New-York tribune., 1895-12-29

.ervice under hostile conditions. The TACT OF 'ne
case is that there is too little concentration VI az
thority in this matter in the United o.a'es, ,-e
should be a provision which VIII pace 4o' '' ,I,
under the control of the men VINO are 10 ~
,hem and the cities behind them IN time u "A'
ru, this Is not what this article started Out ~
deal with. However. the quotation seeiie' ~ r
tinen, that it has been put as an lntrouuc'o"
the description of another coast-delence ie"''" "
New-York Harbor-Fort Schuyler The term coas'
s.o,oa &c well nigh laughab BILE as one passes over
thu ground and views the various archaic h's"tu-
tlons that pass muster In the common iii"u
forts While the. repeated advice OF arui'ei! VI
fcers Is that the weakness ana suiclaai "Aheu'e'o
OF the supposed fortifcaons should not De eN
posed at any time. and particularly SO d. ''
time vet there is nothing like mailing lie 10 ee'
a, the truth and to remedy defects III system
y,bch should be made perfect in peace 10 insure
against war
WHAT 1T ONCE WAS.
Fort Schuyler is most interesting pace 'o' '"e
an,iouarian AS fortifcation thirty years as0
# was considered impregnabe against ATTACK i"'s
was possiby true for IT was armed Win iihPioNeo
,,arrs ~ Rodman smoothbore and fifteen
inch cannon ani mortars. and its walls were I'M
pervious to assault from hostile shell unless unue
the long-continued stress OF concentrate "'e'
,rh.n I, would have been possible to make breach,
IN, woe TO the storming party that might ry "
enter a breach made They woud nave oee"
treated 20 a raking fire from small cannon loaded
with grape and canister. and once up 10 the ancient
rampant they would have been helpless TOT oen'hu
the casemates would have been rnemen galore
snner,np away through embrasures and casema' 'e
open,ngs Forty feet high lowered the TOP Oh 'he
oassmate walls which topped with more
cannon of a once honored name and Warlke Sig
ni6cance but now. alas. there's none so poor 10
do them reverence. They might stop toiPeuo-
boat or launch There they stand on their oid-
fasb,oned carriages bllsterng in the sun and rust
would cost 10 cart them away thah t"e'
would be worth In the melting down.
within the classmates, however the guns are not
,ootbless They can bite. and bite hard. for the!
are old Rodman ten-nch guns refined 10 eight
g., ca,,bre and rihed. They could guard the
channel against any cruiser OF modern type ou
not against an assault by battleships. They couil
defend the torpedo plant and submarine mine sys
tenn effectively up to a certain point lhat pom
would be reached when modern shell chanced ''
pass through the whole grass-grown outh' from enc
IN end knocking suns carriages and gunners ihl'
ono blood blended heap for burial That Is JUS
the state of the case The fortihcations were bull
for opposition to smoothbore guns Ike the o'
Rodman and Parrot types. They were not intend
ed for the day OF twelve-nch cannon with al
effective range of ten or dozen miles
Speaking OF this. an officer said: you VIII hn'
that the available guns at Fort Schuyler have beer
only recently placed in frst-class condition. 1n
casernate battery which is very extensive cons:d
ered on the basis OF former cOnducns, Is composed
of Rodman guns packed and rifed. and has beei
reiuvenated, so TO speak The carriages have beei
renainted oiled and reduced 10 working effective
ness and the cannon themselves have been cleane'
and FURNISHED This work was done before the mes
.ase of the Presiden; kicked such fever OF pos
able war This battery as II stands could be mad
IN do mos, effective service. especially In protecting
the torpedo plant which has been perfected for us
In the narrow channel az that point
JUST THE PLACE FOR A FORT
Fort Schuyler is another illustration OF the prod
gality OF nature in providing New-York wit
means for defence: that Is. when these same gilt
n, nature have been reinforced with modern sys
TENS of protected armament. A scant four mile
from the village Of West Chester long. narro'
neck OF land, known Throg's Neck, ends.
ends lust at the junction OF the East River an
the Sound and right across the nile opening
water lies Wiet's Point. the place where all III
experimentng with torpedoes has been carried o
for a number of years chiefly under the dirsctio
OF General Henry l.. Abbot Immediately to III
westward the East River curves round the end
the Neck going for distance almost due norti
To the eastward the long expanse OF the Neck is II
tensfed BY the big incurve OF the shore formin
Pelham Bay On the further side OF the bay lie
City Island, with its wooded point. Further TO th
east and tending to make the channel Of approac
somewhat tortuous is Stepping Stone Light.
named from the peculiar formation OF the shallow
where at ebb tide stones crop above the water IN
. stepping stones some Of them even showing whe
tide IL at food. Beyond the light the channel turr
once more toward the centre OF the Sound. an
then 1t is that Davd's Island comes within yiey
That is the second in number IN the hne OF fort
hcations formulated for the projection OF the ha
mouth OF the Thames River Artillery experts wi
Tell you that something should be dons In Gardiner