New-York tribune., 1884-11-29
DEFENCI.,s or NEW-YORK.
WILLETS POINT.

A coon SITE CAPABLE OF BEING STRONGLY fORii'
FlED-sCHooL OF TORPEDO PRACTICE.
Wilet's Point is position great naturai
strength and of utmost importance in the plan OF oe
fence for the approaches 10 through the Eas,
River The site high and bold surrounded on three
sides by water and on the fourth by low ana marshy
land, through which good road ieaas up W VIC
fort. It is directly opposite Fort schuyler anu
with the fort could command fire that would DE
destructive to any hostile coming down the Sound
All the works except the classmates at the wafer euge
are on the hill protected by their altitude rom any
rcochet shot The classmates are unfinished ana pacK
on the hill ia a stoneyard where several thousand
dollars worth OF granite is lying where IL
WAS left when work on the defences was
STONED The unfinished stone casemated structure
referred to utterly useless for defence In its present
finished state is chiefly used now as sorehouse and
bathing ghouse by the officers Of the fort 1--WE are lux
uous here" faceously remarked one OF the oncers
Gently EVERY officer is entitled TO suite OF ten pa'
rooms In the ca.emates In these classmates are stored
miles of torpedo cables The making OF torpedo cables
is work OF time. and the Government, so mprovue@ht @
In most things pertaining to coast deences mas taken ne
precaution have large quantity OF caoe manuact
ured g..
Being in an unfinished condition. the stone put IN Is
gradually deteroratng through 20 @ xauahe ad
unct the defence of the torpedo lines put 70 % do
pete would he work of time and 1t coud not DO oohe
hastily on the breaking out of "a war. oo, rS .
The works at Willets Point were begun IN lso3 me
IN
the close of the War; and for moderate sum couu DC
placed in a comparatively good condition greater
parf of the grading sodng has been done and three
Of the traverse magazines are serviceabe Ihefe ls
we'll constructed and serviceable mortar-oattery ana
other works Of strength and utility The site, while
strong has one fault IL is contracted The top OF the
hin is level and is used parade-ground Around II
are wooden quarters for officers and men and wooden
hospital Guns OF the antquated and useless smoo,n-
b0re type are mounted In the fortiscations Wilets
Point Is the home OF the engineer corps ana ,he
school for submarine miners There Is laboratory down
by the water and here young leucnants dlsport with
dynamite and toy with rendrock and nitroglycerine
There are now 225 at the post but as the limit OF
the corps has been raised TO 400. that, nu,nDer
of men will before long be quartered there.
The work of putting the 10 i9rmheaton' ~ ,a,t ,n
In defensible state Is one requiring time and II let un
til the breaking out of war, would pe mpossine'
The concrete required for platforms. for instance,
cannet be laid IN freezing weather and requires time TO
harden before II can be used The completion OF the
stone fort would take long time. In the present
state of the fort torpedo lines could not be properly
I'm speaking Of the defences at Willctts Point. the
Chief of Engineers his report for 1888. says: lha
the great commercial metropolis OF the country should
be left In condition 10 invite attack from any hiu rale
Power practically inclined can only be explained by
widesp popular misrepresentation OF the actual con
dion of these defensive works and OF the ease WIN
which amored aeet could lay the city nnd"r cohtro