2 THE -SUNDAY OlllSGONIAN, FOKTIiAND, MARCH 16, 1919. wluch wiU be a feature of , v the expanded coast defense ystem. Xflft ' aJSG&t ' if t. T1" BT RKNB BACHE. i UK ti coit ystem of fortifica tions on ivhlch Unrla tram has - SDent 8Cural hundred millions uf dollars durlue the last years is now drilartd by the war department, in Tlew of the lessons of the great war. to be obsolete L'ndT a plan newlr worked out by the military authorities, the whole of it tt beome merely a second line of defense- that is to say, an inner defen sive line. The first line will be thrust out seaward, with fortresses built ou Islands wherever tho latter are avail- u-)le. . The maritime littoral is a frontier. .Along this frontier must bo the blg- r?3t gum: and, in order to reach to b'st advantage a hostile flcit, tlicy must bu as far to the front as they can get The older idea was-usually based upon an idea rurtously different. Coast forts were placed not outside of har bors and river-mouths, but inside and Fvmetiiiies far up, as if they themselves K'juviil protection. The defenses of J'hiladclphla are thus arranged. Korts 1uit ouicht to Kurd the entrance to lonjr l.-land .Hound an placed -5 miles to the west, in a narrow neck. There Is no need of a large island fur the building of an offshore fortress. Where there is a bur rock suitably lo cated, it Vbill be utilised fur a revolv ing turret. ':iievchat like the turrets of a- dreadnought, and. like the latter, op crated by electric power. Such a tur ret will contain two huge (i-lnch brt-ech-loading rifles, with a range of -1 miles, that run be aimed at any point Jt the horizon. Magnitude of the Work. Hw complex is the mechanism may be Judged from the statement of Gen eral t'ri-zicr, late chief of ordnam e the- ' fore a committee of the huuse fWr oth er riayi, "hiit the mere drawing of plans for one of these great turrets would 4erupy the time ot an expert drafts man ior 3D cars if. that is to say, only one iinn were cmpluyed to do the work. But, a-i a matter of fact, many tlraft.-uo'n hae been b'Jy with flic 1'l.itf , whi' h now irc completo and rtady. To insure lability for such a rock turr.t tthe weight of whi'h. with its Kun is enormou.s), much of tne rock will b-j bl tsted out ami removed, to be replaced witu a solid mass of concrete. -V Mrntlsr method has often been adopt ed ,o orovul.' a stable and enduring lnM for li!i?houser. There Miay te no room on tho rock for an electric power plant to operate the turret. .What then? Why, all that will be nrcesrary is to bring the rc,ni.-ito current by cable from a shore station. one remembers what happened to the turrets, cf somewhat similar construe- V - r" M .av . " ' ' . ,. " w' .-v1T n. r aF . ..." . 9L Ion. that defended the fortresses of Namur and Iiege, in Belgium. The German high-power niortam. throwing big shells, smashed them all to pieces. Why might not two or three well nlmed shots put the offshore coast de fense turrets out of business? ( Sea and mm Load. Suppose a hostile fleet were to ap proach. It aiight have dozens of suns of nearly equal, or possibly equnL cali ber. How, then, would tho turrcX stand off the enemy? Well, to begin with, it Is reckoned as a fundamental proposition that one gun on land is equal to six guns of cor responding caliber on shipboard the reason why being simply that the gun on land hati a steady and immovable platform from which to shoot. ' A battleship offers a big target, whereas a ti ret on a lone rock is a relatively small object so small, when viewed at normal fighting range, as to be almost Impossible to lilt. A modern dreadnought is KOi) feet long, turh a turret as is here described as no bigger1 Sea Coast defense mortars in gun pit. than one of those which a dreadnought carries. This newest type of sea coast fort is right interesting. Knemy battleships can harcOy get near erioirgh to it to see it without imminent risk of de struction for themselves. Fainted dark gray. It is scarce visible a few miles off not to mention the fact that, with .'the low-ljjng rock on which it stands. It is likely to be below tho level of the horizon. While itself unseen or, if seen, al most impossible to hit the turret lias the enemy battleships In plain view; and capital tragets they offer for its 2400-pound projectiles, each carrying a bursting-charge of 120 pounds of high explosive. , Kuch a turret Is clad in steel armor a foot and a half thick, so as to be im penetrable by' any but the largest projectiles; and, owing to its cylindrical shape, with roof like a flat dome, even these would almost certainly glance of harmlessly, unless one of them hap pened to hit a gun or a porthole. Another point to be considered in public of Panama and will be Immedi ately fortified for the defense of the southern entrance of the iuter-oceaulc canal. A Small affair? Yes, relatively, but It is interesting rather by way of illus tration than because It possesses any great importance in itself. . Au American Heligoland. If something of much greater