The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-20

ocean, The DatlellCS at SdnQS lloOh' which is the most strongly fortified point about New York at present. con- sisu of sixteen 12-inch ritled mortars, two 12-iNch cannon, and one lO-inch and one S-luch gun. These are all mounted and ready for service, and there are a number Of other big guns which, al though unmOunJed now, might be put in readiness for use with little delay.
 The New York Evening Sun last night says;
 Sandy Hook is also liberally supplied with rapid-dYe guDs of small callbre, intended for use in repelling an attack at short range in case an attempt should be made to cary the works by assault whether from the land side or from boats.
 The most effective fighting range of the battery of yifod mort&rs is placed at three miles, although they will throw shell more than nine miles.
 The rifed mortars and the msn who work them are protected from the shots of an enemy by being placed at the bot tom of a deep pit dug in the sand and lined with concrete. The guns ala ar ranged in groups of four. None of them is visible from the sea. The nor tars are aimed by means of an instru- ment known as a range finder.
 The disposition of the ship channels leading to the harbor is such that @ hostile flee, in case it failed to silence the guns at Sandy Hook would be eX- posed to their fire throughout the entire ! length of the lower bay.
 The vessels would then be exposed to | the fire of the guns of Fort Hamilton and Fort Wadswocth, situated on either side of the Narows,
 | At the Narrows, as well as in the low CT bay, there is an elaborate system of 1 torpedoes and submarine mines, the de- ! tails of which have been kept secret l by the government It is known, how ever that Whitehead tolpedoes are al- 1 ways kept on hand at Fort WadsWorth, and that in case the fort and the tor pedo apparatus are not captured, 1t would be almost impossible for yes 1 sel to pass without risking destruc- l tion.
 The approaches to the city tby way Of 1 the sound are also guarded by mortar 1 battery which is stationed at Davids Island. The arrangement of the mor- i tars is similar to that employed at San i dy Hook Although there are places for sixteen guns, only ten are in posi- ton at present.
 The ella aborate plans for the defence of New York, which have been under consideration by the war department 1 for a long time and which have, it is ,ArpS-Ar four lines of defence along both ap- breaches to the city.
 The plans on the ocean side began with the improvement of the fortitica- | tions at Sandy Hook, and include the erection of heavily armored turrets on the Romer Shoals and a heavy mortar battery at Sheepshead Bay. More mor- | tars and big guns are to be mounted on either side of the NarroWs and subma- rine mines connected with the shore by electric wires are to be planted in the channels leading to the hapbor.
 The plan for the improvement of the sound defences provides that the Davids Island Notifications shall be extended and that water batteries shall be erect 1 ed at Sands Point, Willets Point and 1 I OEt iocUllN Ter. All tldDDItIc lOI pSuO system is also to be installed.
 President Cleveland's war message has stirred up all the latent jingoism that has been smouldering in. the breasts of the officers of the navy since the last occasion when an international dispute received official notice. The little col ony of naval men stationed at the Brooklyn navy yard say they will be jubilant over the prospect of any ac- tive service and that if there ever should be a war between the United States and England the navy is al- most certain to bear the brunt of the fighting.
 "We are all jingoes now" said one of the naval officers in a burst of enthu- siasm. Tt may look at first as if the English navy is so big that we wouldn' t have the ghost of a show but their ap- parent superiority is no greater now than it was during the war of 1872, and I am sure that our modern navy could give as good an account of it. self now os the infant American navy did then"
 The Brooklyn navy yard has rather ! deserted appearance just now, owing to the absence of the waTships on their southern cruise. Work is going forward on the monitors Puritan and Terror, which it is announced, will be ready for service by next spring.
 It is the general opinion among na- val officers that England. of course, will never dare to come to war with the United States on account of the strained relations between the English government and the other powers of Europe, one or more of whom, it is confidently predicted, would like noth- ing better than to pitch in on some pretext or other and attack England just as soon as John Bull became fairly entangled in an American war.
 THE SPIRIT OF '1G AROUSED.
 European Aggression Resented by Sons Of
 the kInerican Revolution.
 Washington, Dec. 19.-At a. meeting last night of the District of Columbia Society Of the Sons of the American Revolution, the following resolutions, offered by General Rolando B. Wilcox, woe o1an+n6.