New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-03-16

recently, and nobody was huit." If we had,
Gordon Of forts across the channel Of our harbo a.
iron-cad would be but q few minutes in passing
beyond the range Of the same qualify OF guns, now
the best we have, or are likely u have, under the
present manaqement OF our Ordnance Dlre4 us. Shs
wonld pass scot free, just tia Mcrriinac retained
10 Norfolk, when she chose to cease wasting Der
ammunition after discovering she colld not ljore
the Mo8itor with enot, or mancuver With advantage
in confined harbor for assault; although no ia.
leligent man will claim she corid be a.salei sue
cesstUliy with any guns that could be troaga
aga net her at that time. TO make IN ass ut On
New-Yorl by land woold require larger army
than could be disemlarked in a week, and we coud,
by the aid of telegrgphs and the means Of inland
tr.rspor alton we have at command. bring forces
TO oppose them fas,er than .he enemy aid DO.
To NY mind, the Only practicable way 10 attscltha
city successfully Tilh cur present forts q means
OF defense, WREN completely armed with our present
most eiciea guns, would be With let oIiton-e'ats.
France ana England have these nov, aud tley can
cross tie Atlantic with them, and even the Coni"de-
r Is may soon be supplied with them. In case d
such IA formidable assault, what could we do we
nay say We viii close our hGrbor by" rats or
by stone fleet II this was practicable 1t u
not TO b. Thought Of, for commerce Is the source
o. cur'wealth and prosperity, and we wOuA not our.
selves destroy what earnestly w.sh ID devise
means TO defend. If we wished to RESIST the en-
trance of a hostile fleet into our harbor by rams,
that is game two can play at, and some Of the shps
4 the eDemy might pas such blockade, and even
one Of them would be sufficient in aq hour TO put
the city under contribution, even if she did net
greatly DANA. @ or destroy it. Ga the princi-
pie. orr Navy Department propose TO pas Fort
sumter witt ironc,ads, 20 attack the city OF Charles
ton on the u position that the forts would sugren
TO AN imrremable ice; in order to save tAe city.
There are but two channels Of approach 10 this city
,he Na.rows" aud "Harlgate fifteen forts,
c .,h mounting two spherical guns, can be 50 plced.
eieht along The Narrows, and seven from Tnrogs
Neck 70 North Brother" leland, that each vessel
OF auy feet entering the Larbor would DC sab
iecred for one hour to fire in each channel,
from guns protecting riis shot or shell,
weighing from 40 pOunIs TO 900 yo&nds, all tts
time al close quartersi ard 10 addition TO tbs the
yesse would receive the slot from whatever guns
were mounted on present tlsis, some Of Which
might be effective through the slai.eTed sides Of
.es that had received SHELLS from tho great guns.
As au auxiliary to these for's, four or five sea.gong
snl fast-saIing rams should be provided, aud tho
SINE Kind Of guns tn which ! alude mounted On
them. Ifan enemy should attemg! TO sail into tna
harbor three ships abreast, the rams could separate
them - that they could not protec; each other
And these rams would be necessary to dsperse any
ees Of transports or ironcUds that might atemptto
roted lie handing of troops On the Long Island OF
jersey shore.
NothiDg he's heretofore prevented making Tue
largest guns 10 be effective but the failure TO com.
penSae for the unequal heating and expansion OF the
gum That has always been the great cause Of their
bursting. when attempted TO be made Of large sles.
This difficulty has been completely overcome by the
method of constructing the guns have prop)rei.
Plating cannot be placed a ship TO float Of sniff.
cent thickness 10 resist snot Of 1000 pounds
weight; but plating TO resist any shot whatever
eau be placed on forts. Aud if by any de-
vice, as by locating the forts in the center Of
the channel. we can insure that an enemy must pass
at close quarters, uncertainty OF aim is obvi-
aied. by placing the forts sufficiently to each
other lenthwise of the channel, each ship Of fleet
must run the gauntlet, and receive at least shoe
IRON each gun Such forts as propose i'll THIS cnan'
mel, too, have the advantage that they cannot DO
surprised by infantry mined By engineers, as tbs
plan is arranged go they cannot be blown BY
powder, and they cannot be run down by rams,
being protected by loose hubble deposited about their
base, making shoal water on all sides OF them.
consider them impregnable and irresistibe.
The whole world would know of such preparation
as th aud the reputation of such means of defense
in the harbor of NewYorl would be sufficient to dc.
ter any nation from making al assault upon them.
and our advance in dignity power, and influence
would alone than compensate for any required
outlay, to say. nothing of the increased security Of
property interests that are now and hereafter to be-
involved in this grea. question OF How shall New.
York harbor be defended % NORMAN WIZARD.
RESULT OF Town MgETIXGs-GESRSEE.--A