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