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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1906)
THE MORNIlQ ASTORIAN, ASTORIA, OREGON. IUNOAY, DECEMBER I, 19M. 12 ON COAST DEFENSE Conditions of Coast Defenses Use less for War. COMPETENT MEN ARE SCARCE Th Ntionl Board Will Recommtnd th Construction of Coast Dfnst For th Columbia Rlvr Cot ing Ovr On Million. WASHINGTON, D. C. Peo. . One of the most Important subjects treated by President Roosovelt In his msag to Congress was the deplorable con dition of our coast defense. De plorable, not so much through the lack of fortifications, guns or machinery, although much remain to be don on all but three, especially because of the lack of men necessary to keep the guns and machinery in order In time of peace, to my nothing of manipulating them should war break out What the President did not hav to say on this Ject was short but to th point and he took a firm stand in favor of legisla tion calculated to remedy existing con ditions. H has already placed him self squarely on record, and only six months ago addressed a special letter to the Senate In which he pointed out that th Increasing importance and wealth of our ports offered more In ducement to an enemy. "The fact that we now hav a navy does not In any wise diminish the Importance of coast defences; on the contrary It emphasl- blll rrovvlJ for the gradual Increase during five years of S9 officer and 5,otS men for the coast artillery and 858 for th flld artillery. The great trouble of the const artillery hoa been to secure and kep trained electricians, engineers and firemen. It will sur prise many to know that most of the cost of fortifications is for electrical machinery, "fire control," and search lights, the "ftr control" being the sys tem of telegraphic and telephonic com munication between forts and batter ies, and with observing stations.. A private statement of the condi tion of th coast defenses of twenty- eight fortified ports shows that to man them with one shift of officers and men, that Is to say, each man at nts proper station, would requlr 40,875 men and 1.SS4 officers.:' There are to day available at the different forls 10 TIJ men and S57 officers, scarcely enough to keep the gun and machln-1 cry from rusting! Commercial Interests In general, ami especially those concerned with ship ping and terminals at our great ports will be Interested in this matter. If they take the trouble to Investigate the facts. Take New York for Instance, with Forts ToMen, Sshuyler, Slocum Wadsworth. Hamilton and Hancock, equipped with big gun, torpedo, search lights, etc. It would require 2S4 officers and 5.8SS men to man these forts alone, without providing for any relief whatever. Thwt Is more than two thirds of all the officers and half of all the men now engaged In taking care of all the coast defenses of the entlr United Stntes. Other cities present Interesting sta tlstlca. There is San Francisco the terminal of the Harrlman and other great transcontinental lines, and from which the ships of the Pacific Mall and other rans-Pnclflc lines carry our goods to the orient; in many respects ses their value, and the necessity for . the key to Hawaii. Guam and the Phll their construction," he said recently. I iplnes. To defend San Francisco are "It Is an accepted naval maxim that navy can be used to strategic advan tage only when acting on the offensive and It can be free to so operate only after our coast defense Is reasonably? secure and so recognised by the coun try." The President takes the ground that the security and protection of our In terests require the completion of our coast defenses, and that the plans of the National Coast Defense Board should receive the generous support of Congress. In his message the President re-affirmed his position, especially as far as pending legislation providing for the reorganization of the coast artil lery la concerned. The Senate Com mittee on military affairs has favor ably reported a bill to separate the Field Artillery from the Coast Artil lery, on the ground that they are two distinct branches of the service. The, Forts Foster, Mlley, Barry, Baker, Ma son, Winfleld Scott and McDowell. To man these would require 175 officers and 4.258 men. There are available 41 officers and 1400 men. The coast de fense plans call for the expenditure of 13.119,24! to complete the defenses of San Francisco, of which 1439,(00 Is to be spent for guns, emplacements and carriages; $459 955 for submarine mine defenses; $334,951 for a central ower plant; $193,064 for a reserve power plant; 1198,000 for search lights; $19,600 for modernizing older emplacements, and $1,473,991 for "fire control" It will cost $1,473,991 to Install a com plete system of communication alone at San Francisco, and It Is a significant fact that this firecontrol Installation will be the only one recommended to Congress this year, because there are no men available to eare for others If they should be installed.and In passing I It may be remarked that for Fort Ma son and McDowell at Ban Francisco there are no men Available at all. Astoria Is another place on the Pa clfle coast of Importance. Fort Co lumbta, Steven and Cunby defend Co lumbia River.. It would require IT of' Accra and 1,44$ men to properly man these defenses. Ten officer and 4 men are available. The National Hoard estimates that $1,041,381 Is no essary to complete these defenses but ther is no prospect at present of Congress being tw asked to appro prlnte a dollar for this purpose, to long as ten officers and 340 men do the work of $7 officer and 1,444 men, and enlist ed men at $1$ to $18 a month will find posit Inns as engineers, firemen, muster gunners, electricians, observers, gun pointers, etc, Sauttlo, Tnconnv and Olynplt Washington, are Important cities on the Pacific coast. How are they provided with coast defenses? 