The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-20

| IOr 1JSelI WHeIHeT bfc uOu. WILLIAM q.
sEwELL can shoot we'll enough to DO secre.
tary Of War.
Our inner Seaboard Waterways.
In view OF the approaching session OF
Congress-. and in conformity with the
recommendations Of naval commission
which made report to Secretary TRACY a
few months ago. series Of soundings has
Just been completed along our Eastern
coast. Their purpose Is to furnish the facts
and figures for laying out an interior coast
line Of waterways for the defence Of the At
lantic and Gulf seaboards. It would nomi-
nally cover stretch Of thousands Of miles
from Massachusetts, Bay to the mouth Of
the Rio Grande; but some portions would
necessarily traverse the open sea. while the
leading penlnsulas. such as Florida and
the one between the Chesapeake and Della
ware bays. would have to be cut by canals
should the plan be fully carried out
But Congress Is not likely to authorize.
at least for many years to come. 80 enor-
mously costly scheme as that which in
cludes the Cape Cod, Chesapeake. and Flor
ida canals. Something might be done to
arrange minor system for the use of tor
| pedo boats. which. with their light draught,
ease oftransportation. and high speed. could
be transferred rapidly from one threatened
part OF the coast to another. after compar.
atively slight improvement in existing
channels.
Beginning first with the idea in its
amplest form, we find its starting point at
Boston. or rather in the bay formed by the
bent arm OF Cape Cod. The first stop would
be to cut through the narrow neck Of land
in the neighborhood Of Sandwich. 80 gain
ing access to Buzzard's Bay. Thence there
would be tolerably sheltered limo through
Long Island Sound to New York harbor.
and thoroughly protected after the estab-
lishment Of tho proposed works at Fishers
Island and it's neighborhood. From New
York q ship canal would be constructed
across New Jersey to deep water in the
Delaware River. presumably following the
line OF the canal already existing and in
operation for shallow boats. Proceeding
down the Delaware to Delaware Bay,
another canal would cut across into
Chesapeake Bay. Thence the route.
continuing southerly, would be up the
Elizabeth River. and through an exist
ing canal enlarged. or possibly new one.
Carolina. From Cape Fear River there
would have to DO apparently on open sea
run; but along the southern coast OF South
Carolina and Georgia there arc means OF
interior communication by cuts in the
rear Of islands. Crossing Florida by canal.
the northern shore OF the Gulf Of Mexico
would present an almost continuous route
Of lagoons. especially along the low-lying
shores of Louisiana and Texns. to the Mexl-
can boundary.
While preliminary soundings on any part
OF this proposed line must DO useful. it
seems quite evident that q far more eco
nomical scheme could be carried out than
the one which has Just been indicated. and
which. in fact, was outlined fully half
dozen years ago. In the spring Of 1884 the
House OF Representatives asked the War
and Navy departments to consider this
subject. and the result was report by q
Board consisting Of Gen. NEWTON and Gen.
GILMORE Of the Engineer Corps Of the army
and Lieutenant-Comm McCALLA OF
the navy setting forth substantially the
route already spoken Of. But the enor-
nous cost Of the five ship canals In
volved In the project has since caused lit
tie to DO done with it. Admiral LUCE, in
deed. made q voyage in the tug Vixen.
which demonstrated the possibility Of using
portion Of the northern part OF this route.
as 1t now exists. for torpedo craft; and q
subsequent voyage Of Lieut.. BALDWIN in
the revenue cutter Morrill, showed the prac-
ticabllity OF reaching Charleston through
the inland waters between the North Edlsto
and Ashley rivers. But no serious effort
has been made to carry out the project OF
interior coastwise Communication by clear
Ing or deepening existing routes.
II, however. d change should be made In
the method OF coast defence by dividing the
Atlantic and Gulf seaboard into sections,
each one to BIO fitted out with Its own SUM-
cient defences. floating as well as fixed.
great part Of the objection to the project
would vanish. For example. II the Gulf
ports should form one such self-dependent
section. as they undoubtedly might. the
enormous cost OF canal across the penin-
sula Of Florida would be avoided. And
what is quite as important to note, the Gulf
coast could be provided with an adequate
harbor defence feet. suitable also for pro.
tecting our entire commerce in the Gulf and
the Caribbean Sea. at half the cost Of con.
structlng Florida canal.
So. again, X with Fort Monroe. the Nor.
folk Navy Yard. and the various military
and naval resources Of Washington and
Annapolis at command. Chesapeake Bay
should DO provided with adequate naval
defences Of its own. including separate
torpedo flotllla. the costly canal between
the Chesapeake and the Delaware could be
eliminated from the programme. and that
also would afford more than enough saw
ing to completely defend Chesapeake Bay.
In short. 1t would probably be found un-
der wise system Of seaboard defence by
district or section that the principal need
Of an interior line Of waterways for coast
protection would be confined to the uses OF
torpedo vessels. And even here the best
plan would be. first get your torpedo boats.
Or course. the commercial problem is alto
gether different. 1t would be for tho 10.