conse quence be sought, it will be found In a,l plan now fully developed by tne war department for fortifying tho Amer ican Heligoland. . ... It is an island, almost a duplicate of the German Heligoland, singularly re sembling the latter in shape and for mation, and-, like it, eo situated as to be the key to a great seaport. We call it Block island, and it lies in the mouth of Long Island sound. Being an unwarlike people, we have never hitherto taken the trouole to fortify it. Had Germany chosen to de clare war against us (instead of at tacking her European neighbors), one of her first steps would have been to seize Block island, emplace great guns there, and make it a base for sub marines and warplanes. Her navy be ing greatly superior to ours, she could not have been dislodged, and her bomb ing planes would soon have destroyed New York. - Now at last waked up we are go ing to make of Block island a. veri table. Gibraltar. . It is bigger than - Heligoland Ave miles long by four miles in greatest width. As is the case with, tho Ger man Island, the whole south coast is a precipitous bluff. Not far-back of the blurt is ruot lull, 178 feet high; and to the north and west is Beacon bill, which has an ele vation of 216 feet These bills afford ideal sites for the emplacement .of big guns,- which could sweep ail -tne sur rounding eea for 20 miles and more, covering the east end of Long island. In the northern part of Block island viewing the probable outcome of an i fs Salt pond, a land-locked lake two- ( there. attack by warships upon the turret fs I thirds of a square mile in area that 'front. How lessons of the great war and I changed conditions will affect coming I fortifications of U. S. sea fronts, and I why the work must take time. aiiiiiimiimimiiiiiuiutuiiimiHwiniuiutuum BLOCIC ISLwHB The island on the Atlantic coast which it is proposed to make "the Gibraltar of America." As this map rests, north is to the left. They arc putting the guns "up that the latter would have the advan tage of exact range, with the ships as targets the whole surrounding water space within reach of its guns being mapped out in checker-board squares. Wherever within this area a hostile battleship might float, the square occupied by it would be indi cated by the range-finding apparatus and, the range for that square being exactly known, the gun-pointers could shoot with most dangerous accuracy. It need hardly be said ttiat tho rock turret is only one feature of the new scheme of coast fortifications contem plated by the war department a very minor one at that. Where suitable is lands are available off our coasts, or near the entrances of rivers, estuaries or harbors they will be formidably fortified. One notes from. the news dispatches that the war department has newly ac quired possession of -the Island of Ta boga, 12 miles due south of Panama City. It was a purchase from the re- opens into the sea through a narrow channel which has been dredged to a depth of 27 feet. What a place, to be sure, for submarines to find safe ref uge! With all the surrounding ocean mapped in checkerboard squares, the forts that -are to bo built on Pilot hill and Beacon hill will be able to smash any hostile war craft that may venture into the neighborhood. Why was not the entrance of Chesa peake bay a narrow strait that is an opening into our very vitals fortified long ago? Nobody can answer the question satisfactorily. A few years ago it was proposed to build an artificial island in the middle of the strait, and to emplace guns there. The plan was abandoned because of the money cost. But it was a fool ish idea, anyway, inasmuch as modern high-power rifles can from one side cover the water passage. At the pres ent time defenses or the most formid able kind are approaching completion There you have in a word the whole idea of Uncle Sam's new system of coast defense. He must not any longer hide his forts up rivers and in necks of estuaries. The best of his weapons must be available for use at the front that is to say, where an enemy may encounter them to greatest disadvantage. Of what caliber shall the guns be that are to defend America's new coast fortresses? General F. W. Coe, chief of the coast artillery, says that 24-inch rifles, with a range of 40 miles, can now be built. But what's the use? A 16-inch gun, weighing 130 tons, throws a 2400-pound projectile 21 miles. One fair hit with such a shell would be enough to put any battleship out of action. As the problem now stands, types of weapons are a wholly secondary and incidental consideration. What has to be thought of is the creation of a line of coast defense that Is effective a line that can really safeguard Amer ican river mouths and harbors. Of a, certainty such a thing doesn't exist now; and the only way to get it is by establishing a system of offshore forti fications by putting the big guns "up front." Use Cocoanut Oil For Washing Hair MADAME ALDA ON TOUR WHICH WILL BRING HER TO THE PACIFIC COAST Appealing Impersonation in Minti of "La Boheme" Makes Deep Imprcsssion With Metropolitan Patrons Bequests for Concerts Pour in From Western Cities. BY K1I1LIE FRAXfES BAUER. "ITEW Vti:K. Unrch IS. (Special.) I Sltne. A Ida sang Muni In " - Boheme" on Thursday evening to Cartuun K.