The New York herald., 1872-12-31
OUR HARBOR DEFENCES.
Does Not Agree with "De-
low the Country Might Be
q rnJ Jftton to Resist John
invaluab,,
how easy q 81.
the port OF New
- Fteet.


how easy b.. @oea7N ~ cn'ef
the port OF New 3t '' W
prepared some iron-,
Yankee vessels all backed t~ '
Dor. Selah how he writes2 H.
fence OF our harbor is so much IRON.
below Imagine the English Meet comm.
torpedoes would be so laid upon the bar anu tEe
entrance that by system only known to o.
Naval Torpedo Corps, when every vessel OF the
English feet occupied its position over 0
triple row OF torpcdoes, each and every
vessel Of the English feet would in spite OF
itself sgnalize It's position over the particu-
lar torpedo to corresponding number in the
battery on shore, and even sound q bell to hurry
up the officer to apply the wires and blow up not
one but the entire fleet. no matter whether the
fleet came by night or day. Again. does he think
our naval commander would risk all his monitors
outside when he commands such a few Oh, no.
Should Mr.. johnny Bull ever get over the bar with
his huge iron-clads he would find the monitors with
their light draught lying where the Bulls could not
get ct them-tO wit, In shoal water, there TO
calmly and deliberately plant ffteen-inch steel
soon get their pangs OF death. Besides, fast
wooden vessels would, before these Englishmen
could awake to the reality that they were on
our coast, find some OF Lays torpedoes pIunging
under their bottoms at two or three miles dis
tance t,a "a. at set sea and urging them hesyenward
with from 800 to 500 pounds oil nitro ycerine as
the motor. Also, does he think any nect in the
world could get into New YORK harbor, with this
nation given thirty or sixty days to prepare
every harbor OF importance on the coast Let me
enumerate what could be done by the navy alone,
and let the Army speak for itself-and the Lord
The Navy could have ready the Roanoke, three
l5-nch, three 25o-pounder rines all In three tnr-
rets; the Dictator two 15-inch guns; the Saugus,
TWO l5-inch; the Puritan, two 20nch; the Ajax,
hopac, two 15-inch; the Manhattan. two 15-incn:
the irigate Minnesota, fifty o-inch guns; the
Medlterranean squadron, consisting oI tho
%;'fs w. symos ss sraossn %ncs
sett, o.; the North Atlantic squadron, consisting
OF the worcester, 16 guns; Canandaigua, 10; Shau-
NUT, 81; wyoming, g.; Nipsc, g; south Atlantic
10; Juniata, 81; the Franklin, As; the Florida, "a
the Tennessee, "a; the Richmond, IA; Ossipee, s;
Santee, 90; Constellation, 10, and some few others.
This would be no mean force TO meet, monitors OF
20 guns nearly oil 15-inch calibre, and Az 0-incn
and 11-inch guns Give the command Of these to
an intelligent Admiral who knows how to handle
such q neet say Admiral David ID. Porter and
will venture to say with these and the torpedo
any fort or battery that could be placed at Sandy
Hook. John Bull John Crapeau, John German or
Johnny Russia. either one or all, would never get
inside Sandy Hook point or even over the bar.
II our Legislators want to do some ething for the
navy why don't they put our monitor system In
order, provide at least twenty OF them to be kept
ready for weeks call At the furthest; also buio
twenty fast sloops of war, as you suggest, with
not less than ten guns, fitted with every torpedo
appliance and at least one OF Lays t0rpedoes &c
each Besides, have on hand hfty OF those won,
derful torpedOes, also some at each naval station
When they wish to concentrate them, say at New
York, train OF platform cars can bring them ali
here in eighteen hours, and they can be launched
and and soon be at the desired point Tor use; and &C
enemy's most formidable ship and destroy her in
the midst OF the feet. PLUCK.