New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-05
DEFENCES UP THE SOUND.
THE CONDITIONS EXTREMELY FAVOR
ABLE TO THE PROTECTION OF
NETWORK
MODERN BIG GUNS AND MoRTARs NEEDED-THE
WORK AT wILLETs po1xT-woNDERs OF
THE TORPEDO sYsTEMs-soME IN

WORK AT wILLETs PoINT-wONDERs OF
THE TORPEDO sYsTEMs-soME IN
TEREsTING EXPERIMENTS.
The more one wanders about the harbor OF
New-York and it's entrances from the ocean
side, the more he marvels at the prodigality
of nature in providing posts for artificial de-
fence from outside enemy. And. on the
other hand, as he moves about he is filled with
amazement that the opportunities offered
have not been taken advantage of by the
.,wers that be to the extent OF fl ling these
available points of vantage with modern de-
fcnsve artillery Il Is easy to write message
of lowering aspect toward a powerful foreign
Power. II would appear To- be more difficult
to ombody in annual messages To the Congress
OF the United States suggestions of vital sig
nifcance regarding the need for adequate coast
delences. In fact. it Is vastly easier and more
to individual liking. apparently. to issue die
tum regarding bord issue than 10 advocate
the expenditure Of funds for the insurance Of
peace That Is what coast defences amount 10
in the first and last analysis in the estimation
Of artillery officers. ana they are the men to
whom the judgment Of the layman must defer
in a crisis.
Speaking Of artillery officers, has any one
ever noticed the number OF comparatively
young men in the service whose hair is gray
or snow-white? Nearly every other officer the
observer meets is gray before his time The
reason is not far to seek. The more the OBJ
server speaks with them. the more he is con-
WINGED Of the adamantine fact that they have
worried themselves into a condition OF pre-
mature age Studying over the futility of con-
ditions they could not mend. Yet for years and
years they have held patiently 10 their task OF
drn0 men into n thorough knowledge OF
handling obsolete guns for the defence Of equal
~ obsolete fortncatons. Modern guns and
modern fortfcations have been promised to
them time and time again. yet they have held
on at the same old task.
LITTLE THAT is Up TO DATE.
To-day there are only two modern articles at
Fort Hamilton. one is the range-fnder. the
other is the new ten-nch gun. which Is without
carriage. At Fort Wadsworth they have one
eght-inch gun. which is now substantially
mounted. -Four others have been promised. but
a visit there reveals that they have not yet APP
pearcd although they were to have been on the
yAer on December y. There some delay
about the carriages Such IL the report from an
authentic source. The carriages have been tested
as t. their efficiency IN general and the mode.
has been accepted as the best. They are the
model # Captain Crozier. who IS now at
Sandy Hook. The contracts tor them. however,
have been scattered FAR and wide. tn Tribune
reporter was toll that part ~ the contracts
was let To- q firm In Cleveland which had never
made a eun-carrage before
The officers Il Fort Waiswor,h. however. have
the promise of q rang--fnier FOR working The
new battery This IS expected to arrive hy tac
time the cannon have hc,l soy up. and then iolk
Dat for the grecnhouse windows in that immc-
date ueighborhoad. Again. at sandy Hook. az
The Tribune has already said I'm previous articles
on this subject. the mortar battery lacks
rangc-ander. VOL this defect is T. be RENE
died. At least. the promise has been made that
ranrc-nnIer outfit VIII De- speedily provided.
This rauge-nnder will h" rlae-d in o. spider
legged tower some eighty feet In height. and
thcr. VIII be 4 spare ma line nearer IT, ground
IN case the tower colapses under the impetus =
a hostile she'll Tho two twelve-iue DO guns at
sandy Hook round up the promise AZ that end
~ the coast defence scheme. adding. ~ course.
the torpedo system. which is complete enough 20
make any gentleman commanding a battle-ship
from the outside think twice before coming
within range And just herr a word about tor
pedocs ANA the matter OF range.
EXPERIMENTS AT wIL.LETs POINT.
The experiments which have been conducted
at Willeis Point for the last twenty years
mainly under General Henry l.. Abbot. recently
retired and continued under Colonel W. r.
King his successor. and now going forward
under the direction OF Major John -. -. Knight,
the present commandant of the post. have been
more fruitful IN results than a good many peo-
PIE might be inclined 10 suppose. As 10 Willets
Point itself fl IS an Interesting place TO visit.
To reach it from Ncw-York, take the Long
Island Railroad to Whtestone and walk 1t or
wheel IT or drive out two miles to the eastward.
Travellers by way OF the Sound have certainly
observed the watcr-line fertilization 10 the
southwark as they go up the Sound. II is
labelled a torpedo fort. and the danger sign
Is written all over It's front From the water
side 1t looks rather formidable. does Fort
SCHUYLER on the norihward shore, resting on
the extreme tip Of the finger Of land known as
Throg's Neck But from behind 1T Is n hollow
mockery a fertilization was begun there. but
the classmates were never nnished-'a good
thing" to quote an officer. ''for the walls would
be about as rich food for "A modern shell as those
Of the old fort on the opposite side Of the chan
mel"
Like Fort Schuyler. Willets Point was once a
hospital for Government use but for about a
quarter Of century it has been the head
quarters for torpedo instruction under the drec-
ton Of the Engineer Corps. II is. in fact. an
cngineerng school post for the engineer battal-
ion and depot for engineer supplies. and at the
present time there are about four hundred men
in quarters. There are signs though, Of a more
significant occupancy in the appearance of mod
ern cmplaccments for two ten-inch guns which
are nearly completed. In fact. all they need is
the setting OF the plates for the carriages. and
the two guns are daily expected To arrive. They
have been promised In this matter of promises
the Government appears to have taken to heart
the lesson humanity has been learning from It's
tailor and from Its shoemaker for ages. AZ