Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-21
"A TIMELY WARNING"
New Work. City DefenseIess Against
Modern Warfare.

Ncw Work City DefenseIcss Againsr
Modern Warfare.
The "wars and rumors of wars" " which
have of late occupied much of the public
attention, combined with the somewhat
unusual incident of the presence of Eng
lish and Russian vessels of war In the
Atlantic waters, have, not unnaturally
turned the metropolitan mind to the con
sideration OF the situation of New York
especially in its relation to an always pos
sible warlike contingency. The situa
ton can be best understood by acquiring
familiarity with the forces which could
be brought against that city in case OF
war; and the nature and extent of these
are shown in the host of heavily armed
vessels belonging to different Powers.
Talking recently of a proper means ol
defending that port in case of war, d
prominent man, whose ideas and opinions
are worthy of consideration, said:
" A first rate torpedo system, an ettec-
tive fleet, and thorough line of fOrtiti-
cations, closely connected around the
Gravesend neighborhood, on the reefs in
! the lower bay and at Sandy Hook
| Sandy Hook is the most strategic point,
and the works there are vouchers for the
ability of the engineers who designed
them, but the principle is fifty years be-
hind the time.
Steel, revolving turrets, with heavy
ordnance, would be excellent, but not
these alone there must be Notifications
too. Whenever men are employed they
must be protected somehow. Fort La
fayette could be made very strong point
with steel plating and an emplacement
of ten guns of from six to eight mile
range. The Notifications should be con-
tinued out on the shoals and joined to
Fort Hamilton to bridge. 1t would not
injurc commerce in the least. With
earth there can be gun to every forty
Masonry should be at least twenty feet
thick to be at all servicable.
" All this would take time?"
eyes, years. We cannot roll 20-inch
steel plate here, nor make the guns. 1t
would take three or four years to perfect
the plant, to say nothing of constructing
the Notifications. Nor can we get heavy
ordnance abroad at moments notice
Big guns are not keptin stock ready made,
like trousers. While other nations have
been experimenting and improving ord
nance, we have done nothing but wait for
the maximum to be reached. Then if we
see fit, we seem to think, we can step in
and take advantage of them"
This" said Professor Michin, Pro-
fessor Of Natural and Experimental Phil
osophy at the West Point Military Acad-
emy and formerly an officer of the
Engineer Corps, sis such projectile as
modern men-oi-war throw. 1t will nerce
thirty inches of wrought iron at 600
yards, and has muzzle energy of $4,000
foot tons. The effect it would have in
dropping on a pavement in New York
would be the same as dropping the Cen
tral Park obelisk from point as high as
the top OF Trinity spire. 1t can be used
either as a shell or solid shot. Loaded
with dynamite so that it would explode
on contact or while penetrating, each
shell would blow the whole side of a block
to pieces. 1t would be an easy matter to
drop one minute into the city. Put it
mild, and say $50, 900 damage a minute,
So 100000 an hour, 100000 a day
was being done, how long do you think
the citizens would be in raising 5000 ,O00,-
600 tax, should it be demanded?"
Said prominent New Yorker recently: |
"New York should learn lesson from |
st. Petersburg. During the Crimean
war the English were very anxious to |
get there and destroy the city, but at |
Cronstadt the Russians had fortifcations |
which were sufficient at that time to keep |
at bay the combined English and French !
fleets. As soon as guns improved so that
stone forts became useless, the Russians
began TO build iron turrets at Cronstadt.
| very expensive job, for artificial islands
lad to be constructed as foundations.
As the power OF naval vessels increased
he turrets continued to keep pace with
he improvements, and to-day st. Peters
)urg is just as safe from the English feet
Is she was in 1859. What an example
or us
"We should also let the example of
Alexandria furnish us with wisdom. No
ooner were the troops withdrawn from
Alexandria than the rabble rushed in to
,lunder and to burn. If New York were
lnder fire the dangerous element in our
would be in Fifth avenue i'm
hort order, sacking the homes of the
ich. This city needs insurance against
uch calamity. 1t needs guns, if
leeds torpedoes and it needs armored
orts."
What would be the damage in dollars
nd cents which foreign man-of-war
ropping big shells into the city of New
lork, could cause? How much of the
l 200, ,OOO,00 OF taxable and 81 900 ,OOO,-
90, OF untaxable property in the CITY
mits could be shattered or burned in the
curse of few hours commandment
he mind shrinks before the appalling
cures. 1t is almost impossible to COM
rehend the concentrated values which
re stored in the CITY.
A single 1000 pound shell dropped
ON the British iron-clad InfexibIe up-
the new Produce Exchange would de-
roy S3,OOO,0Oo worth of property in an
lstant.
a single shell bursting upon the Mills =
ullding would send 81 5000. 600 ont of