The New York herald., 1876-11-26
FORTS AND HARBORS.
General Humphreys Report on River
and HarbOr Improvements.
HE'LL GATE APPROPRIATIONS.
Torpedoes and Their Value in
Maritime Warfare.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 1875.

Chief OF Engineers, has been completed IL presents
detailed statement of the various operations OF the
Engineer Department during The fiscal year ended
Juno 80, 1876, sketches those which in
progress, and makes numerous recommendations for
the future. The main features OF the report IN
Guided in the following syuopsis:-
The number OF officers holding commissions in the
corps engineers OF the United States Army at the
end OF The fiscal year was l0I the active list and
hve on the retired list The latter however under tho
law oi January Il, 1870, are not available for duty.
In the duties deyolyng upon the corps by law the
cmplo1lnent OF number sciC ntsts and assistant
engineers has been necessary.
On the subject oi scacoas and lake frontier defences
General Humphreys says
During the past year The work upon seacoast
deiences has progressed as rapidly good Workman
ship and the amount OF the appropriations granted
would permit The cose OF The late civil war found
the naval armamenis OF maritime nations provided
with and powerful devices which they had not
possessed prior 10 the experiences OF that conflict
Iron plated ships inyunerabe to shells propelled by
powerful engines armed with rifle ordnance OF large
caiore. and capable OF navigating the ocean, tho
outgrowth Of The period OF our late civil war The
Feacoast works OF that tor defence against and
sisance naval arInamens had been proporoned and
constructed Tor armaments Of much less weight aud
power than those now III existence and the safety OF
our commercial cities navy yards and war depois re
Quired that the deences existing 1865 o6
should be materially strengthened by enlargement, in
some cases OF Their parts the addition OF other works.
the adoption OF some new appliances and the ntroduc
ton OF heavier nrmaments
After careful study OF The subject by the Corps of
Engineers, ana with the light afforded by the expert
ence OF actual conflict between seacoasl deences aud
the new naval armaments, the system TO govern the
future construction OF works elaborated in
1869 aud Will be found stated IN detail IN Executive
document No 25l. House OF Representatives, Forty
hrst Congress, second session. where will be seen
The system received the approval the General OF the
Army and the Secretary OF War, and since then has
been repeatedly Endorsed by tho action OF Congress.
The features OF this system the OF heavy
sarthen barbette batteries with paradcs aud
OF heavy mortar batteries, and OF distractions in
The channes-mainiy electrical torpedocs-to hold
vessels from running past the batteries and reaching
the cities or depots beyond them Works OF this char
acer have been steadily III progress since 1869, and ia
many 0. our harbors are we'll advanced toward COM
pleton, but in Of the harbors alterations
nnished while IN some or our important narbors along
The Gnif coast the works are scarcely commenced.
Regarding the pressing necessity the pleton
1f the works IN advance OF hostlites General Hum
phreys quotes from his remarks OF last the
Military Committee OF the House OF Representatives,,
and adds
ance OF the subject involving il does, such great
national interests, again urge the preparation OF
harbors Tor successful resistance against the incur.
sions Of the powerful lron-cads Of the present day.
The APPROPRIATIONS RECOMMENDED
The estimates tor appropriations which he earnestly
recommends are the ollowing:--For completing the
defensive works at the points named-Fort Preble
Portland harbor. Ne, $4,000; Fort SCANNED, Portland
harbor. Me-, $4,000; battery on Portland Head,
$50, 900; battery Gerrish Island Portsmouth har-
Dor, \. H., $4,000; battery on Jerrys Point,
aD' WARREN, Boston naroor, $4,000; long Long Isaaa 1
Head. Boston harbor, $4,000; Fort winthrop,
Boston haruor, $4,000; Fort IndependeDce Boston
harbor, $50 600; fort at Ciark's Point, New Redford
Mass, $4,000; Fort Adams Newport harbor, s4j 000
Dutch Island Narragansett Bay $4,000 Fort rrum-
bull New London $40 900: Fort Schuyler East River
Y, $50 900 he Chief OF Engineers says with refer.
