New-York tribune., 1891-05-04
ARMY AND NAVY NOTES..
NEXT YEARS WORK ON COAST DEFENCEs.

NEXT YEARS WORK ON COAol Dhf ENOi-0'
DIFFICULTY IN PROCURING sITEs-THE CON-
VERSION OF THE DoLrHIS-+sUMMER
COURSE AT wILLETs POINT
MANoEUvREs AT NEWPORT
rpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuSEl
Washington May 3.-while little or nothing mas Dech
sa,d in recent dispatches from Washington regarding
Tho neyt wears work on the coast defences the war
Department has been by no means inacuVe HI '"'
matter As soon as the appropriations for ior'liio%
tions became available last March, the SecrelaiS y.
War directed Colones Houston, King ana Oiiespic d.
New.York; Colonel Mansfield, at Boston Oolohci
Haines In this city, and Colonel Mandeii al san ran
CISCO 10 prepare plans and estimates lot sucn "
their respective localities could lie prohtapy ui
dcrtahen None Of these reports has been received al
the Department and when they all reach washington
the real labor Of outlining the years operations AT te
five points mentioned for defence In tnis years aP
propration bill will be taken up. The Appropriation
OF $4,000 for the repair and preservation OF ior'io
tions made last year. has been expended ana inc oS
unexpended amount included IN that Dill Is 'rO @
100000 for the requirement Of sites sum that Will
be ,ound Inadequate even with the like amount appro
nriated at the latest Congressional session. In
rsct the subject OF sites is giving the Department
more trouble than the allotment OF the S'oo'ooo
authorized by the recent Congress for gun ana mortar
batteries at New York, Boston, san Francisco hanp
ton Roads and Washington. Already the secretary
has authorized the requirement OF pioo ol ni's
acres at Plum Island New York Harbor piece Oh
similar dimensions at Winthrop Mass, ana %oV
acre tract near San Francisco The purchase OF tese
places even by condemnation will take ohehal ol o
81 900 900 which the Governments mas az us dSPos
for this purpose. The remainder IT Is lhtehueu si
he used for the requirement OF needed sites III Ne"
Work. Harbor. Possibly the emplacement OF Staten
Island ,a
some DELAY in the important detail Of securing
sites has been caused by Governor HIPS veto OF the
bill which Hamilton Fish, jr., succeeded IN ge''ins
through the State Legislature providing Tor the sno
fion by the state OF New-York OF the acquisition ny
the General Government Of lands In queens CouhS
on which To erect Notifications. These lands are
reopired for the works Of defence for the eastern
ortrsnce Each wear the Department finds u
mora dihicut TO secure suitable sites. III
1856 when the Endlcott board on coast &c
fences outlined the general scheme CT coast ueenc
To covec twenty-seven seapoEts, the Tiooo'o0V
would have purchased great deal more iaha thai, IT
will to-day when the could easily be spent Oh 'e
land In New-York Harbor alone. 1t was fouhu moie
desirable for instance TO substitute Plum Island for
Conev Island. in the New-York scheme Of coast de-
fence. and on the final requirement, the eightmoriar
hatterv intended originally for Coney Island VIII DC
situated on Plum Island. The Department VIII lhslst
upon the yearly appropriation OF Sooo'ooo Ior lh'
next five or six years for Sites Ihe WORK anen"'
done on the coast defences includes the pFepara'io
of emplacements on Government reseIVahono, %
such as Fort Warren, N Boston Harbor' ana
rorts scbnvlcr and Wilets Point in NewYork Harbor
Inst how much of the S75Oo0O available Will be
exnended in New-Ycrk cannot be positively stated put
the rouph estimate furnished by the NewYork enenee
officers places the necessary expenditure llerc at
S4s6OO The mortars designed for the armament vi
emplacements in New-York undec way at the mlu-
vale Works and will not be ready for mounting uhIli
1908. Meantime tie works will be occupied by the
old tvpe of guns These mortar batteries are 10 De
located at Sandy Hook Plum Island and Fort schuyier
