Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-20

Preliminary work has been COM
menced by Major Raymond and corps |
of United States engineers in locating |
torpedo st tioDs at Fort Delaware and
at "New Fort Opposite below Della
ware City.
The WORKS are for the purpose of pro-
tecting tbf Delaware bay ship channel
and to finn part of the general system
of Atlantic coast fertilization. The
TORPEDO stations will not be garrisoned.
Th1 will be constructed so that occu-
paGon may be made at any momentary
Emergency. As contemplated just now,
RSy will be simply earthworks with
SXSlleries and subterranean passage, run
k1ing out to the seashore at the point
where the torpedo is to be launched.
The station at the upper end of Fort
Delaware island will command the ship
channel between that point and the
Jersey coast. That at "New Point Oppo-
site" will cover the lower reaches and
the channel as it runs by the lower APP
proaches to Fort Delaware.
AS well as can be understood this
mild military awakening of the war
authorities as to the necessity of some
protection for Delaware bay Is only the
precursor of what may be done if Uncle
Sam can spare enough cash from the
mnltifarious appropriations in other
directions to give some slight attention
to our needs.
THE BAY UNPROTECTED.
Delaware bay constitutes one of the
most important trade estuaries of the
country. All the foreign and coast
trade Of Philadelphia passes along that
channel. And then there is the ship
building and trade of Wilmington,
Chester and all the small towns on the
Jersey and Delaware coasts. There is
also government arsenal at philadel-
phia to be considered
The criticism may be made that there
is no need of protecting Philadelphia,
Wilmington or Chester from approach
by any modern man-of-war And that
the Re d'ltalia, Duilio, Royal Sovereign,
nor any of the big modern 10000
tonners of Europe would attempt to
make the passage up the shallow ship
channel of Delaware bay.
1t is very likely true that the big
modern mammoths drawing over %
feet draft would not essay an ettempt
very far up stream. 1t is very improb-
able that the heaviest men-of- war could
creep up past Ship John Light, within
eesy covering distance of the lighter
craft of the invading fleet, the heavily
armed gunboats, torpedo boats and
cruisers. These with their torpedo
catchers and other mechanism for
neutralizing the effect of the torpedoes
distributed about the channel could
readily advance to within Smelling dis
tanca nf \Nilmin qtnp
"But that is not Philadelphia !" would
perhaps be the reply of the self-sup-
posed securely protected citizens of that
overgrown town.
II is very true that Philadelphians
have better reason TO consider them
selves passably safe under threat of for
eign invasion.
WILMINGTON rs THE KEY.
But it should be remembered that in
the destruction of Wilmington the link
would be broken in the main arterial
connection between New York and
Washington, that is to say, practically
between the north and the south. The
Pennsylvania and Baltimore q Ohio
trunk lines would be severed, which
means, during such critical period rs
that of foreign invasion, total demon.
alization not alone of commerce, but OF
the possibility of passing troops and
military supplies to and fro to needed
points along the whole Atlantic coast
line system.
There are no other railway systems
east of the Alleghenies to take then
place. They meet close together here
pressed together like ganglia, awaiting
the critical grip which their exposed
position in this city only too clearly
offers and invites TO II fleet admiral moi
necessarily of the high order of De
Grasse, Nelson, Or Rodney.
One decisive blow would separate The
north and south Atlantic coast defenc,
system and there is practically nothins
to prevent that being done just at thi,
point. Everything fayors the approach
of light-draught gunboata, say Up to q
feet draught, and there is nothing bu
these proposed torpedo forts to oppos,
them.
Underthese circumstances nothing car
be more aggrayating than 10 hear til,
reiterated remark that, because lhila
delphia is safe through the fact of III,
long tortuous and shallow water ap
proach TO that city, that, therefore, it h
safe, and Philadelphia being safe, there
is not much else Of Importance to con
slider in regard to the Delaware ba,
estuary.
But, as demonstrated, the key to nj
Atlantic coast defence at this point i
rot Philadelphia but Wilmington, Ill,
eAat of course not through any exces
OF commerce or treasure that this eli,
may lay claim to, but for the obyiou
reason that it is at this point that til
main trunk lines of commerce runuin,
north and south converge and touch a
this easily asIilable point.
In order TO maintain the line Of do
fence, Wilmington, which is link ii
the main arterlal chain and the onl,
uncovered one demands instant atteil
ton.
Anyone acquainted with local goo
graphical conditions can readily SCI
how easily this position could he hel,
by few strong gun-bOats. The heav
guns on these modern bouts would Nc
duce the whole region surrounding til
Pennsylvania and Il. " o. railroad pas
senger and freight stations to d heap u
ruins in two short hours.
1t seems, taking all conditions fairli
into consideration, that Wilmington
and not Philadelphia, is the strategica
point.
The defence of Wilmington woul
not require individual attention.
THE BAY FoRTIFIcATIoNs.
The general Notifications of the lowe
approaches of the bay, those at Fol
Delaware, "New Fort Opposite" til
mud fort on the Jersey shore opposit
Fort Delaware, and whatever other mil
itary protection the United States eng
neers may consider proper, if fun
snarrinl IN L. II IL..r.1...I