New-York tribune., 1895-12-22
DEFENCES ON LONG ISLAND.
FORT HAMILTON COULD BE MADE IN
PREGNABLE.
THE BATTI.EMENTs ARE srANCH But THE BIG
GEsT GUNS ARE LACKING-ADvANTAGE
OF LOW FORTIFICATIONS.

THE BATTIEMENTs ARE sTANCH But THE BIG
GEsT GUNS ARE LAcKING-ADvANTAGE
OF LOW FoRTIFICATIoNs.
good many among the many thousands who
travel the all-water route to Coney Island in the
summer time can tell you something about old
Fort Lafayette. Yet all Of them do not know
that II Is built at the extreme end OF a point
known as Hendricks Reef, and that the circular
looking island is in reality piece of artificial
work, and that originally it was known as Fort
Diamond. Between this bit Of artificial WORK
and the shore the water is extremely shallow.
but almost Immediately beyond the crumbllng
walls Of the old fertilization. within whose grim
shadows many enthusiastic gentle men were com
PEELED to languish for season during the days
just preceding and during the War of the Re-
bellion, the shelf pitches off into deep water
nearly deep enough to float a man-ofwar The
old fort has fallen into that condition of decay
once aptly described by historic utterance OF
Mr. Cleveland Within. the casemate walls have
all fallen down. The guns were long ago re-
moved to the shore. and the shadows chase the
bats through the dismal portfolios that are
like many sightless eyes conveying senile
"reminiscences of once deadly strength.
Fort Lafayette is an ideal site for power
fu turreted water battery. which could COM
mand the distant sea beyond the Hook the
Lower Bay the Narrows and a part OF the
inner harbor, and 1t would be a battery. too.
that enemy would find it well nigh impossible
to combat successfully, by reason of the difficulty
in hitting it a telling blow, for 1t is accepted
axiom among artillerymen that plunging fre Is
the least fraught with danger. The tendency
in depressed range is to overshoot the mark.
If you don't believe this then it is because you
rip1 q "A a down
range Try II some time and record the percent
age Of failures Old sportsmen will inform you
that they would rather take a dozen flying
chances at single ducks on the wing than to let
fly from a roost at a bunch floating in the water,
and this, apart from the question Of sporting
ethics involved, which declares that the game
shall have a chance for its life.
FORT HAMILTON.
This same issue of mnimized danger applies
TO the system of Notifications which the
entire southwestern curve Of Long Island. spread
ing over an irregular space OF ninety-nne ana
fraction acres, and known as Fort Hamilton
This is one Of the fortifcatons with history
1t is notable from the fact that from one Of the
parapets at the eastern extremity the observer
can look down upon old colonial house which
was standing when the War Of the Revolution
was fought. 1t in the doOryard of this old
mansion too that the British made their land
ing preparatory to tn battle of Long Island
Another such landing at that same point will
never be made although ii might be done now II
done quickly. for there is nothing 10 keep an
enemy out except fear of consequences AS an
officer remarked to The Tribune:
There Is no question but that If she wanted
TO- a foreign nation could make a descent upon
New-York at the present moment and make any
demand she chose. What is there, let me ask, IN
the way Of her fleet coming and demanding from
ba cff five Df
herself from bombardment? Not a thing. We
could not stop her for an instant. She could send
vessels right up through the Narrows and sta
tion one Of them right at the Battery point
This would undoubtedly be done so as to make
things convenient Then let her send one shell
ripping its way tn; ough the piers and shipping
along the North River She need not be eX-
travagant with her ammunition. The point
would be to make every shell do the most good
in the way of demolition Of intervening objects
How many piers and wooden vessels do you
think that single shell would wipe out? You
know IT will pass through thirteen inches OF
solid steel. Just think for minute. Why that
shell would bring up somewhere near Fourteenth
St Then. a single shell could be thrown along
the pier line up the East River, and possibly
through the pier of the Brooklyn Bridge Two
or three more cast among the tall buildings in
the commercial quarter Of the city. would COM
pete the work. Don't you think the five hundred
millions would be cheap ransom? OF course
we would get even i'm time We would let the
foreigner know that our time was coming and
would get ready and pay him back in kind with
too, and probably more, but that is not what we
want"
This is significant reminder of the remark of
that astute engineer. Colonel II. NJ. Robert
that the coast defences when completed are con-
servators of peace. They are purely defensive
Make them impregnable and peace is assured
This is in contradistncton to the army and the
navy as we'll for both are aggressive Sailors
are stimulated by the thought of prize money,
and. within certain bounds, they would probably
like to promote the spirit. Officers who find
promotion slow see chance in the fortunes of
contest. Then, too, the prize money they gather
in does not benefit the Government. But the
coast defences protect the property and life OF
every citizen whose interests land They
are his insurance. 1t is poor business policy for
a man to insure his house the day after 1t has
been consumed by fire
LOW FORTIFICATIONS.
For another reason than that which gives
force to the position of Fort Wadsworth. on
the opposite shore, nature seems to have des-
tined Fort Hamilton for place of defence and
potentiality because it is in such strong con-
trast to its sister fortifcation across the
Narrows to the west While Fort Wads-
worth is $50 feet above tidewater. Fort Hamil-
ton Is low it's highest point not passing the
4O-foot level above tide and the concrete sur
faces Of the new empdceMents. buut. building
and projected. will hardly reach more than thirty
feet So the emplacements for the heavy guns
are constructed almost in the solid ground The
elevation is atoned for by the long slope Of the
parapet BY the manner of construction. too.
an advantage is gained. The long slope covered
with green grass Is an innocent-loOkng bank,
but death turks behind. for there are. will be,
the big ten-inch guns disappearing carriages
of the Burlington CroZier type These guns
about thirty-fve feet In length. The 16-nch
guns when completed will be about forty
eight feet long. according to calibre measure