The postion at Sandy Hook will also be occupied by
tvcevelnch gun mounted on lift. This weapon, when
is nearing completion al the Afmy gun factory' WIN
soon be tested. The tube and jacket forgngs LOT ts
n were procured from lie Creuzot France the manu-
factory of nickel steel and the remaining forsgs ro
tbo Midyale steel Works. 1t Is like the eghtlhch anu
teninch coast guns. Of forged STEEL "bui up con
struction The hopping extends to the muzzle' Tue
n ie constructed to give an elastic resistance of about
tventvthrce and one-hal tons to interior pressure
The RANGE at twenty degrees elevation is nearly eight
and one-half mfies, while the maximum range COT
responding TO angle of forty Two degrees eieVa
ton would be nearly twelve miles IT Is seven IONS
heavier than the Navy breech loading gun OF the same
cal,bre weighing ytwo tons. The Naval gun
lcows projectlle o $50 pounds, and the Army r1ne
| rn is 2ioO and the muzze energy 25,0s5, against
| l $40 and 90 600 respectively of the Army gun.
The work of preparing plans for the years work OF
the coast defences, although divided up IN NeWfoIf
between three officers, is extensive, and the report
| NOT exnected here within a month. The Department
desres IN present to Congress evidence OF the enort
make the best possible use Of G appropaoHs m s give,
for coast deences, and there Is neiy 70 De no oeaS u
formulating the final scheme as soon as the engllee
oAcers shall send In the results Of their observations
Tle DOLPHIN has been surveyed by the constructor
at Norfolk and the report the repairs for her con
version into wecker and SUBSTITUTE lor tie M III
patch has been received at the Navy Department ~.
appears. as predicted IN these dispatches ula, i,'
Alterations in the vessel will cost $4,000 eXclusv
OF the repairs to machinery and expense OF 0verhau
equipment, which is placed at SlOOo0 more ~ ~,
| Department will give up the Dispatch reluctantly
She Is commOdous vessel and well suited to the dute
| to which she has been put SINCE her purchase Iron
her New-York builder, Henry {. Smith. Some tim
ago she was reported as unfit for service. The con
dltion of her hull such that she was unsafe ana
was decided to condemn her the repairs would amou
to more than the go per cent limit OF original cost a.
lowed by law The Constellation also at Noriolk, ma
been repaired and will soon return TO AnnapOns |
take the Naval cadets on their annual cruise. -
The summer course at the engineer scho0i ~ WI
let's Point Harbor opens To- 70 cor coz
has prepared q programme Of study which the Gme
Of Engineers has approved The section on n minur MAJ
engineering will this year include instruction In Duli1
ing bridges mining and map-maRlng; each heu@haI
being required TO prepare maps Of fome nr M iOoD
ton and planning OF group of torpcdoes. on c0mpl
ton Of which there will be an exhibition drill ilustra
ing the operations OF the torpedo defence against u
attempted passage Of the mine field by an enemy
vessel under cover Of night Loaded mines will
planted and fired as in actual service In civil eng
neering each lieutenant will be required 10 plot II
strumental survey Of one square mile OF ground and
make hydrographical survey OF one-quartcr OF
mile. In the section on field astronomy. observation
will he made daily. The course includes instruction
military photography.
Now that Admiral Walker has Arrived at Norfolk,
will likely consult with the secretary OF the Ny
regarding the summer manOenvres. The present pla
| il fhe most cursory consideration Of the scheme ma
be called a PLAN IS TO have these movements at Ne0
port. Tho Secretary has great faith In the adva
aCes Of such gathering. outside Of the mere speca
ular effect. II would he an excellent practical scho
for officers and -rien. Just as the Squadron OF Evol
ton hiss proven and would. in addition, demonstra
the relative manoeuvring powers OF the vessels pa
ticipatng