Morning journal and courier., 1883-04-10

6IpGuU6U IaFB5 use Of iron for their coast defenses, both n the form of turrets and of straight scraps, and to a limited degree in the construction Of earthworks of great strength.
 It may be that we are wiser than they in leaving the question of coast defense in abeys ance but the concurrent judgment and &C., tions of nearly all other civilized countries respecting their own dangers does not war rant this opinion.
 In this connection attention is invited to preliminary report, which is appended here to, by Lieutenant Bixby, Corps of Engineers, who, by your direction, has visited most of the maritime countries of Europe for the purpose of procuring certain information respecting their use of iron in sea-coast de- lenses.
 The estimates submitted, based on the several estimates of the officers in charge,
 exhibit the amounts which are deemed necss-
 sary for the commencement, the, continu-
 ance, and the completion of the several
 works of defense during the next fiscal year.
 Attention is invited to the estimate of
 $1OO, 900 for continuing the purchase of tor
 pedoes, to be stored in our Notifications, and
 planted, on the advent of war, in the chan neIs and fairways of our harbors and for providing such portions of the electric ap- paratus by which the torpedo lines are to bs fired as cannot readily be obtained in the event of sudden hostilities. The material IS not liable to deteriorate, and in the judg
 ment of the Board of Engineers for Fortif-
 cations not less than $1OO, ,0O0 should be ex- pended annually for several years to come | in providing these most necessary supIles. Attention is also invited to the item of 1 $20O, 900 for preparing our most important Notifications for operating torpedo lines, by providing bomb-proof chambers for the elec- l trical apparatus and the bomb-proof sub | terranean galleries through which the cleo | tric wires are te carried to deep water; all ! fhaeo hai11cr onaa0kiQI t0 fho 0T0PatInn of inc 1 torpedo system of defense in connection | with the Notifications themselves. The l Board of Engineers for Notifications, whose ! suggestive and valuable report will be found l on page All, urges it's views on this im- portant matter as follows:
 1 The debate in Congress upon the bill mak- l ing provision for the current year renders 1t | evident that the vast importance of preparing our forts for successfully operating and de- ! lending was not understood. Without such preparation it would be of little use to have l them in readiness. They are controlled by \ electricity. To convey the electrical current ! insulated wires must extend from secure l bomb-proof to each torpedo. If these wires are not buried so deeply in the earth as to be ont of the reach of hostile artillery fire, a I single lucky shot may destroy the power of exploding all the mines, and hence may open l the channel to the enemy. Very few of our | forts are provided with these bomb-proot l operating-rooms and cable shafts and gailer-
 ies and special appropriation is required for | constructing them. After the breaking out | of the war the needful time would be lacking i and this matter cannot be urged in too strong l language. The cost will be small-probebly l some $2OO, GOO would cover the more import | ant stations on the Atlantic coast, ,-and it is ! recommended that special item for this pur pose be inserted in the bill for the coming year. These preparations are as necessary to | our torpedoes as triggers are to our rifed
 muskets; in fact they may perform like | function.
 beg leave to quote from the same report l the views of the Board of Engineers for For | tifications respecting the necessity for in- creasing the number of enlisted men in the Battalion of Engineers:
 Before any reasopable expectation Of successfully
 another matter should receive attention. Torpedoes
 will not plant and operate themselves This must be
 tricity and instructed certain difficult and delicate
 mechanical operations In every nation this duty has made the same provision for our service. The
 battalion organized provided by law is sufficient for force of the army to 25O99 men, and the pressing
 need of troops to perform police duty among the In
 dans on the plains, has so reduced the zed strength of the battalion that only about | 100 men under instructions for defending our
 whole sea coast and lake frontier This dtheulty IS
 best met by the plan suggested by the general of the
 army in 1879 to place the engineer troops upon the
 men. The latter not included in the 25 000 mon
 to which the strength of the army is restricted by
 law provision to this effect would allow the Presi | dent to recruit the battalion to maximum
 strength of 752 men, which would be sufficient for present needs. These men are excellent soldiers,
 thoroughly instructed and disciplined, and inferior
 to others in the service In the competition last marksmanship. open to the entire army one of the l engineer companies took the second place. Theee try in any sudden emergency, while their special
 training tI and hnOwlsdgs s.,. 2. the the torpedo
 estimable value should our coasts be attacked by
 maEa td poTss In,s d %Taid De @ @
 insignificant in proportion to the interest in volved.
 The foregoing opinions of the Board of l Engineers for Notifications on the important 1 questions just referred to have my hearty | concurrence. I should add that for some years l past tho sum of $175, ,0O0 has been annually l appropriated for the protection, preservation | and repair of our Notifications which, more than any other national structures, with the l exception, perhaps, of lighthouses, are sub 1 iected to the destructive and deteriorating l effects of the sea. The same amount will be found in the estimates for the next fiscal year.
 1Ir PAr4ridge's Lecture Last Evening. Mir. Partridge's audience at English Hall | last night enjoyed tour around the world
 with one of the best of guides in the person of the lecturer himself The route was
 across tho continent from New York, with
 gl1mpses of Chicago, St. Louis, and San
 Francisco over the Pacific from the young est civilization to the oldest; scenes in Eastern
 Asia, Egypt and the Holy Land; flying visits to the great cathedrals of Europe; England
 and ScotIand Ireland and the Blarney Stone, of which s'when you see it the blarney- of it | is that it isn't there," and so homeward.
 This concluded the course given at English
 Hall by Mr. Partridge. The lectures have
 been much enjoyed, and the speaker has
 shown himself to be an entertaining and successful lecturer.