to this estimate that the importance OF the
thahhe anu tne iac' hat me ienoVa OF the oostruc
tIons at He'll Gate Is rapidly progressing renders it
highly important that work should be the
sarliesi possible mcmenp; tort at wilers Point, New
York harbor, sSo, 600. This appropriation is advo-
Gated in the following terms:-"A large appro-
praton is urgently needed, not only on
Of the Importance OF the channel
condition OF the work is such that
fapid and costly deterioration results from leaving IL
exposed IN Its present unfinished condition. Fort
Coiumbus, Governors Island So, 500; Castle William
5000; Fort hamilton and additional batteries
harbor, $4,000; Battery Hudson, Staten Island
s3i, 600; Fort Mian, Delaware River, SIS 600; Fort
RIVER $4,000; tort opposite Fort Delaware. the
Delaware shore, S5O0JO Fort McHenry, Baltimore
$4,000; Fort Foo,c, Potomac River, $4,000 Fort
Washington, Potomac River, s3s, 900; Fortress Mon
roe, s75 oO0 Fort Mourie Charleston, $4,000; Fort
Sumter. $4,000; Fort Pulaski, Savannah River,
$75 600; Fort Tay ior and batteries Key West S750Oo
Fort Jefferson, Toriugas, SIS, 600; Fort Pckens Pen
Forl Mckee, do, $50 600: Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay
$75, 600; Fort jackson, Mississippi River, $25,000
Fort ST. Philip, Mississippi River, $25 900; tort at Fort
Point, San Francisco Aarbor, $50, 900; tort Limo
Point, San Francsco Harbor $4,000; Fort Acatraz,
San Francisco Harbor, $50 0o0 fort San Diego, CaL
$50, 900, and Fort Stevens, Columbia River $4,000
THE VALUE or roRrEDogs.
General Humphreys also invites special attention to
IN estimate OF $3.50, 900 for torpedoes. He says
This most valuable invention OF modern warfare is
used to form obstruction and obstacle to the
OF harbors and to hold the enemy's vessel
under the fire OF the shore batteries The charges in
the torpcdoes fired by the electric current and
many parts OF the system cannot be obtained in an
emergency 1t to procure and store such portions
Of tho apparatus as cannot be speedily obtaned in the
event OF sudden hostilites that the Appropriation Is
asked.
RIVER AND HARBoR IMPROVEMENTS
In regard to river and harbor improvements the
port states that the act OF Congress OF March 1875
provided Tor l56 works OF Improvement in sums
grcgate to more than $4,000, 900. The available
the lst OF July, 1875 including the balance Of pre-
vious appropriations, Tor the several works was
COL 57a, and during the fiscal ended June 80
1876, So 27l, 0o9 were expended.
The act approved March 8, 1875, for the further
security OF navigation on the Mississippi RIVER di-
that inquiry bc made into the expedcncy of
causing shear booms to be placed the
uppcr end OF all or any bridge piers on the
Mississippi River for better security and
OF the navigation Of said river for RATS OF logs
ana timber, with specific report on each case. A
board OF officers OF the Corps OF Engineers has been
constituted, and rs now engaged upon the considcra
on oil the subject. 1t is expected that the report
will be submitted during the next session OF Congress-.
HARBoR APPROPRIATIONS
On the subject of river and harbor appropriations Tor
the current fiscal year General Humpreys says
OF the amounts appropriated for pubic works on
rivers anu harbors by the act approved August IA,
1875, certain aotmcnts have been made in compliance
with instructions OF tho Secretary OF War, September
T. limiting The expenditures under the act to 81 600 900
and directing that work OF Improvement should be
begun The following ST iatement exhibits these aliot-
ments detail:-For Improvement Of Boston Harbor,
Mass SO 600; East River and Hell Gate, s223 900;
Hudson River s25, 600; Delaware River below Pctys
Island, $35ooo: schuykiil River $4,000; piers Mt
Lewcs Dell 81 500; Baltimore Harbor, $40 600 chester
RIVER Md, O0o Cape Fear River, sll0 600; Charles
ton Harbor So 0oo Saysnna nah Harbor S. 900 mouth OF
Mississippi River 500 GOO; surveys at South Pass Of
Mississippi River. $4,000: Galveston bar, f52, 500;
Mississippi Missouri and Arkansas rivers, snagging
operations, 500, 600; Mississippi River, between the
mouths OF the OHIO and Illinois rivers, s2l 600, Mis-
sssppi River channel opposite 81 Louis, $4,000; Dcs
Noines Rapids silj 900; Rock Island Rapids, 100000
Mlsgis River. <lUOUO. Falls
Anthony, $1,000; annual expense OF gaugng tho
water OF the Mississippi aud IT'S tribula-
rcs f5 600; removing the raft in Red River and CLOS
ing Jones' bayou Louisiana, s35 0oo Improvement Of
the OHIO River $I20 0o0 improvement 1.-THE Tennessee
RIVER $3.50 900; Great kanawna RIVER $4,000 illnos
RIVER $4,000: Oakland Harbor California. $S5 900;
Upper willamette River $4,000; Lower Willamette
ana Columbia rivers, $4,000; Fox and Wisconsin
rivers Sl20 900; Green Bay Wisconsin, $4,000; Mil
waukee Harbor 5000: Chicago Harbor, $1,000; iiar-
Dor OF Refuge, Lake Huron, $4,000; saei.
River sli,oooj Toledo Haroor, , ss22'Soo;