National Republican., 1886-12-18

JCtJ, unul we are now DO5SeBso0 OF lne
most complete information, In convenient
printed form, concerning guns, armor,
ships, and everything relating TO the sub
tect OF coast defense, and II only remains to
act ON this information.
AT WORK ON HEAVY GUNS.
We are now fairly started, after nearly
five years OF Investigation and discussion,
in the business Of building modern guns for
the navy. For the army little has yet been
done. The S-inch and 10-inch steel guns
authorized In 1888 are not yet finished, and
the experimental guns ordered at the same
time are still In the experimental stage,
with results not altogether satisfactory.
When the fertilization bill, appropriating a
few hundred thousand dollars for the care
Of forts ana further experiments with guns,
reached the Senate last summer, Senator
Hawley offered an amendment appropria-
ting 100000 900 for the purchasing OF 10000
tons OF gun steel OF domestic manufacture.
The Senate adopted this, but the House re-
fused to accept IL, and the bill failed alto
gether. II remains 10 be seen whether the
manufacturers will be willing to bid on the
comparatively small amount of 1900 tons
authorized for the navy. Even should they
decline II is almost certain that larger
amount will be authorized at the present
session and then the work will begin. 1t
will probably be four years, however, be-
fore we can have any guns as large as 10
inch and l2-inch. The bids for the navy
give the manufacturers two years and
half in which to deliver their forgings, and
after that the guns are yet to be fabricated.
ToRPEDoEs AND FORTS.
In the matter Of forts, the engineer de-
paitment has year by year, represented in
its annual reports, In the strongest possible
language, that our forts are antiquated and
our harbors at the mercy Of an enemy's
feet. 1t hes tried to dispel the popular
fallacy that we can rely on torpedoes alone
hy showing that forts aud torpedoes are
mutually dependent. With forts alone an
armored fleet can run by them, and with
torpGdoes alone fleet can pick them up or
explode them haimltssly. For the imme-
diatc protection OF torpedo lines from de.
faDgemcnt some Of our present small guns
and masonry forts or earthworks would
still he very useful, provided there are forts
and great puLs that can Keep the hostile
irUDclOds at Il distance. But in our pres
ent condition the armoiGd ships with their
l2 inch and ~ inch rifles, can demolish our
forts completely, and then take up the tor
pedoes at their leisure. The lesson Of the
bombardment OF Alexandria-the only in
stance OF the attack Of forts by ships since
the DEVELOPMENT Of the present types OF
iIoDclads and guns-should not be lost
upon us. These Notifications were some
what inferior in construction, but in their
general design and character they were
quite similar to ours, and their armament
wus more powerful than any that we have.
The English brought eight ironclads against
them, and In one days bOmbardment rem
dered them useless and caused their evacua
tion.
THE DANGER TO NEW YORK.
II our relations with England should be
come strained on account Of the fisheries,
the interoceanic canal or any other ques-
ton, the same or a stronger feet would
naturally rendezvous at Halifax or Ber-
muda, just as a similar feet went to Con-
stantinople In 1879, and to Alexandria In
1882. Forty. eight hours would suffice to
bring them to New York, where few days
at the most would be necessary to destroy
our existing Notifications, few more TO
remove the torpedos that we meanwhile
might have placed, and then the city OF
New York would be at its mercy. Its de!
struction, or ransom running into the
hundreds Of millions, would be the inevlta-
claims, which would not be probable.
All these risks have been set forth year by
year in annual reports and messages, and In
countless other publications, until the tale
has become threadbare; yet, up to this time,
the only result has been the well-worn ex-
pedient of another board OF officers to con-
slider the report. This board was authorized
BY the act approved March 3, 1885. The
Secretary Of War was its chairman, and its
members comprised four officers Of the
army and two Of the navy, who were well
known as eminent authorities on this SUBJ
ject, and two civilians, equally well known
as metal manufacturers. The report was
submitted, with remarkable promptness,
In January, 1856.
The fortifcatiou board makes Its estimate
for twenty seven different ports, OF which
eleven are considered urgent. For these
eleven the whole expense, $l02, 100, ,450, is
ittmized as follows:
For forts rts.."".......". 81 ,010
For guIs and carriages ".............. 3D36 800
For floating batteries ............u.... lSSI5.OuO
For torpeeoes (submarlne mines).., 2iD,650
For torpedo Oboats...."......".,.... 6,Sl0,O00
THE PLAN PROPOSED.
The plan for Notifications proposed by
this board consists of forts OF three kinds,
viz, armOred turrets, armored easements,
and harbette batteries Of earth and con-
crete.
These forts will carry guns Of size pro-
portionate 10 the importance Of the harbor
they defend They range in size from 16-
inch us tons) to inch (l3 tons), and the
total number is 5Sl. Iu addition to these
are 724 mortaTs Of 12-inch and 10inch.
Both guns and mortars are to he rifled, aud
the board emphatically recommends that
they be built OF steel In addition to the
forts the board recommends auxiliary de-
fenses In the shape of submarine Mines
torpedo boats, and floating batteries, ac-
cording to the necessities of each particular
harbor.
STEEL CLAD TURRETs.
To illustrate their plan Of defense, II ID
well to again take the case OF New Yorl,
harbor. OF thips that can cross the bar a,
New York. and that carry guns capable oi
piercing more than 12 inches Of armor
England has "A, carrying 352 guns; France
35, with 100 guns; Italy 0, with 2S guns
Russia "a, with SO guns, and Germany 22
with Go guns; yet OF all these there are but
0vcssels, with % guns, that can pierce more
than 20 inches of armor. To protect the
harbor II is proposed to fortify three lines
Of defense-two for the southern entrance
tone being from Sandy Hook to Coney
Island, and the other at the NaIrows), and
one for the eastern entrance from Throgg't
Neck to Willett's Point). Each line would
be protected by several groups of torpedoe'
and by fleet Of torpedo boats.
THE NEW FORT LAFAYETTE.
At the Narrows Fort Lafayette would bt
demolished to give place for two turrets
with walls Of steel three feet thick; oppo
site them, near tOrJ NdubWOTJn, WOulu Dt
two similar turrets and two more at Sandy
Hook. Each OF these turrets would carry
two 115.ton (l6 inch) guns. In or neal
Fort Hamilton on one side aud Fort Tomp.
kins on the other would be built 10 armored
classmates, each holding single gun, and
10 earth and concrete batteries, also eacl
for single gun, mounted on carriage To
lower or disappear behind the parapet aftel
each shot. AT Sandy Hook would be Il
similar classmates and batteries. Thest
guns would be 12 inch 80 tons) aud lC
inch (27 tons). On Coney Island and
thence back along the shore to Fort Hamil
| ton, and on the Staten Island side, on the
| hills above Fort WadswOrth, would be 0
series of IL inch rihed mortars, SO In all
For the eastern entrance the same plan o
torpedoes and torpedo boats, steel turrets
armored classmates und barbette batteries
and mortars would be followed. For tn,
| entire defense there are 0 turTets, with Il