Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-04-02
OUR COAST DeFENSEs.
Commodore II m,ey HIS something to
say on the Subject.

Commodore r, mey IL something to
say on The subject
WASHINGTON, April Army and
navy officers talked good deal W ednes-
day morning about the action of the
Italian government. They did not ap-
prehend war; but nevelthe es3 the
chance of an uniavorable turn in the
negotiations which might lead to the UNI
invited apI earance of the Italian feet in
our harbors was not lost sight O., Com
modore Ramsey in charge of the naNi-
cation bureau of the navy, is the O.hCet
by whose order our ships move from
Iort to TOlt and are manned. his
bureau would, i'll case of war, be the
one to outline and dire, plans of cam
palgn On the waters. lac was asked
Wednesday morning what was the con-
dltion OF our naval defenses. Said he:
How many battle ships do You sup
pose we have: Just one the double
turreted monitor n Aiantonomlh now a t
the New orE navy yard, and she i not
completed. But one Of her turrets is
equipped with guns. Howerer, by press
ing torward, we might finish her in Il
month. The old monitors which fought
during the late war would lie Of little
value against the powerful battle shi $
of European nlvies, The guns carried
by these latter vessels could send pro
Jecti.e through one side and out Of the
othet side of any turret on the monitor
fleet which now lies be,ow Richmond.
on the James river, We are luilding
two battle ships, but many months will
be re ulred III which to complete them
and many more 10 arm and plate them
with armO . The armor has not let
been rolled.
1T is idle to talk of building a navy
in a few months. The views set out by
Senator Ingalls, in his naval article are
certainly not Ieieyed b, himself. It is
ridiculous to naval experts to hear
boasts Of repeating what we did during
the war. Then we were pitted against
people without a navy, and almost w tn
out the p, ssibilities of one. We swel.ed
our naval list rapidly to over 800 ves-
sells. Lut what did they amount to;
Anything that would serve as a gun
platform or carry a gun was bou hit or
built. Cur new cruisers aEout dozen
i'll number would be of service and
would be fought for al that t ey are
worth, But they Wee never intended
to stand before armolcd battle ships or
against anything else than such unar-
mored vessels as their own class, They
Wuuid, however, he useful to de troy
the lines o water communication by
which foreign naval force on our coast
must receive their coal and supp i S.
IN conclu ion Commodore Ramsay
said he did not feel that New York was
in imminent DANCE even in the event of
war The heavy draft Ital an war slips
could not successfully lombard the city
without entering the harbor, and they
Were not likely to enter the harbor ! G.
ause aide from the perils of naNiga-
ton, certain preparations could and
would speedily be ade to render the
water untenable for then. Submarine
mines could he arranged although il dill
not follow Tat a hostile vessel would be
obiging enough to pas over them. Tor
peloes could be planted. but the history
of naval operations in the James ri, er
showed that they did not render a liver
imIassable TO teet. But these devices
We're all Of use and supplemented by
other defen i've measure that could lie
adop ed, but which could not row be
ascribsd they would pl obably make any
city tolerably safe from a naval attack