Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-12-27
COAST DEFENSES
Likely to Receive Attention from
Congress Soon.
Uncle Sam Not in an Enviable
Position.

Gus Sea Coast Cities Would BE ut the
Mercy of Amy Invading Enemy-ExPeri-
ments in EngIand.
WASHINGTON, Dec a7 The subject
of coast and lake defenses is likely to be
brought into prominence soon after the
holidays The points of the situation
are very clear. We havo 1000 miles Of
coast. Every city, either great or small,
ON that extended line would be abso-
lutely helpless against modern naval
attacks. The same is true of every
town or city on the great lakes. The
eastern cities have been lulled into a
feeling of partial security by the gen
eral idea that our new system of torpe-
don defense is sufficiently advanced to
protect their harbors.
Experin ents in England.
But, in this connection, some points
taken from an admirable article of
Lieut.. A. d. Schenck, of the army, pub
iished in the last number of The Jour
nal of the Military Service Institutions,
will be found worthy of careful consid-
Grafton and remembrance. He presents
the results of some English experiments
with movable torpedoes, made under
the most favorable conditions
These experiments, against the old
Resistance, a worn-out and condemned
ship of the navy, by Whitehead tor
pedoes sixteen feet long, and charged
with ninety-three pounds of gun-cot-
ton, demonstrated the fact that the reg
ulation wire torpedo netting stopped the
torpedo in every instance, and, though
torn at the point of contact, was not
greatly injured by the explosion. AS
regards the ship, the experiment proved
that with the netting at distance of
twenty-five feet from the hull, the ex-
plosion of the torpedo was perfectly
harmless. AT a distance of twenty feet
some slight damage was done. At
distance of fifteen feet the explosion Sc
riously damaged and displaced some of
the armor plates, causing considerable.
leakage, but not enough to cripple the
ship, much less sink her. 1t was con-
sidered certain that vessel protected
by netting placed twenty-five feet from
the hull is absolutely safe from attack
by this class Of torpedoes.
But it was determined in these exper-
iments to ascertain the maximum eff
fects to be expected from such torpe-
longitudinally amidships. Just above
the bilge keel of the old and already
shaken hulk, and in that position it was
exploded. OF course it was expected
that the vessel would be blown into the
air But nothing of the kind occurred.
The old Resistance proved worthy of her
name. She was seen to sway little
and on examination it was found that
the bilge keel was broken to an extent
of twenty feet, and that several holes
had been made in the hull. But only
one of her compartments was filled
with water, nothing happened to pre-
vent the working of her guns and she
was in condition to be brought into the
harbor for repairs. 1t is true that this
vessel is much larger than any which
can be brought into the lakes, but it is
also true that she is one of the old type,
a worn-Cut and condemned hulk, and
not so strong nor so capable of resisting
suCn ATTACKS us srniriier vessels OF more
recent construction. This statement is
not only interesting but most impor
ant, if not conclusive, as to movable
torpedoess
What our stationary torpedOes, or
mines, may accomplish must remain
unknown until the occasion arises for
practical tests. Ii they should then fail
in any degree, since we have no other
dependence, the situation would be
serious,
While the subject of modern coast
defenses is one of great magnitude and
intricacy, its salient points enforce
themselves upon the mere statement of
them. Take the question of the neces-
sity of protecting these harbors as an
illustration.
Views of tho Fortifications Board.
The board of Notifications thus pre-
sented it in their report of 1886:
"The reports of the chief of engineers
of the army have annually laid before
the coLntry the condition of the Ma
tional defenses, and attention is espe-
cially invited to those of 1850, 1881,
1882 1883 and 1884.
without enlarging upon this sub
ject. it suffices 10 state that the coast
Notifications, which. in 1860, were not
surpassed by those Of any country for
efficiency, either for offense or defense,
and were entirely competent to resist
vessels Of war of that period, have, since
the introduction of rifled guns of heavy
power, and of armOr plating, in the
navies of the world, become unable to
cope with modern iron or steelclad
ships Of war, far less to prevent their
passage into the ports destined for at
tack.
1T is of no advantage to conceal the
fact that the ports along our sea coast
a length of about 4,0G0 miles, not in
cluding Alaska-invite naval attack,
nor that our richest ports, from their
greater depth of water and capacity to
admit the largest and most formidable
armore3 ships, are, of all, the most de-
fenseless.
The property at stake exposed 70
easy capture and destruction would
amount TO billions of dollars, and the
contributions which could be levied by
a hostile fleet upon cur seaports should
be reckoned at hundreds of millions.
It is impossible to understand the
supineness which has kept this nation
quiet-allowing its floating and shore
defenses to become obsolete and effete-
without making an effort to keep in
progress with the age, while other ma
tions, besides constructing powerful
nayies. have not considered themselves
secure without large expenditures for
fortifications, including armSred forts.
sour nearest neighbor, though reason
ing from the past she should have no
occasion to dread a naval attack from
us, has nevertheless constructed ar
mored forts at Halifax and Bermuda,
both as a refuge for her fleets and as
outposts for offensive operations.
in the meantime we have aeauired
great riches. and apparently dreamed
that prosperity should inspire friend
ship and not envy in less favored peo-
ples-forgetting that riches are temp
tation. and that the plunder OF one Of
our seapo.ts might abundantiy T1ln-