Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-10
Tuesday Morning, Feb. 10. 1880.
A CRYING NEED.

and Boston to induce Congress to pay proper
 attention to the matter of our sea coast de-
 lenses is cheering signstha some of those
 directly interested are at last waking up to the
 danger of leaving our harbors in their present
 unprotected state. Few know or care how
 badly of we are in this respect, but one
 month of war would teach all the wisdom of
 preparing for it. While the various govern
 ments of Europe have been alternately con-
 structing ship armor to resist the attack of the heaviest ordnance, and perfecting ordnance that will pierce the thickest armor, the United States has been practically doing nothing. Our Notifications and our masgrs navy are supplied with old-fashisned cannon, the use of which is obsolete in other countries, and the range so limited as to De practically worth less against the long range cannon and heavy armor of English, French, German and Italian vessels like the Infexible, with her sixteen inch guns, and the Preussen, with her twelve inch Krupp guns. We have on our entire coast of 12, 600 miles only 325 ffteen-inch smooth-b bore guns, and this is the enly gun of any power, except the eight-inch rife, which; we have. These guns could be used at short EhuS0 WASA bOuc cAoCb, Oat bA0lE CaEElHkSS will not stand the strain of 100 pounds of powder, the charge that ought to be used, and 1t is stated that there are not on hand twenty rounds of ammunition per gun, and no appli- ances to make the peculiar powder best fitted for these guns. TwelTe-inch rifles are con sidered the, best guns for defense. and If an order were given now by the Government to make all the twelve-inch guns that could be made in this country in year, but few could be delivered.
 As a consequence of this state of things, in case the United States should get into trouble with maritime nation we should be at an im- mense disadvantage. As was pointed out in the last report of the Chief of Engineers, the cruisers and war vessels of the enemy could run into our harbors and, without landing, could either destroy the property along our shores or else lay the people under contribu- tion. The accurate detailed charts of our harbors and channels published by the United States Coast Survey are accessible to all such nations, and are doubtless in their possession If the enemy possessed depots and arsenaIs in close proximity to our shores, the arrival of armed vessels would follow in few hours after the declaration of war. Thirty six hours. steaming would bring vessels from Halifax; six hours, vessels from Havana, and ninety-six hours, vessels from Victoria, yan- oouver's Island to important harbors of the United States. There might be very little time for preparation to meet the assaults of iron plated ships, for they plated with from six to fifteen inches ofiron and carry riaed guns from nine inches to fourteen inches bore, all of which guns are more powerful than any gun we have in our service. With 6 fleet or even a single vessel of this kind in one of our har- bors, it would be of no avail to collect troops in the city or town threatened. Suppose, it is asked, with our railroad facilities, we could concentrate 100, ,OOO men in twenty four hours at the point threatened, of what use would they be against the armored ship Suppose that in night the men concentrated could throw up earth-works and mount 32- 2-pounders, 100-pounder rifles (even if 1t were possible to handle guns Of this small size with the rapidity assumsd), what injury could all this do the armored ship in question The projeotiles from such batteries would fall harmlessly from the side of the enemy. While lying, if need be, beyond the range even of our guns, with his more powerful armaments he would pierce such parapets through and through, dismount the guns and explode the And our great seaboard cities If they should fall into the hands of enemies, would suffer ten times the cost of all the forts necessary to defend them.
 The somewhat common opinion that har- L, 1aF, ;. pronounced delusion by those who are best acquainted with the facts. They freely ad- init that the engineers of England, France and Spain arc 80 skilIful that under their direc- ton torpedoes can be picked up as fast as laid. Besides, every fleet of the nations named is supplied with perfect charts of all the important American harbors, and their engineers could thus judge with fair accuracy where American engineers would be most apt to lay torpedoes for effective work, and could govern their operations accordingly. So the only way in which torpedoes can be kept in position until their operators are ready to have them serve the best purposes, is to provide for their protection such land Notifications as will make approach to them for dragging or lift ing purposes 6 most hazardous undertaking General Abbott said of torpedoes in a recent lecture 'The new weapon is officially regard ed only an auxiliary, essential 10 the suc, cessful working of the water batteries. The mines gre always placed under the close flank ing fire of land guns, without which they could not be defended against hostile fleet. Their function is to close the channel against rapid passage of the enemy. Defensive tor pedoes are to be looked upon as sea mines ss an offset to the screw propeller and defensive armor of ships of war. h ths defence of the coast, the most conspicuous part will naturally devolve upon the artillery"
 To place our seaboard cities and our ships of war in proper condition will require inces- sant work for several years, but it should be immediately and vigorously undertaken. The cost would be great, but the money would be well spent. To let things go as they are would be penny wise and pound foolish. Many na- tions have found to their sorrow that nothing is so costly as a lack of preparation for war.
 EDITORIAL NOTES.