Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-04-02

COAST DEFENSES.
Com mmodare Ramsay IntelYieIed
Regarding THIN.
Idle Tux Absu! Preparing Harry h Fen
xoathS.
City Ct Hsw Yosk Thcusht to bs 0afs
frcm Attack.

"AsHfsSfOA, Apfil line army and
| navy officers have talked . good deal to-
Gay about the action Of the Italian govern
| ment yesterday. They did not spprehend
| var, nevertheless the chance Of an unsavor-
able turn in nefntiations which might lead
to the uoinviied appearance Of Al Italian
feet in our harbors was not lest sight Of.
Commodore Ramsay, in charge Of the nav
igatlon bureau Of the navv, Is the officer by
whose order ou- ships will move from port
to port, and they are manned. His bureau
would. in case OF var. be the one to out
line and direct the plans of campaign on
the waters. He was asked this mosniog
what was the condition Of our naval de.
fences.
He said We have just one battleship-
the double turretsd monitor Mian:onomah
row ar the New York navy yard, and she
is not completed. By pressing forward We
might 1nish her in q month. The old
monitors which fought during the late war
would be Of little value against the power
ful battleships Of the European navies
The guns carried by these vessels could
send projec,ile through one side and
out Of the other side of any tur-
re. in the monitor feet which now
| lies below Richmond on the james river
We are building two battleships, but many
! months will be required in which to COM
plete them and many more TO arm and
plant them with arnor. The armor is net
yet rolled. IL is idle to talk Of building a
| navy in few months. The views set ou.
by Senator Ingalls, in his naval article are
| certainly not believed by himself. 1t is
| ridiculous to. naval experts to hear the
boasts Of repeating what we did during the
war. Then we were pitted against people
without navy and almost without the
possibilities OF one. We s~elled our
naval list rapidly to over 500 yes
sells, But what did they amount to?
Anything that would seive as gun plat
form or carry q gun was bought or built
ft was not necessary that they ehould re-
sist attacks because there WAS no foe atloat
to oppose them. We could get many of
this kind of craft, but they would be Of no
service against foreign naval power. The
tin plates, a. the vessels protected with
boiler iron were called on our western
rivers, could be easily procured. bu. they
would be as worthless as the others.
They could barely resist the fire OF the old
fashioned firearms which were knocked
into pieces by small field piece fre Oar
new cruisers, about g. dozen in number,
would hs Of service and would be fought
for all they were worth. But they were
rever intended to stsnd before armorei
baitleships or against anything else than
such unsrm0red vessels as our own class.
They would be useful to destroy lines of
water communication by which a foreign
naval force Oh our c9ast must receive coal
and supplies"
Commod1re Ramsay said he did not feel
that New York was ia imminent danger.
even in the event OF var. The heavy draft
Italian warships could not successfully
lombard the city without entering the hsr.
Dor. Tney were not likely to enter the
hsrbor, because. aside from tine perils Of
navigation. certsin preparations would
speedily be made t. render the water un-
enable for them. Submarine mines could
be arra.ged, although it did not
follow that hostile vessel would be
oblig,ng enough to pass over them.
rorpedos could be planted. but the history
Of naval operations in the james river
showed they did not render the river i'm
psssabie 10 the heet. These devices are all
If use and supplemented BY other de-
fensive measures could be adopted, but
shich could not now be described, aud
would probably make New York city
tolerably safe from naval attack.
Gen. Kelton. sdjutsnt general Of the
Uni ed States army secuted the idea Of
war ensuing from yesterdays events. I,
Is hard to imagine any reason for war Or
any substantial result TO accrue to either
party from It, The United States would
not send over to attack Italy. Italy could
not land an army in the United States.
The distance between the two countries
presented an almost unsurmountsble OBJ
stscle to land operations. Even the italian
naval vessels could not probably operate so
far from the base supply Of fuel aud stores.
He did not he state to say that New York
city would be safe in snv event. Even
though the projected Notifications were
not vet in existence ard modern guns we're
lacking, he had faith in the ability of cur
people TO offer an effective resistance to
hostile naval force. We were an inventive,
energetic race, ard could be depended upon
to mee. any emergency. A hostile fleet
could not lie witbia 20 miles of New York.
There would be no lack of men forth
coming, ~ho, like Cushing would be will
ing ard ready ,o.be blown up with their
own toI pedoes, if they could have even
small chance Of destroying the foe. As for
the land forces of the United States, The
General vas confident that they could be
depended upon 70 prevent any hostile army
or naval force from setting foot on Amerl-
can soil.