New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-24
A DEFENCELESS CITY.
THE FoRTIFICAIIONs IN NETWORK BAY.

might naturally begin TO wonder what could be done to
keep the enemy from capturing tIis city, III wouu NV
encourage them much TO learn that Ii they set 10 W.T."
immediately and sparad nsither men nor millions inc
deieuces in the harbor could be put in far snaps III S
years. Possibly by using the electric light ana keelhs
ND tao labor BY relief gangs ngat aud cay lho taSh
might be finished in about four years E'iueh'" '"
would not do much eooi Wit!hn two weeks ai'er war
was declared prot ably, foreign ironclad "o'o "Po"
of Sandy Hook II any OF the American war-VeSse
which y that time doubtless woald have been collected
here shoud 20 out to give the enemy battle coupoo Oh
saots from tweuty-inch gun would speedily maNo
wreck ofit It's not Ink ely. however. that the ohtu
States noot would venture outside OF Sandy HOoh' IL
would take up a position near tho NarrowS WIN"
Is tho truo line OF defence for this CITY.
The hostile iron cial. MEANWHILE II she were oh' '" 'uo
best like the Dullo OF the italian navy. for instance
would lie about mile east OF Sandy HooE' ana J"S1 W
give the Yankees taste OF what was to DO expected
mig ut send shot from tweny-ineh smooth Dore qua
toward Fort Wadsworth, eleven miles away ffoo"oly
nj that distance tho shot woad do t!lo BARN III wouu
not he possible to with any accuracy on shpooard
so far o bat by chance the shot shond strike the
stonework of old Richmond which constitutes the
lower part OF Fort Wsdswoth 1t would certainly DreaK
it all up There would be reply to these attentions
from the .os pon in the harbor Thefes no gun
here that coid begin to reach an euemy eleven miles
away. Presently the iroaclad would steam SLOWLY
into the Bay, having no fear OF the Tort WHICH
was begun loug ago the point OF Sandy Hook ana
never finished. II the officers chose 10 go ashore 10 OK
amino the spot they would find the outlines OF fort
larger than any other fertilization on til Atlantic coast
But its prapc;s are entirely unfinished ana are or stone
only ten or fifteen feet hgl At present the groLnd is
used only Tor testing ordnance the suns lying ABOUT
there testify.
Approaching the NarrOws the enemy for moment
might % Impressed by strong position or Fort Wads-
worth rhe shin channel there ia only treequarer OF
mile wide ana with the high hills rising on tho west
the whole situation naturally oilers eNce"eh'
opportunities for defence. The big fort, now
ever, Is anti luated and of little account IN It's
present condition Tho masonry In the water limo W rs
old Fort Richmond WthOn. an arhor Oh iron over tle
stonsw0rk it would be only slaughter Ien tn night
vith a shin ar med with modern Above is th6 main
fort with impressive cutIiucs IN eartAworIs But the
arapes which are neatly sGaiea arc a.. 100 cT W.
resS ro from apower guns t'y shoua DC az tTn9'
| ait;y,onSb h,rh np wonld be easily damaged by nor
tar boats cost OF cOverlae stone WIN IRON pae
thick enough Withstand the heaviest guns Is IrS
bene S25 900 per gnn that Is II the 3r mounted
hundred the cost OF plating II VOID te @-,3oo,
001. Rating OF this Kind is preierrsd ny IoelSn p1V9
to e1rthwOrSs. Other means OF uefcnec AT fprt "as
worth are the outlying forlihcatons-the batteries mo
North Cif Battery lying north OF tle man i3ft Is sn
earthw0rk for twelve guns; Thence gOhg 10 le so!n
one comes Fort Richmond on the wd,er .ne' a!tcaIy
described Farther do"ns Tue so.tn Slin D".lofy ior
twelve thence veerins around toward the We, arc
mond would hOd hundred guns Dltlt Wouiu % o. ~
tut them there now Ia the Nott ana the 2Phn
the entire fertilization thoie ale eonipsraIlvelv Few
dsNorth there are only thirty eight ia the 9Th
Artillery under Lieutenant Colonel COSsen This Ia not
enough OF force TO keep the place 10 order 70 Say
years ago thieves stole tho brass WORK rom
lot of gun cartridges and tue $40 locks rom t,e
Zines Sue the officers have been Obliged 70 Keep
OF the moInnss IN Their qarI'fs as WEI! S a
stolen propc ~ hos never been replaced. IL, J., -,
Across from Fort Richmond tho wafer line Is Fort
Iafvete IL Is composed OF brckwoik. stone and Dad
