The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-16

They Are and What They Require
To Be.
Apropos of the great question now pending
between the United States and Great Britain,
and the natural tendency such discussion has
upon the statistic-loving portion of the COM
munity, in reference to our ability to meet any
possible contingency arising from diplomatic
quarre.s, we present to-day an interesting re-
port of the Notifications and sea-line defences
Of the country, their condition, capabilities
for resistance and present necessary construc-
tons and repairs. At any other time than
this General Humphreys report would attract
little attention outside the War Department
and the Corps of Engineers, and his recon-
mendations would have been laid aside, as many
others have been previously, until suitable
moment should arrive to present his estimates
and appeals for appropriations to Congress,
and then only to have the former cut down
fifty per cent by system of getting rid of
them in summary manner, rather than
through desire to comply with the neces-
sites of the situation. The latter are deferred,
as rule, to more convenient season. But
the public cannot afford to longer neglect
matters of such vast Importance. Neither
can Congress forever carry out cheeseparing
policy without mourning great risk to the
country.
As the present report shows, our coast and
harbor defences are incomplete and scanty in
their appointments, and not one in ten can be
pointed to as being capable of effectual re-
sistance to well-organized opposing force.
Especially can this be said of the Notifications
surrounding New York. When Secretary
Belknap, General Humphreys and the men,
bers of the Board of Engineers visited these
forts and defensive works last fall, "Why isn't
the work done," was almost stereotyped
phrase, and frequently uttered by General
| Sherman, who accompanied them. At He'll
Gate General Newton had but one answer.
| He would have been further advanced with the
| work of removing the rock to clear the pas
sages there, but he had not the appropriations.
At Willetts Point, the chief school for training
our engineers in the manufacture and use of
torpedoes and the science of measuring river
currents as necessary auxiliary knowledge,
not half the means required for the proper
carrying out of the experiments had been
allotted to General Abbott, and the station
consequently did not produce the results the
| country was led to believe it should.
Again, the new forts commanding the Mar
rows at the entrance to New York harbor are
in almost the same helpless condition now as
they have been for the past four years; and
it is rare thing to find, on visit to the place,
| any more than a score of men at work on the
new building commenced several years since.
The same may be said of the new work on
the Fort Hamilton side. A row of fifteen
inch guns exposed to the mouth of
| the harbor and one or two massive but
useless twenty-inch guns, from which the
men could be driven by a war vessel
! coming in with the greatest ease, compose the
safeguards on that side. That marvellous
piece Of gunnery ingenuity represented by
gun and steam apparatus to work 1t, facing
towards Sandy Hook, would be q splendid
target for good naval gunner few miles
distant, and the portion left standing after o
few blows from acknowledgement shot
would be small indeed. The depressing gun
carriage, which is really the only valuable,
novel and life-saving piece of machinery in
our ordnance, has been neglected SO that the
first complete experiments have not been per-
fected. These are but few of the deficien-
cies we could clearly point out Sooner or
later the whole subject must be taken
up by the government and then a more
fitting opportunity will be granted for
its discussion. Suffice it now to say, that in
the entire report presented by the Chief En-
gneer to the War Department we see he
draws attention to similar points, urging the
necessity of concentrated force upon the un-
finished and damaged forts, and, as plainly as
he can consistently with his Office, states that
our lines of coast and harbor defences border
ing on the Atlantic and the Mexican Gulf, on
the Pacific coast and the great lakes are en-
| tirely unreliable in case of war with naval
Power of any prominence. The six specific
recommendations he makes with view to
put the harbors in q proper state of defence
are especially worth the attention of the gov
ernment 1t is absolutely necessary, if we are
to maintain our security, that the work should
be done, and done, too, with all possible
despatch.
COOP NEws-The news that Spotted Tail
and his band are all right, and well supplied
with provender by the government. After