The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12

ter spaces within the ten-fathom line. of
ROcEaway Beach and Coney Island ana
comprising the channels o. entry INTO tne
narbor, could be 50 planted Win SUNNI
rine mines ana guarael ny moving tttge-
does, an controlled from shore. a. 20 MAKE
j. hazardous for an enemy vessel 70 enter
tnemi 50 that fleet could not, IN al PROP
ability. approach within u miles OF the
Battery, or y miles o. tle business center
OF Brooklyn. for bomh arlment purposes,
without serious risk OF. destruction. A.
these distances New YORK could not pc
reached at all, and only the outlying. dis
rlcts OF Brooklyn could boz seriously dam
aged, by even the heaviest ordnance ahOat
An enemys feet. therefore. 10 DO Sc
riOus damage to New York. Jersey City
ana Brooklyn, would have TO force pas
sage through the lower bay and mar
while l nrmly believe that submarine
mines and other auxiliaTies Of defense will
not to-day stop a determined admiral, OF
the rarragut type. any more than they
qua Farrasut himself in Mobile Bay in IS.
they can undoubtedly infilct serious dam
age.
The army engineers have prepared elab-
efdle plans Tor the location Of these mines
IN all Of the approaches and channels in
the bays and harbOrs. They consist Of
nuoyant steel cases. containing four or
I'VE hunderd pounds Of dynamite or other
nlgh explosive, and attached to heavy
mushroom anchors hoy a length Of cable.
So mat they will stand In the channel
uIteen or twenty feet below the waters
surface Zach mine is connected by an
electric cable to an Operating station on
Shore, Tor example. ~ Sandy Hook, the
Dry Romer Shoals, New Drop Beach, Nor
ION Point tWest end OF COney Island),
Fofts WadsWorth and Hamilton, at the
NdtfOWs, etc. AT the operating station are
suitable batteries and keyboards so ar
ranged that the operator can explode anv
mine or group of mines ct will There is
also an accurate chart covering the area
cohtFolied by the station, and indicating
the exact location of each mine. Bv eans
OF what IL known as a range and position
nhuer' the movements Of any vessel with
IN the area are followed from the station
with telescopes. and her position ls shown
on the chart. Wherever this position CO.
mcides with the location of a mine, the
snip y Is over that mine and IL the latter
Is eXploded the ship will be struck and de-
stroyed or disabled. This system of mines
however. has its limitations, for
u the weather must be clear and
II must be light, for the OBJ
server to see and follow the vessel with
lhe telescope. For this reason some
mines are so arranged that they will
explode whenever struck by an object
as wei as when fired electrically from
shore such mines, however, are dan
gerous to friend and foe allie. and can
IleIS are 10 be used at all by our own
vessels. IL is generally understood that
the army has mines, cables and Operat-
ing station equipment manufactured and
ready Tor Immediate installation in New
hcrk bays and harbor in case of neces-
ouDmaIlne boats are as yet untried in
warfare. but great improvements have
pcen made in them, and the electrically
driven and controlled submarine boat
VIII undoubtedly have a part to play in
any future naval war, or in the defense
Of our harbors
such, then, are briefly the principal ele-
ments of defense of New York City
ana vicinity against an attack by an
enemy's fleet, in case of sudden bostili-
ties, ana provided our first and second
great lines of defense are in their present
state or incompletiOn. Applied electric
Ivy, as the great practical development of
these modern times will play an impor-
tant part in such defense, but behind
ana beyond all modern improvements in
the mechanical appliances Of warfare.
land or naval, we must RELY upon the pa
triotism, ingenuity, bravery and endur-
ance OF our people; qualities which have
never been found wanting in times Of our
country's need and upon which our gov
eminent has never yet called in vain.
s. Dana Greene.