National Republican., 1886-12-18


r In an able article in ScriJner's Capt
Greene, who is we'll and favorably known
in Washington, points out the vital import
ance to the country Of Immediately starting
the work Of protecting our seaboard cities.
Among other things the captain says;
No nation which has great army has the
mercantine marine for transporting 1t across
the ocean, Before England could raise an
army OF re pectable size, or before any ot
the continental powers could buy or Duild
the ships TO transport their armies, we
could raise force Of our own amply SUI
fcient to repel the invaders, and by means
of our railroads we could concentrate II at
any point on the coast while the foreign
army was leing landed In proof OF this
we have only to remember that In the Crl-
mean war the maritime resources OF Eng
land were taxed to the utmost In order to
maintain an army abroad which never had
an effective strength Of $4,000 men; and In
1879, when England prepared to make war
on Russia, II required four months to get
10000 men ready for embarkatlon, aud an
additional force Of 10000 men, which were
promised In two months more, exhausted
her entire strength available for foreign
service.
DESTRUCTION, NoT INVASION, FEARED.
All iuea, therefore, OF ony nation at
tempting the conquest OF this country may
he rejected as purely chimerlcal. To at
tack us with 100000 men would be but
Child's play, and to attempt to carry on
wa across three thousand miles oil ocean
with nation which has maintained over
one million OF men under arms would be
the act OF a mailman. But the very ele-
ments Of wealth and population which
have made an invasion impossible have
brought an increase OF danger IN another
direction. The have built upon the shores
Of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the
northern lakes a series Of great cities, con-
tanning an aggregate population OF more
than five million souls, and destructible
property which Is carried on the assessors
books with a valuation Of Si,0OO,OOO,O0O
(and has probably an actual value OF nearly
twice rs muCh) yielding annually pro-
duet In manufactured goods alone valued
at over 81 600, ,0O0,0CO.
PROGRESS IN WARFARE.
The advent Of Tie civil war brought into
Irasiical application two new principles.
First, the application Of iron armor to yes.
sells, aud, second, the use of torpedoes or
submarine explosive mines simultaneously
with these came great development in the
size and power Of guns. The germs OF all
the modern ideas OF guns, armored ships,
and torpedoes were found In the war OF
1S6l-'65. In guns we produced the 200.
FOUNDER rined PARROTS and the 14.inch (450
pounder) smoothbore Rodman. In ships
we had the turreted monitors and the
broadside armored new lronsldes. In tor
pedoes we had the spar torpedo from an
open boat, with which Gushing blew up the
Albemarle, and the iron powder kegs, ex-
plodcd by contact with electricity, with
which the confederates destroyed the mon
itor Tecumseh and other vessels.
CONSERVATIVE AMERICA.
But at the close OF the war our develop
ment Except in torpedoes) ceased, while
the development OF other nations went on
with rapid strides; Every year new vessels
were constructed wifi ever.increasing
thickness OF armor, and every year still
larger guns were produced. In this costly
Zeries Of experiments between guns on one
hand and armor on the other the United
States took no part. We calmly looked on,
waiting for the time when It should be
demonstrated whether the attacking or re-
sisting forces should prove superior. The
struggle virtually eliminated few years
ago In the l00.ton guns Of Krupp and
Armstrong. These are colossal stee4 ma
chimes, worked entirely by hydraulic en-
gines, 40 feet long, u feet i'll diameter at
the base, carrying projectiIe 4 feet long
and II inches in diameter, weighing 1900
pounds and propelled by the explosion OF
mile In three seconds, and its range more
than nine miles. At distance OF over
half mile II can penetrate thirty inches Of
iron, twenty.four Get Of concrete masonry
or seventy.fvc feet OF earth. The only
form Of defense which has successfully re-
sisted it is the Gruson cast iron dome.
OBSOLETE MASONRY FORTS.
At the beginning of this development Of
modern great guns, just after the close OF
the war, our engineers made some expert
ments with heavy iron shields placed In and
around the embrasures Of our granite forts,
with view OF seeing whether this adapta-
tion would not serve to continue the use
fulness OF our masonry works. But while
the iron shields resisted fairly well the guns
OF that period the masonry adjacent to
them was soon demolished, and II was evil
dent that our masonry forts were already
obsolete. The engineers, therefore, con-
fined their attention to the development OF
torpedo system, and, pending the solu-
tion Of the gun and armor problem, they
built, as temporary expedient, earthern
batteries and enlarged the ramparts OF some
of the existing forts, intending to arm
them with 12.inch riled guns and large
mortars. The guns, however, were not
built, and In 1875 the whole work stopped.
Our present stock Of heavy ordnance con
sists OF 1918 smoothbore Rodmans OF va
rious sizes, mostly 10,inch and 15.inch, and
2l0 s-inch rifles, converted from 10-inch
smoothbores by inserting steel lining.
None of these can properly be called heavy
guns, as compared with the modern sea
coast guns OF Europe.
COLUMBIAN BACKwARDNEss.
Thus we are to-day, in the matter OF
coast defense, just where we were during
the civil war; we are whole generation
behind the other nations OF the world, and
ttf.., NAA In rthf aItTap pna
has been made In methods OF coast attack
than IN the whole previous period Of the
worlds history. And this In spite OF the
fact that we alone of all the nations Of the
world have series of great cities on ouI
ocean coasts. 1t is doubtful II all the ma.
tions of Europe combined have as many
lives and as much property within reach OF
hostile ironclads as we have, since all their
chief cities are inland. Yet we have abso-
lutely no means Of defense. There has been
no such spectacle In the previous history OF
the world as this OF rich and pre.eminently
powerful people inviting attack upon life
and pToperty-or the payment of enormous
ransoms as the price OF their safety-by
leaving its coasts wholly undefended
against the implements OF war Of the
period. Nor can any valid reason be gver
why we alone Of all the world should ex-
pect immunity from such attacks.
THE ELEMENTS OF DEFENSE.
II Is generally conceded that complete
system OF defense must consist OF thre,
distirct elemenis-land forts, torpedOes
and ships or floating batteries. II any un
doubted superiority in naval force can bt
maintained at every port against anything
that can be brought against II, the forts anC
torpedoes could he dispersed with. Blu
this is manifestly impossible, The small
extent Of coast line In the British islands
a. harhnFg zach
other, enable England 10 rely much more
on her naval force than other nations: bu
for us, with 5000 miles Of coast on the At
lantic, l,200 miles on the Pacific, and 2O(
miles on the lakes, the idea OF having {
great squadron at every port Is out OF thu
question. Our main reliance must be OIL
forts and torpedoes., Forts, torpedoes