1 Puget Sound Is defended by Forts War den, Casey and Flagler. These forts are manned by the magnificent equip ment !7 officer and 902 men, where 139 ortK-ers and 3,180 men are now re quired! Even at that there Is only one officer to 33 men where the proportion should be one officer to twenty four men. . He also smiled a then ! left him hit hand." few mor times and with the paper In FOUND FINE BUNCH. 8HCEP SLAUGHTERED. PENDLETON, Or., Deo. 7. By th collision of the two parts of a switch ing freight train, HI sheep were killed In th Pendleton yards this morning, One car of merchandise and two of sheep were demolished, The sheep were from Twin mile, Idaho, con signed to the Portland stockyards. No other damage was done. TRIAL MARRIAGES ARE NOT NOVEL. Bill Henkcl Shake Hand With John D. Rockefeller. NEW YORK. Deo. -J. Breezy BUI Henkel, United States marshal, has grasped the tenacles of the oil octopus and likes the memory of the sensation. As Bill put It himself, he shook hands with John D. Rockefeller, Henry M. Flagler, and others while serving them with subpoenas to appear as witnesses In the Standard Oil cases In Missouri and "never found a finer bunch of gentlemen In his life." "Naturally," said the marshal, "I ex pected to have some trouble after reading about the times they had try ing to serve John D. last summer. But. say, It really was a cinch th softest thing I ever struck in my Ufa. I felt almost ashamed that I hadn't a silver salver to ptu the subpoena on when went up to John D.' house, after I had called him up by phone and told him Uncle Sam had little business Ith him. He set the hour and min ute he would see me, and told me to come up myself. "I began to think somebody surely had been -lying about the old gentle man, his manners were so fine. In fact, I was a bit embarrassed when he began talking about the -weather. I began to spar for an opening and he gave me a chance to got In. He took the paper and said he was much obliged to me and regretted that he had given me the trouble of coming all the way up town. Then he shook my hand, bowed to me and I bowed back. (Continued from Pug 9.) bands only by death. Among the Ka ren separations save by death nre rare. The Zulus and Nntnllnn Kafir generally marry for life. In the Ardamnn Islands It Is said that separation of husband nnd wife Is per mitted for no cause whatever, and the same I true of certain Papuans and other tribes of the Indian Archipelago, which retain ancient customs. Urnth alone separates the Veddah of Cey Inn. But a a general rule there are comparatively few people among whom separation of husband and wife ts not practiced to some extent, where the marriage probation Idea not found In some phase of It devet opment. The Burmese Tartars are devotees of the trlnl-marrlage Idea, which has been their custom for centuries, Among the Heh Minos, one of the Bur' mesa Tartar tribes, the great feast off the first day of spring la made Ih day of wooing and selection. The towns people gathered upon a high hill, where the day Is spent In feasting, drinking nnd listening to love songs. A duk approaches the wooer offers his ox horn, which be has used for drinking purposes during the feast, to th maid n of his choice as a signal that "Bar kls Is wlllln." If his suit Is Agreeable, and she accepts she gives him In re turn her drinking horn as sign of betrothal. The wedding of the various couples takes pine on the night of the feast, but If no child la born within a year the marriage Is dee In red off. But It Is the man who gets the worst of this failure on probation. He Is de barred from further matrimonial ex pertment and becomes an object of public chsrity, ran never hold a tribal office, and I held In contempt by the villagers. The only redeeming circum stance Is that this matrimonial casta way Is never more required to work. It Is the only silver lining to his cloud. A somewhat similar probation trial is said to have been the custom among the ancient Irish. B B E-'B A W Have you Seen our Saw Window. Special Kitchen Saw 26c We have everything In Jawav The Foard & Stokes Hardware Co.Jnc. SuccesMti ta Foard 4 8tekt C. FIFTY VOICES! FIFTY VOICES! ); -.5.. W'i 03 .' id 1,1 - f ', ':i''j'f'-V'r''' ',''"''''''' '..''; Grand Concert Given by Norwegian Singing Society Odd Fellows Hall, To-lorrow ligiit, December 10th STAR THEATER P. GEVURTZ, Manager THE TAYLOR CO., IN "Woman Against Woman Commencing Tonight. Popular Prices: 15c, 25c and 35c. Box Office Opens 7:30. Curtain Rises at 8:1$ Sharp. Seat cm be secured by Telephone Main j8ii for all performance Box office open from t until 4 p. m. daily MATINBB TODAY AT 2:4s' ASTORIA THEATRE It. E. KLVKKM, Jllfrr. Last night of ThenackSwain TheaterCo. TONIGHT SUNDAY H REQUEST Sidewalks of New York Matinee "At Silver CreeK" PRICES NfgK25d IS NO MORE VITliPlAN The new artistic window deco ration. A substitute for stained glass at one twentieth the cost Easily applied.' ' , B. F. ALLEN 8 SON irew STORE cot. tttk A1TO BOKO STRUTS. E Sherman Transfer Co HENllY SHERMAN, Mmiaiier Hack, Carriag Dsggsg Cbekd and TrnfirrJ Truck ar4 Furnitur Wagon Piano Mortd, Boid and Shipped. 433 Commercial Street Phone Main 121 : .-r tint n '-' " , ', , ;." -X'TTZ'? " " H Good Sample Room on th Ground Floor tot Commercial Mm - j H. B. PARKER. E P. PARKER, ' Proprietor llanagr PARKER HOUSE EUR0PEAW PLAIT FIRST CLASS IN EVERY RESPECT Ft Coach to th Booh Bar and Billiard Room Good Cbcic Rsiurnt ASTORIA, OREGON THE B E C.F.WISE, Prop. M Choice Wines, Liquors ' Merchant! Lunch From andCigari 11:30 a. m. to 1:30 p jn. Hot Lunch it ill Hour . s Centi Corner EltTsnt h and Commercial ADMISSION 50 CENTS ASTORIA OREGON