New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-19
A MEXICAN COAST DEFENCES.
INADEQUATE PROTECTION AGAINST HOS
TILE FLEETS

MILLIONS OF MONEY NEEDED TO MAKE
THE CITY sECURE-sTATEMENTs OF
COLONEL ROBERT CHIEF OF
THE ENGINEER CORPS.
In view Of the recent message Of President Cleve-
land and the possibility of war which 1t suggests.
the question of coast defences takes on new In
terest extending to the articles on the subject
which The Tribune has published WITHIN the last
few weeks. 1t Is true that there Is not a haroor
along the entire four thousand miles Of coast line
OF the United States that Ia safe from successtu AZ
tack by a combined foreign fleet. and of these har-
bors that at New-York Is of vital Importance, as
most nearly rejecting the commercial weh-peihe VI
the Nation Here In New-York the conditions nave
been only partly described The fortified points III
clude Fort Hancock. at Sandy HOOK, win no pat
terles assigned for specific duty; Fort Wadsworth'
on the west side Of the Narrows. with three bat
teries and total Of 20i officers and men; Fort
Hamilton, on the east side OF the Narro"s' win
three batteries and 2oi officers and men; DaVld
Island In the Sound. with three batteries and 2o'
officers and men. and Fort Schuyler. In the Souhu'
with two batteries and 1856 officers and men
No DANGER OF ATTACK FROM THE SOUND.
This is granting that all of the batteries carry
their full complement of siXty-eight officers ann
men, 1t is to be suggested. too. in connection WIN
this on the word of veteran officer OF 'he Ell
gineer corps that foreign feet VIII Try 70 feac"
this city by the Sound entrance II II ala 'he
battle there would De AT CLOSE Qu"lN'i"'
proposed s!xteen-inch guns would come bravery INTO
play While IT is SAID in the last report OF the
Secretary Of War that these guns may not DE pui'''
as they are not altogether satisfactory 'he! ma!
be put into place for particular reasoh-,ha, ol
soaring the enemy by the mere fact OF 'heH
presence. The Secretary also IN MS ias' i'p''' "
troduced this paragraph:
"Rut q, only three of the eighteen ports under
consideration have completed features OF ueie"'
been established. New-York has two ,we"T,lnc"
guns and sixteen twelve-inch mortars' san 'N
cisco has one twelve-nch gun and sixteen tWeNt-
inch mortars and Boston mas sM'ee"
mortars In position.
Yet an officer Of the Army. Writing receh.'' vi
this question as II concerns Boston, remarheu 'i,
+, would be possible for warship 10 s'anu oi
about 5000 yards so from Boston ana pepe' 'Ne
citv into complete submission. The nine ana Two
tenth-inch British gun has range OF apou. ee'0,i
miles at thirty degrees elevation Their t"eNe-i'1'
Guns have likewise a range of more than ten nes'
II Is TO remembered. also. that While mortar va.
terv may be very powerful and accurate IL Is man"
canned by the size of the target Ihere Is some "e
cree Of difference between shooting at Boston com
MON with the city around 1t or Manhattan Island
and irving to hit warship hull down on the hori-
ION. and moving about in an evasive way al mat
GUNS NOT IN WORKING ORDER.
II has been said that there are two tWelVe-ihch
guns at Sandy Hook. That is true but TRIBUNE
renorter was informed yesterday that oo'h H".e
been dsmounted from their carriages because the
latter were not satisfactory TO the officials Ihese
carr,ages were Of French design, and it was patri-
ot,cauv determined that a better product could be
turned out of American factories
The mortars at Sandy Hook are in place IT has
however been shown that they are not IN compie'e
working order. the range-finders and the COMING
tower necessary adjuncts to the working periecuoh
of the battery, are not yet in place So with the
nair of great guns ANONYMOUSLY lying in the sand
the question is very pertinent, what IS 10 pie'V"
the English or any other feet from demanding anu
securing tribute from New-York! Ihere is nothing
inside the Hook TO prevent It, Fort Wadswor'h mas
an eight-inch gun whose arrival has been duy
heralded There are completed emplacements Tor
five Of these powerful instruments OF war ou' ohS
one Is in evidence. Fort Hamilton In andluoh 10 a
mortar battery Of the old war type, has brand
new ten-inch gun that is certainly a beauty, but IS
NOT anparen,y destined to be Joy forever for some
time to come as there is carriage for It, and 1t
is lying skdded up on the concrete oil the ei''paoe
The mortars only dangerous TO ships that may
get gddy and 90 to scurryng about IN the long
they stand still they VIII be am yxr,
snned ocer whose record runs pretty well back
and who has watched coast-defence evolution win
Se deck Of Vessel the conca shell that they IRE
do damage There bsy no eS strike GE he
That Is the query that is troubling the minds OF the
e6peTts wnG IN tbe pp Dt times Of peace
The gun empacement tor me s,hEe That q,
all THE OLD FORTS AND CANNON
The propostion that was talked of some years ago
Of removing the dismantled shell called Fort La
fave,te from the outer end of Hendricks Reef has
never amounted to anything 1t was almost de-
termined TO remove the stone superstructure and
place on the everlasting foundation turret battery
/ the she'll stands to-day. monument TO what was
powerful in the days p cd9 5ns
In the face OF changed conditions these old defences
men behind them OF the old-time Rodman cannon
an ofiicer remarked to the reporter: Those cannon
/ within definite range limtstio but it requires
about fifteen minutes for the men to load one , OF
men must stand exposed or the top OF the parapet.
h yo wha machine %S4a ens Of !he
! ira ned against them They would be swept away
ins,ance are mounted on old fashioned carriages
! Of powder.
THE COAST DEFENCE APPROPRIATIONS.
Colonel Henry NJ Robert Chief Of the Corps OF
| Engineers having only recently succeeded General
Abbot in that important post, was seen yesterday
afternoon in his office in the Army Building. 1t
desired to gahfr @6u h to psce hn COAST
defences of the country ara OF New W. ork speci-
can" moment m and then without word picked up
| volume of reports and pointed TO the figures show
d ls "rr Construction What" said he earnestly
can you expect to accomplish Win appropTa1 lions
| of internal improvements of every kind which are
of distinct benefit to the country at large Come,
| and will show what ] mean
EFFECT OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The Co.onel then went to a map hanging at the
! eide Of the room and pointed to Galveston. which,
he remarked is the centre of the Great West
which is constantly pouring out her farm products
than any of the Eastern shipping ports. and about
an equal distance with St Louis. The shipper, by
taking his produce, grain. etc TO Galveston saved
| the difference in freight rate from 81. Louis TO
| New-York by rail- This however, the Colonel ar
| pue4I was a matter which appealed at once to the
| members Of the urban community. 1t Is a thins
| that they can readily grasp. and they have come
| 10 be in favor of river and harbor improvements
| why" Colonel Robert continued. Il know OF one
| river which was improved, and no boat has ever
| traversed IL for purposes Of commerce. but il has
served its intended use. for 1t has kept down the
IL alxn fhl