-unners who know hov to shoot 1 are comfortable things to have around H even though they may not be needed. llH The Panama Canal is a military nec-j nec-j esslty as well as a commercial one. |