iron Ia present atlon II Is absolutely COCA icf
the woodwork inside all burned out some time oeo
But both For, Richnonh and Fort Lafayette might nc
/ ful nm ~
| Tie masonry should be protected Oy an IRON plhle
thirty inches thick and then the electric appaT"tns by
| which tue torpedoes could DO exploded would DO ia
sort Fort Hamilton which the east size OF the
Narrows Just above Fort Lafayette is also an ANTICIPATED
structure ts rarae;s are o1 weh n nVe ice, rre
she'll now, but 1t could be plated with IRON ana made
AT s rp n mi. eoSn H There are in
| addition thirty fifteen inch suns. smooth, orts' Two
eight Inch rife guns and one eleven nch RHO gun All
these pieces are mounted in ae water battery earth
works lying along the shore south OF tho main fort
upon It. but 1t cCu1 he made strong Point There Is no
cannon IN the fort proper except ln9 mo i ana
Fort WaIsworth. except that at Fort Wadsworih the
solitary In tho main Tort cannot DO nre IS learoa
Sn prosent state OF things IN the fortihcaons tho
| Narrows would probably not continue long after a
1ecIaratlcn nj war: bat great deal could be done TO
strengthen them in two weeks except to send more men
there and the Iaen could really do nothing when
they were there. In approaching the harrC%s; how
ever an cnemy's Ironca1 wond move cautiously bein;
on the lookout t,rp edOes for durinf these two week
| "a
port would have busly at work placing explosives
In the channel FOR some distance below tue forts IL IL
s9bS noy an and is SUPP ocd that General Abbott
now knows how these explosives shOuld DC Desl pceI
are the torpedoes and the wire aud by the tine hostile
ronclad seaming from sandy Hook General AhD9tt
wnuld he standing somewhere with his nand on the
electrical apparatus ready to touch oil any number OF
T9 Where tbs SpParaa could he placed
In perfect security 10 the weakness OF the iorl
cations the enemy by few well directed shots might
knock General Abbott and all his electricity into no
where before he had chance to explode single torpedo
effectively But granting that General Abbott could bo
kept alive with all his appurtenanees nnlnjuod the
0n tho9 n Ss SE pS @
vessels which would preeo1c her II the American men
RveS bsy mgnS show fight for which pluck they
presently find themselves blown Into atoms by hot shOG
balls would make only scratch The opposing mon-oi,
having been thus disposed OF, tns enemy Gonia
easily afford 10 send ahead vessel or two 10 DO blown
up TINS exhaust the torpedo system In some SUCH
mapner a way would be ceaed To- let the dreaded iron
clad ne IS tic Narrows She would bc fired at nv the few
eleven Inch at both Fort Wadsworth ana fOrt
much more than make amt the monsters sides. IL
ia doubttU indeed the ironcad Tonld be MT at all
No money is allO we'd by the Government 10 pay Ior
floating targets and the consequence Is that the officers
and the forts who have charge Of iae
! therefore to aim or fire with accuracy. ,.,, anal, 90
ia thus supposed to 10 coming up would take the
trouble to reply to the IeppoTy IRE OF the 9rts u %omd
the commander woud not consider any OF the forts
worth firing unless 1t were thought hest to disable
and Fort Lafayette would De knocked down 1t would
fAke lust about one shot apiece to finish them and the
cost would not no over $500 That would effectively
put an end tho project Of using them as tcrin far
torpedo system. 49, -, $1,000 - a. .
When onos milo past Fort Wadsworth nobody on the
roncad would need to take the trouble to keep out or
: SIGHT The officers might sit deck and smoke In
safety for not gun the harbo that could reach their
vessel could aimed at her owing to their detective
CARRIAGES At this pOint smallbOa with white Nag
would probably put to tue city to inform the terrified
MAYOR and board OF Aldermen that for two or three
hundred millions Din god silver con the city would
not be bombarded II tho authoros should hesitate q
shot from twenty inch gun would knock tho CITY ian
q | into gravel and bring them TO terms.
There are Notifications Governors lsand Dnt IL on
enemy could the Narrows these would be0f ntte
avail On the island however, Fort Columbus an
an omen battery to tho south. Neither would DO good
|. | Tor mnnh IL Anything q of defence on the