Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-03-10
CHICAGO TREMBLING
Would b Utterly Deisnssltss Ia Case
Of Var With England.
aPApER ny LlruELEruoApsoS


CHICAGO, March lO-Lleut. J. +.
Thompson, chief ordnance officer Of
the department Of tue missouri, told
Chicago people last night how utterly
te'en,elsss their city would remain II
the az, 5OO,O 900 for coast de'ensss In.
teEdrd for lsko Notifications should.
as matter Of economy. be cut out Of
the bill now before Congress.
Lieut.. Thompson made public for
the fret time IN paper real In the
New England Congregational church,
Iutt what II isthat the ordnance corpse,
acting with the other departments,
hopes 10 accomplish IN the way "
making seaporls impreguablo TO attack
wnen the appropriation OF nearly
SlJO, 000, 900, reported iavOfAbly Ia
committee, would be- available.
Tuucuiug ON the question OF lake de-.
fuusv tue Jfiicer saiu there seems ~ be
prevailing impression that In case
war broke out between America aud
Greet Britain all the Uuitei States
would have TO do would he To keep
English vessels out Of the great lakts.
Declarations VI war do not come like
tnunderuo otis from clear skies. A.
snuu ~ II was known trouble wa,
brewing tue Wollsnd canal would be
Iufli1ed, Canadian troops would mau
tho works aud Great Britain would
have her guubOats on the spot.
ilhat nation has 100 men Of war
witch eau pass through the canal.
Oucs IN Like Ere two Or three VI
thee vessels, could, as things ate II
utrs,nt, destroy tho great lsko cities,
no city IL 70 well situated for deslTuo.
non a. Chicago. A gunOoat or two
could, al The city, send n few shells
iut0 the wAerwOfks and pafalyz' the
water system, anu could then, with
their exploslys pfOleoiiles, sol the city
on IRE.
"Ths Canadian, arc pr soling n
canal from the 81. Lawrence river TO
Georgian Bay. IL 10 10 nauk the
Wclland canal, and Ia case OF war, the
new canal could DO useI as passage
tor gunboats Into the great lakes.
There should DO II least nilsen AmeTl-
eau torpedo gun boats on the lakes Tor
the protection " the elites. II We
cannot keep the boats IN commission
Ia times VI peace, on account VI our
treaty with Great Britain, let tLem DO
kelt 10 tho drainage canal, when II IL
completed, or Ia some other inland
waterway, from which they eau be
quickly tTaniIOfted to point where
they eau defend Chicago and other
isku cities.
Chicago spends about 100000 IN
fire insurance premiums every year.
y Ia m nj NJ
IRE ITUtt clion ami for Its national
guard. La comparison TO amounts
thus spent, 81, OJ0, 900 seems but little g.
be expended when It Ia known that
lie ludiUiOus placing wsuld secure thu
safely VI our great lake cities almost
lvyOud dOuBl.
1.-Two Notifications coul DO erected
on 81. Louis river. rhVy could DO sup
pied with II, OF 8 iuoh guns, viii
disappearing Eun cafTiagss. with
MY or sixty feet OF sAuJ, VI with thirty
feet OF eyuoiete, these lotts would be
proof against suy guns which could bt
carried ON gunboats whose draugnt II
light enOu. IA 10 enable them to come
up the river. The guuboat which sue
ceeded IN passing one VI these l0fu
would not be nkeiy TO get by the sec
Uuu. F0TtiiloaliOus Of the same kind
should be- built Mt Detroit"
Lieut.. Thompson illustrated witt
GTawiugr tbs new heavy ordnance will
which It IL proposed 10 defend our se
coast, lie described tue mAuuiactuf,
Of the heavy steel UteeGh.londing rltirs
this steel uftets and tue ioTtinCaliuui
fof tue m1ftafs. II IL proposed 10 maxi
altogether 100 Tifits Of rs, II, 10 ami
ineh calibte-. Tue appropriation Is 4
be available at the rate Oi SlO,OOO,OO
year. There are twonly'eIgnt port
to he fortified.
Tue speaker showed map giving hi
solution OF the defense OF New fJil
harUor. Hs also told why people wet,
mistaken ~ supposlng the navy, who's
work was properly offensive ralhe
than defensive, could defend the coast
without the aid Of iorii foAtions. n
also said that n torpedo system withou
a backing Of batteries was well nigl
useless.