Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-19
OUR CITIES DEFENSELEsS

In Case Italy Saw Fit to Declare War
With the United States.
WAsHNGToN March 19.-The threat
of the Italian consul at New Orleans
that an Italian feet would be sent to
the shores Of the United States should
nothing be done toward Furnishing the
lynchers Of his countrmen, is regarde
here as a bit of excited bombast, which,
under the circumstances, is not likely
to be carried into execution, but those
who are posted on the naval strength of
the various powers know it would be no
joke should Italy ever have occasion to
make war on this country.
lta Y IS the fifth naval power in the
world in point of the number of vessels
and fourth in armed force he has
ships that are superior in armament
and weight to those Of any other power
except England and two of these mon
sters carry one handred-ton guns.
Italy has twenty-five heavily armored
vessels, their displacement ranging from
4 300 tons to II 900 tons; fifty unarmored
vessels of from 80 tons to $1,000 tons.
four gunboats Of from 250 tons to $50
tons, six smaller gunboats, 100 first class
torpedo boats and an ample force of
u tltG IlOl U t+lANl Nl1 itttOL bOdJos Ii dtl"
ditiOn to this great array there are at
than 5000 tons on the auxiliary list. and
of these three have been fitted for tor
pedO launching.
Regarding the delenseless condition Of
the United States sea coast much has
been said and written, with the result of
partially waking congress to the situa-
+iC,, h11t a fEl fNpnCnnt r
nary power could put our principal
coast cities under tribute or reduce them
to ashes at will.
Extract from Secretary Tracy's Report.
On this point few quotations from
the last report of the secretary of the
navy are pertinent.
Secretary Tracy said: There is no
other instance in the world, at the pres
ent time, of so much wealth in SO ex-
posed a situation To protect it requires
a combination Of guns a6oat and guns on
land. Especially at the angle made by
the shores of New ENGLAND and New
Jersey, the juno tion of internal and ex-
telnal lines Of communication, where so
much of the worlds commerce centers
should every rea enable precaution be
taken to prevent the entrance of a hos
tile force.
"The harbor of New York at the
present time is entir aly defenseless. The
forts at the Narrows would offer no
obstruction to the entrance Of feet.
ANY vessel, y9hatever her size or charac
ter. armed with the modern eight-inch
guns, which, be it remembered, are far
from being the heaviest guns ahoat- -
could lie out of range of the forts and
destrov them. As for Long Island sound
it has no forts worthy of the name, and
the entrance to the East river by that
route is as unobstructed as the Narows.
1t may be said that guns could b.
mounted on shore to fire at such feet.
The army possesses no modern guns for
the purpose, and the cast iron shelling
from the guns now in its possession
would make no more impression on
modern ironclads than hailstOnes on a
roof
1T is likewise thought by those who
are ignorant of the actual conditions
that torTedoes would prevent the en-
trance of the fleet. The fact is. we
pcdOes or mines indeed we have or
could make and lay in abundance, but
an a tacling feet could pick them no or
L.
leaving a clear path for its shins. Of
automatic tOTpe 7oas. which, though not
a principal means of defense would vet
he n contributing factor, we have not
one Mt the present time. As for our un-
protected 'uisers, if they staii in rort
it would only he to become involved in
a general capitulatlon. There is moth
ing. therefore to prevent the access of a
feet to New York by either the eastern
or the southern entrance.
"The calamity would not end with
the payment of money and the surren-
der Of shirs. An enemys feet once in
the waters of New York would emain
there Commerce would he annihlated.
Communication would be absolutely cut
off. The ferlyboats would cease TO rrn.
The BROOKLYN bridge would be closed t)
traffic as the condition of its preserva-
ton Finally, the railroad communica
tions would bscut and the food supply
of ., 500. 600 people would come to an
end. Capitalists might afford to pay a
ransom, he, famine would fall first on
the homes OF the poor The ransom
paid bv that reputation would he any
thing which it was in their power to
give and which the feet in the harbor
would accept as the price for its de-
parture.
4 Pertinent y litonu.
LOUISVILLE, March 1Q.-Apropos of
the continued howling in Rome and