Morning journal and courier., 1890-04-11

NEW RAVEN AS A sEAB0ARD oITY
Its Liability TO suHer Immensely I'm
Case of \ Foreign War from the Big
Guns of nm Enemyss Sh1p-NeW
Haveners and Our Naval Interests
what General Miles, tho Indian
Fighter, says About our Coast De-
lenses.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
Several years ago the COURIER contained
series of articles ON the vital national Inn
portance of an increased naval force and ad-
ditional coast Notifications for the protection
Of our seaboard cities. One of your New
Haven contemporaries at that time thought
the subject of little moment, but has changed
its mind. The COURIER was among the first
newspapers In the country to agitate this
subject, our own city being exposed to tho
assaults of foreign foes vessels like many
others on the seaboard. The subject Is one
Of local as we'll az national interest, also
from the fact that two Of our leading citizens q.
8. Bushnell and Hon. N. D. Sperry were among
those through whose patriotic efforts the
monitor was built, which brought such glory
and renown to the Union cause, in Its sink
Mr.. Bushnell 10 now interested In the effort
to advance the interests of the Ericsson De-
stroyer company, Of which he IL one of the
projectors. His company aims to utilize the
Destroyer, reference to which is made in the
interview with General Miles, the celebrated
Indian fighter ION the necessity Of increased
naval and coast defenses)copied from the New
York Tribune, and which is given In part be-
low. The late Captain Ericsson OF Monitor
fame spent $115, 900 in making tests with q
new type of coast defense and offensive ves-
sells and built the Destroyer, which has been
for long time idly moored at the Brooklyn
navy yard.
81 am not an slarmist" said General Miles, "but
we ought to be at least in condition OF physical
Be No %ng to srbtrase But the Other might
Up
what side Of the hedge you are on-what the con-
General, you told the senate committee that in
the present condition Of coast on In o Il
commission, which you actually named, could reach
San Francisco In six weeks time" u,,,. =, ~.
English navy could reach New York in two
fortiications sal around New York;" .,..
"Yes.. They were very good for thirty years ago:
thirty years that there is as much difference be
tween the old and the new as there was between
weight aof mstS
Of DIRE, the destructive FIRE of the weapons that
vastly superior to what we have that there
Is no comparison. This country is about the
most unprepsred In the world for war. are IL
many years ago. But China now has q better navy
than ours, and an army seven times as large a; as
1Sss iasss RI sss sssd
or 10 sratify any purpose that it might have. TO
ssss sS II
shops and their farms and their counting houses
"Djdn't you testify in Washington that the gold
being piled up at various points on the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts is an actual temptation to the needy
The genera, Ydes J s's
do Ss
this city with two or three modern war ships at the
street bowling solid shot weighing q Thousand
pounds or ton each up Broadway or wan
The reporter. found nc, words to express his
"imanination Of the effect"
"Well," said General Miles, III the powers that
are liable to become our enemies are armed with
certain weapons, we must OF necessity be supplied
with similar weapons or pe entirely at the mercy
OF those who have them. believe that this coun-
try should never be without rst-rate navy as an
adjunct to q first rate system Of coast defense
Of e our great s@ Pacific ssaSosrd may said with
equal force Of the Atlantic coast. There are Ger
cripple us for years. 1t is oil nonsense
ssSs ss %1s s II IN
fret place, most wars have been begun without any
q ALL The Of
afterward. Anybody who knows anything about It
BE- state IL
| avoid serious damage. We would be taken at .
great disadvantage"
defsnceiyessels General Miles said while we
@ is be d1pa butt he TO
tlonized the navies of ithe world twice
while he lived. I was In correspondence ICE
death dealt He Told 70 me e' that he had spent five
years Of his life planning ram and finally gave !!
tie shock must necessarily BIS SO great that the
chances were that the steam pipes must be broken
Killed would prSbsoy 20 down With
and ram He therefore devoted his time to what that
oS es aime he %as backed up by moneyea men
New York in an offer to destroy In thirty minutes
orH OF e sass Mas
offered the government his system OF coast defense
sse whole ~ q
who is Interested in his valuable or important in
"Ail the plans and models of the Destroyer are
i still in existence, are they nots" asked the re-
Il understand So"
"Don't you think that II the matter were proper.
ly brought to the attention OF the government tne
experiment proposed By Mr. Ericsson and his back
/ II think the government has already been ap-
preached on the subject. The question Of the best
boating defense for harbor, may say, is, think
not fully demonstrated yet-whether II shall be g.;
| resist powerful shock above water
| Che heaviest cannon-shot or dynamite(
l or whether It will be q low, rapid, small
l ship carrying dynamite gun or submarine Dat
terry think that is question not yet determined.
But our greatest danger, in opinion is OF being
driven out Of deep water, whore IL would be impos
sble for Us to attack warships In our herb9rs 2.
begin the construction OF q neet 10 cope Win Ihe
has been stateo Son., aa 1ener na camId