530 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



WATERWAY DEFENSES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST 



By WILLIAM J. ROE 



NEWBURGH, N. Y. 



[~T will be remembered what a spasm of apprehension seized the 

 -*- country when the prospect of war with Spain became imminent. 

 Not only did these fears affect seriously the dwellers in sea-coast cities, 

 but they were shared in to such an extent by those who had been accus- 

 tomed to plan their summer outings at the sea-shore as to send a very 

 large proportion to the mountains instead. In fact so great was the 

 unreasoning and unreasonable terror that the season of 1898 was quite 

 unremunerative to innkeepers at summer resorts along the coast. 



If such was the effect of a declaration of war with Spain, whose 

 sea-power was so notoriously weak, what would it be likely to be in 

 the face of hostilities threatened with a foreign country amply pre- 

 pared for offensive naval movements? Though the prospect of war 

 with a capable maritime power be ever so remote; though the fashion 

 of modern civilization seems to have been set for arbitration, and con- 

 gresses of peace have been established with at least the promise of 

 permanency; and though we appear to have entered upon a period of 

 good-will and cordial relations with the most ponderous of nations, 

 still the construction of battle-ships and armored cruisers goes on in 

 every shipyard of every government of the world with increased rather 

 than abated zeal. However much the American public may desire 

 peace, and however determined to exhaust the arts of diplomacy to 

 preserve it, so long as human nature retains any of the virus of the 

 serpent, or the fangs of the wolf, so long will war remain the final 

 appeal of human interest, even though shorn of some of its ferocity 

 as the first resort of inhuman passion. It is, and will continue doubt- 

 less for many decades, with nations as with the individual man; that 

 one is always best assured of peace that is best prepared to resist in- 

 solence and retaliate forcibly, quickly and effectively upon any form 

 of aggression. 



After a long period of lethargy following the civil war the nation 

 has become wisely awakened to the necessity of providing means of 

 defense more in accord with our recent position as a ' world-power.' 

 So have we constructed and are constructing powerful earth-works, re- 

 placing the obsolete defenses of stone forts, mounting behind them our 

 guns ; so that we planned mines for our harbors, and gathered destruc- 

 tive and far-flying torpedo missiles ; and, more important yet, are build- 



