Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-12

plants unless there are land batteries near
enough and strong enough to protect and
defend them. As the case stands we have
no such batteries-not even the guns to
mount in them, supposing they were built
and ready for armament. That is to say we
have no guns able to drive off the iron-clads
which would support the torpedo searching
parties, although the six and eight-inch
rifles now on hand might retard operations
of that kind for while, and prove very
effective even on the iron-clads at closer
quarters.
Preventing an Entrance.
What Is wanted is. some way of barring
the entrance of New York harbor until land
batteries and other defenses can be rendered
effective, and this, think, can be done by
means Of pipe lines conveying petroleum in
such way that it can be ignited on the sur
face of the water,
Avery little OF this oil spreads with rap
idity on water and burns with an intense
heat, productive OF great volumes of sitting
smoke and poisonous, sufocating vapors
An iron-clad might Withstand the heat of
such fire for a considerable time, but its
crew could exist in such an atmosphere only
as long as they could hold their breaths,
which is not to exceed one minutes time.
The Greek fire" of olden time is not a
circumstance to what petroleum is capable
of doing. With our seaboard pipe lines we
have already the means of sending to New
York perhaps 10000 barrels of oil daily,
and can keep the supply up for an indefinite
period.
Tho Danger From Fire.
When the oil scheme of harbor defense
for New York was suggested several years
ago the only serious objection urged against
it was the danger OF infowing tides carry
ing flames to the shipping at the wharyes OF
New York and Brooklyn. Now at the
"Narrows," the entrance to the inner
harbor, the width is only one mile, and II
across this was laid heavy buoyed cable
there could be attached to it strong sheet
iron leaves depending In the water to the
depth of foot or two, which would effectu-
ally stop the oil which might float inward
to that point and 1t is likely that very little
would remain unconsumed after reaching
that point-the Narrows being fully 10
miles from where the fire should originate
The complete protection of New York
and the Brooklyn Navy Yard particularly,
requires that the defenses should be so re-
mote that even random shells could not
reach them, butso powerful are modern guns
that this distance is not less than II miles,
To be effective, therefore, two or more lines
of pipes should extend from near to Sandy
Hook to near to Rockaway Beach. On an
air line these two points are just ten miles
apart, the deepest water between them being
45 feet. Vessels stopped outside of this line
at the nearest point to Coney Island would
be four miles distant, to the southern
suburbs of Brooklyn about ten miles, to
Castle Garden and the Brooklyn Navy Yard,
IS to IA miles distance.
The Source Of Supply.
The supply of oil should be maintained
from tanks and pumps out OF cannon range
on Staten Island, with the supplying lines
laid on direct lines within the harbor, and
therefore not to be tampered with by the
enemy from the shore ends OF the main cross
lines near Sandy Hook and Rockaway
Beach, which they would cover of course
with their guns.
The oil should not escape from the main
lines crossing the entrance of the outer har-
Dor, but from jets on T branches 800 or more
feet long, extending seaward from the main
cross lines. This arrangement would pre-
vent the main lines from being grappled by
anchors thrown hastily overheard from
venturesome boat party. They would find
nothing but ends of pipes pointed toward
them, and, unless they could enter consid-
cradle distance within a burning area, they
could take no hold of pipe. It is simply
impossible to think of any such work being
done for the oil would spread at first con-
distance against the tide, so that
the position of the flames would be at the
best very misleading criterion of the real
position of the pipes. Meantime, with every
outgoing tide, their vessels could be driven
far out, and repairs might be made or new
pipe lines laid across the channel back of
the burning ones.
No Trick to Lay the Pipes.
About Pittsburg there must be more than
100 miles of 6, 8, 10 and 12-inch pipe |
lines for natural gas laid in our rivers.
When first put down it was customary to 60 |
to great expense for dredging bed for them,
the notion being prevalent that river foods,
drift, ice, etc., would disturb them easily. |
As this was not found to be the case, they |
are now laid in every direction, sometimes |
right down the center of the river for miles |
over shadows and through deeppools with
put the slightest regard to the conformation |
of the river bed.
Moreover, simple screw joint with |
strong sleeve is all that is necessary 90 |
.on steady pull will not rupture an eight
nch pipe JOINT of this kind-and there is
Iuch degree of fexibility about them, par
icularIy in the smaller sizes, that they |
,an be laid from scows almost as fast as a |
rang of men can screw on joints.
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