-dolfo in a perfornmm-e of liiore than ordinary beauty and her t-ry appealing Impersonation will li g-r in the memory of the Metropolitan patrons for the rrr of the season, as tins was her last of 23 or more appear ances and she has just t-tarted on a long concert tour which will take her a.- far as she Pacific coast. This con cert tour incidentally comprises over 10 concerts and at last accounts Charles 1 Wagner was Mill receiving requests for the Metropolitan fcprnnii to "stop otf on her way west. If there Is any one who believes that a strenuous New York srason tire this energetic artist. It is a fallacy, as nothing spurs her on to greater activities like "more work." One never need talk about the w rattier if fortunate enough to find Mn. A Ida. free long enough for con--rsatlou. as she has a long list of topics which she knows how to handle as successfully as she does a role in opera. Her very marked personal beauty made the writr wonder why she had never "gone in for" moving pictures, inasmuch as she is an actress of such distinction and the question was forthcoming. Mine. A Ida did not leave much time for guessing, but in her welt-known direct manner said: "Because I do not like moving pictures. The only ones which appeal to me lu the least are the topics of the day and films which show what is going on in countries remote from where I am. "The so-called human Interest or heart-story picture has nothfng'at all to attract me and I do not consider that any artist can heighten art by going into pictures." Maay Is Paatiae. Then came the question as to whether tho artist could elevate the jncture. but the singer was quite as clear in the matter thai the artist could not raise tne picture, because action as a high art does not exist, at best the work being fragmentary and without continuous and culmlnative direction. She thought that for herself she could find many occupations to lead her fur ther along the path she loves to travel. Kor instance, she would prefer to read, and particularly to study. If one might attempt to describe her love for this phase of her life it might be said that M me. Alda in an omnivorous studier, this indeed applying to life as it does to book-lore, music or the art of sing ing per se. When you come into her presence you know that you are au open book to her, for she is the keenest observer of human nature one is likely to meet Her eyes meet yours, and -she is likely to answer your question before you have had time to put it into words. Mme. Alda has sung no new roles this season, and still she says she has been happy in the parts which she has sung. "What sort of a role would you write for yourself if you had the power to do it?" was a question for the answer of which the interrogator s-xpected to wait a few moments; but ' no Mme. Alda was ready. "I would hot bother about writing a new one while I couid yet sing Marguerite, for that contains about everything than an artist could wish to have in ore role. It ranges from the utmost simplicity to the last throe of tragedy; it has all that can be put into it of tenderness, the steady growth of emotion to the throbbing passion of its climax, and beyond that a religious fervor maaes or Marguer ite all that I could ever wish for as a m odium to satisfy my own artistic ambitions." Hole Coatalas Reality. Answering the inevitable question as to whether she might not tire of It, the singer said, "The role never palls upon me because it has so much that is vital. You would hardly tire of it more than you would of daily life which brings each day the same things but under different phases and 1 feci the role so differently each time that it loses the thing which would tiro me. I should tire of a 'make-believe' part, of some thing in which I felt that I was act ing, but not in Marguerite and not in Minii or Manon, and personally I would rather put in an entire season sing ing roles that have such qualities and the roles that the people iove than in creating all sorts of parts in which the public has little or no interest more than perhaps a passing curiosity." This attitude of directness and sin cerity toward her work is not unlike Mme. Alda, the woman. Her direct ness of manner, her straightforward dealing with a question resolves itself in her artistic life as it does every hour of her day, into an honest outlook whether politic anil agreeable or not. "Karlier in a career," Mme. Alda con tinued, "it means much to an artist to acquire new parts and thereby secure a new interest in the minds of the public, but afterward she learns that It Is better to secure new interest in by bringing something into a favorite old role which brings it forward in some new phase or which revives it and makes it take on a