The morning times., 1896-02-26
COST OF COAST DEFEHSES
Committee Report on the Pend
Ing F0riiflCaiIOns Bill.
MANY MILLIONS ARE NEEDED
It Is Found That the Destructibie
Property ut Twenty-seven Seaports
Is Worth Ten Billion Dolmrs-No
Means of Resisting Attacks From
tho Fortresses Around Them.


tho Fortresses Around Them
Senator Squire, chairman of the Senate
Committee on Fortifications. yesterday sub
mitted the report Df that committee on the
bin before it 10 the Senate. The questions
involved have been under discussion for
several weeks, and many OF the chief
officers OF the army and navy have been
| before the committee 10 urge the passage
OF some adequate measure looking to the
thorough fortification of our scacoast.
1t is set forth that in the cities clustering
about New York there is property valued
at $4,000, ,0O0,000 within reach of the
guns OF hostile fleet lying i'll the upper
bay of New York. Not one-tenlh of the
| necessary defense for that port has been
| completed, although its harbor is better
protected than any other in the United
| States.
The aggregate value of destructible prop
! erty exposed at the cnty-seycn principal
| seaports OF the country, not including those
| OF the great lakes, is found TO amount to
| ten billions of dollars. The contrast be-
tween the cost OF preparation and the cost
| of war itself is one of the principal con-
| sideratiuns urged by the committee. 1t is
| an anomalous state affairs that this great
! nation, encrCled by q thain OF foreign
| fortresses near its shores, Is without the
means of resisting an attack from anyone
! of them.
! NAVY NOT WHOLLY RELIED UPON.
Although appreciating the strength OF
| the navy, the committee says it would be
unsafe to rely exclusively upon that arm
for means OF defense. The very existence
of the navy would be imperiled in case OF
| support which would be afforded by land
/ war with any great power without the
| defenses.
1t was clearly shown by n distinguished
| admiral that the expenditures for coast de-
fenseS, as compared with that for the navy,
| should at present be in the ratio OF 1 1-2
| 10 l, and that the ratio should be in
creased in favor Of coast defcnses after
the expenditure or one hundred millions
for both purposes.
| The Endcott board of 1856 estimated
| the cost of a permanent system of land de-
| fenseS al a fraction less than SOS 900 600,
and since that day but little more than
! $40 800 900 have been expended. The
! committee having thoroughly examined all
the conditions, the changes in the law re-
quiring but eight hours labor a Gay. etc,
| find that the amount desira ble for iornTica-
| tions and armament viii be more than
| ordinarily calculated by the Endicott board
for the whole work of land defenses.
THE ESTIMATED TOTAL COST.
The total cost of Qualifications, including
purchase of sites, is estimated at S61,-
| 500, 900; the cost of armament, including
guns gun carriages, mortars, and car
| riageS. rapid-fire and machine guns, at
| $43,796 .o20.
This does rot include the Bethlehem con
tract. already authorized by law, nor any
| estimate Of the cost OF projectiIes and other
items which may properly be provided
| for in the annual appropriation bills.
The rapid-firing guns, costing S2,TG2 600,
| were not estimated in the EndiCOtt plan.
The consolidated estimate Of al the Boards
| necessary TO make the forufications
thoroggh and complete is fixed at SI05,-
296,020 for permanent works and aTna-
nent. To complete this undertaking viii
require probably not less than SIX years.
| and for this reason Congress is urged TO
| begin the construction as speedily as
| possible.
The scheme OF distributing the appro-
| priation from year to year during period
OF about eleven years is approved. unless
an emergency should arise that may cause
the President to order the whole or any
part of the amount to be Immediately
available.
As a minimum sum the chief of engineers
a.,
an efficient defense, but nothing less
than this would do. Therefore, the COM
mittee decided to report in favor OF an ap-
preparation Of SST 600, COO. in accordance
with the terms OF the Squire bill. The
committee also reports in favor OF s., SEQ, :
900 for torpedoes.
THE TIME NECESSARY.
The committee recommends that au-
thority be given the chief OF ordnance to
contract for forgings, carria ges, rapid-fire
guns and projectiles to the amount OF ST.
Z $4,000, to be paid out Of the appropria-
ton for the next fiscal year.
The chief OF engineers says that after a
few weeks of preparation he can economi-
cally cxpend about 81 900 GOO month on
the engineering part of the work. but that
under stress. he could advanta geously eX-
pend a much larger sum for that purpose.
II the appropriations recommended by
the committee are granted provision could
be made within eighteen months for GA
guns of which six would be 12-inch on
lifts, twelve 12-nch on nOn-disappeariug
carriages, nnety-four 1C-lnch disappear
ing and nine 10-iuch non-diSappearing.
In conclusion the committee urge the
aI RF inf
ing the work OF defense on an adequate
scale, OF prosecuting it with vigor and OF
providing for it by sufficient appropria-
tions of money in order to avoid great and
unnecessary risks to The safety and vel
fare OF the nation.
Q -
IMPRESSED BY EMERSON.