new lease of life for those who had all but forgotten it." KfSrope Being Considered. Mme. Alda is beginning to think about Europe not as a thing of the near future, but. as she said: "I cer tainly will be happy to go back to Europe, pot for recreation, research or study, but I want to go Uack and sing at .La Monnaie in Brussels. I want to give them my services and do for them whatever lies within my power. I have been away a very long time from the stage upon whych I gained my earliest success, my opportunities and my ex perience, and 1 shall never feel that I have done my duty until I can go back and sing for them, until I have repaid the debt I owe as a debutante, to which period of my life I look back with deep gratitude and affection." Mme. Alda said that another place where she is eager to sing is in Aus tralia, where sho has never sung pro fessionally and was known only as a child with an unusual voice might be known. "Would you care to make concert tours in Europe?" was the next ques tion that seemed in line, from the fact that Mme. Alda has become as noted an artist in the concert world as in opera and all because of her insatiable love for studying songs from every nation and in every language, except in German, she having been the first artist to drop that language from her programmes. European Desires Differ. "Song recitals in Europe are vastly different from what they are in Amer ica, as in each country the people want to hear their own language, ex cept perhaps in England, as here one might sing in French and Italian, for which reason it would be more feasible to sing in Europe in the opera or their own country." Mme. Alda nas mastered the finest details of songs, including diction, nuances and atmos phere. She makes her hearers vis- iinliA n. son? as she does nerseu, u-hn thu evpr-rlef Deniner beauty oi her voice has attracted widespread at tontlnn at the Metropolitan this season as it has wherever she has sung, and in1 New York alone she has had con certs almost beyond count, outside of her own Carnegie hall recital. ine win h missed at the Metropolitan, where sh has distinct drawing powers and where her Marguerite. Mimi, Manon, to say naught of her lovely .princess, in roiif." were among the finest of ferings of this season at that house. Mrs. Uetxser Is Popular. Mrs. Henry William Metzger of Port land, Or., who has been spending the winter in New York studying and sing ing, has established a sunny place ior herself in many oitierent. classes oi music lovers. She has been heard fre nuantiv smnne the most critical audi ences who are invited to the studios of-i Mr. and Mrs. Walter Henry Kothwen, and she has given her services freely for thosewho have learned to love the best music through the settlement work. Her voice is very beautiful and she has gained much in poise and styla during the winter through frequent ap pearances. - Mrs. Metzger sane recently at dif ferent sections of the public schools. where the children gave part oi tne entertainment, and she- gave a eong re cital for the Educational Alliance, with Miss Alice Saubelich at the piano, ine first sroup included a Handel aria which showed her long legato line and splendid breath control, and following this she sang the "Vissi d'arte" aria from "Tosca." A group of French songs included numbers by Paladilhe. Debussy, Rabey and Vidal. while in English she sang Rogers' "My Star," "Orientale" and "A Little Lane," by Marion Bauer; "Tho IWren," by Liza Lehman; I Came With a song. by fraiiK r.a rorge; jn: Love but a Day," by Mrs. Beach, and "Love's in My Heart," by Huntington Woodman. v Florence McBeth Triumphant. The Chicago Opera association closed it's New York season in the proverbial "blaze of glory," a triumph for Flor ence Macbeth, who was heard for the first time as Gilda in "Rigoletto," with a marvelous Jester in Stracciarl. who has even strengthened the position he won in New York last year. Miss Mac beth's voice rang clear and true from beginning to end and her appealing childishness lent additional fascination to her impersonation. It was the second American triumph of the week because that of Dorothy Jardon in her first appearance on the operatic stage was sensational in every detail, showing as it did not only a voice of extraordinary characteristic, but she has powers as a tragedienne that could never have been suspected of the most popular woman of the vaudeville and theatrical stage. Cam- panini is taking his organization to Philadelphia for its first stop, from whence he will go to Pittsburg and Detroit. With Galli-Curci more of a favorite and a greater artist than ever, a new tenor, Dolct, who in his last New York appearances had the luck to become a matinee idol as well as a delight to the most critical, Stracciarl, one of the greatest artists of the lyric-dramatic stage, Carolina Lazzaj-i, who has well won the honors which have given her first position as contralto of the Chi cago company; Mary Garden, who seems to have renewed her fascination over New York ''audiences and who is in full possession of her finest skill as singer no less than as actress, and a long list of highly skilled artists, first among which must come that great Russian baritone, Baklanoff, who lends distinction to any work in which he is cast, the visiting company has had an uninterrupted succession of suc cesses. . In addition to the artists of the stage, Campaninl also manifested his judg ment by placing soma of the repertory. in charge of Giorgio Polacco, who was received with vociferous joy by those who have never ceased to miss him from his former post at the Metropoli tan. Full of authority, musical to his finger tips and with a fine sense of stage values, Polacco made himself felt at the Lexington and gave sympathetic support to the young Americans who came under his . baton, among which were Dorothy Jardon in her debut as Fedora," Marguerite Namara, who had a real personal success in the Giordano opera; Anna Fitziu and Florence Mac beth in "Loreley," to say naught of the admirable performance of "Rigo letto" on the closing night. Polacco's "Mme. Butterfly" drew three capacityaudiences, this always having been one of his masterpieces at the Metropolitan. Tamaki Miura in the title role contributed her share to the success of the Puccini opera, for she has grown mentally and in vocal equip ment and the fact that she is a Jap anese heightens the public interest more than it affects her actual imper sonation, as her success is due to her art and skill, not to her nationality. Campaini has announced his next season of five weeks at the Lexington to open January 26, 1920, with "La Nave," by Italo Montemezzi, composer of "L'Amore del tre re which beau tiful work incidentally has had no per formance this season It is also said that among the guests both in New York and elsewhere will be Alma Giuek, who will sing Mimi to Forrest Lamont's- Rodolfo in "La Boheine, and Sophia Braslau, by courtesy of the Metropoli tan, will sing Amneris to the Alda of Rosa Eaisa and the Radames of Dolci. Yakima Hop Contract Let. YAKIMA, WaBh. Growers of hops who last fall left many tons on the vines as not worth picking are chang ing their minds as to the "death" of the industry, since one firm of large growers, as well as big buyers of hops, have filed with the county recorder 23 contracts with as many growers for the delivery of a3S,000 'pounds of the 1919 crop. Some of the contracts are for three-year periods and the prices range from 16 to 25 cents a pound, though the average is 20 cents. Many growers had dismantled their trellises and plowed up the hop vines in ex pectation of planting sugar beets or some- other crop that would not be apt to endanger adverse legislation. 1 If you want to keep your hair in good condition, be careful what you wash it with. Most soaps and prepared shampoos contain too much alkali. This dries the scalp, makes the hair brittle, and is very harmful. Just plain mulsified co- Lcoanut oil (which is pure and entirely greaseless) is much better than tho most expensive soap or anything else you can use for shampooing, as this can't possibly injure the hair. , Simply moisten. your hair with water and rub it in. One or two teaspoonfuls will make aji abundance of rich, creamy lather, and cleanses the hair and scalp thoroughly. The lather rinses out easily and removes every particle of dust, dirt. dandruff and excessive oil. 7he iiair dries quickly and evenly, and it leaves it fine and silky, bright, fluffy and easy to manage. You can get mulsified cocoanut oil at most any drug- store. It is very cheap, and a few ounces is enough ft last everyone in the family for months. Adv. For Rough, Wrinkled, Freckled, Pimpled Skin As March winds, flying dust and dirt. are apt to injur any complexion, this information will be of special value right now. If you have any cutaneous blemish, don't use paint, powder or anything else to cover it up. Too often this only emphasizes the defect. Re sides, it s mucli easier to remove tha distigurement with ordinary rnercol- lzed wax. Applied nightly, the wax will gradually remove freckles, pim ples, moth patches, sallowness, red or yellow blotches or any surface erup tion. The affected cuticle, is absorbed, a little each day, until the clear, soft, youthful and beautiful skin beneath is brought wholly to view. Ask the drug gist for one ounce of mcrcolized wax and use this like you use cold cream. Remove in morning with soap and wa ter. Many who have tried this simple, harmless treatment report astonishing results. If bothered with wrinkles or fur rows, a wash lotion made by dissolving an ounce of powdered saxollte in a half pint of witch hazel will prove wonder fully iffective. Adv. Babies Smile when stomachs do tbdr work and bowels more naturally. Fretful, crying babies need MRS.WINS LOW'S Tk Mists mi CUdrts't Iwiktsr ta make the stomach digest food. ana Doweis to mors as they anouia. conuins no alcohol. opiates, narcotics, or other harmful m&TAtntm I a . . . -a. jm