New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-03
PROTECTING THE HARBOR.
NEGLECT OF COSTLY
AND ADVANTAGEOUS PROPERTY.
srcprcy REGARDING IT NOW BEING CARRIED
OUT-NO EASY NATTER FOX rh"N'
ENTER THE HARBoR EVEN UNDER

.1s vou want TO live in peace. be prepafed
eor u,r" is q maxim at least as old as civiiza-
ITO, Tho, has been sadly lost sight OF in recent
vears nv the people and the Congress or the
United States More especially does TINS Apply
70 the grossly neglected condition OF our COAST
defences Recent events have aroused puohc
attention to the dreadfully inauequa'e "e'''
OF defence our seaboard cities present 10 '
eicn foe To no city on either OF our COASTS 'oe'
this apply more fully than to the siea' po'' Va
New-York with it's surrounding millions OF peo-
Pile . .,.
As far back as 1891 the War Department 'oo~
steps 10 acquire lands for additional io'''i'"
tons for this port Colonel g. l.. "'iesp'e' nav
ing charge Of the harbor defences' maue sro"s
representations OH the subject ana aeneu '"''
forts be erected on Plum lslaho' ID "neep'ne''
Bay. and additional cetehces a' ro''
and on Staten Island.
A condemnation commission was appo'n'ed
consisting Of ex-Judge Reynolds ex-Commis-
sioner If Ci,v Works Alfred 7. White ana
Thomas II Terry Ex-unitcd states District-At-
,o,rev Iesse Johnson conducted the case Tor
the Government which lasted nearly hail year
Tho required lands were obtained at an ehor-
nous cost: half. or about fifty acres Oh the
swamp known Plum lsland was secu'e"'
costing $1,000 with $4,000 for irciden'ai DAM
ages TO the remaining half, caused py 'he ereo
lion of the proposed batteries Equally hieh
prices were paid for the Dyker MEADOWS anu
staten Island sites to their owners, ana 'hen the
matter dropped Colonel Gillespie al the near
,nrs impressed every one with the necess"!
for the proposed defences. The Plum is'and
otto was necessary to defend channel running
in from the ocean deep and dangerous th"'
This able engineer declared that II wac possible
m
tho land 10 shell the city Of New York from her
,csitior off Manhattan Beach. The proposed
defences were 10 be mortar batteries. consisting
NJ deem pits built of concrete each containing
a group Of four Pinch mortars These nave
a range of 5000 yards Sixteen Of theee were 10
be erected on Plum Island. the same NUMBER
at Fort Hamilton on the Dyker Meadows SITE
besides an equal or greater number between ro't
Wadsworth and South Beach. on staten lslahn'
These with the Sandy Hook batteries. would
give converging fire through which no snip
ever built could pass
PLANS KEPT SECRET
The land was paid for but 1t was Impossible
~ arouse Congress 10 the necessities OF the case
Year after year has passed by. and the ne"
reservation at Plum Island Is stu haunt i''
lone fishermen. marsh hens and mosqu''oe'
Work has been going on for a couple 81 years u"
hean erected opposite the old Sea View Hotel one
Of the Oldest houses on Long Island. - fac'h'a'e
the work o, the engineers. What this Is If
Nrapped in mystery. ss the utmost secrecy II ~
ing maintained BY the Government officials on
the plans 81 defence and the works no" III Co"''"
! o. construction at Fort Hamilton
. commemorative o, TIL, Tribune called upon
can,ain f. Van Andruss last evening To uN
and ascertain what is b ing done In the way ~
strengthening the defences AT the Fort ne
| commands Battery ~ the let Artillery "hi'h
Is doing garrison duty there. Captain Van An
| druss was graduated from West Pom, IN ls'' AZ"
was present al the surrender OF Lee AZ Npp'-
/ mattox He declined positively. but cour'"ousN'
| 70 discuss tho question 81 coast dcfences In any
/ WAY stating that orders 20 that effect had been
recently issued 10 Army officers lie said
| NV mouth IL closed these points. but
/ hardly imagine that foreign fleet coulh enter
! New-York Harbor just now unscathed. We ar"
| not allowed 10 speak upon these matters a.
! though daresay foreign Powers know all an'n'
our resources. Just "a W" do ABOUT 'heHS. '"'
puroau Of Information keeps NJ posted about
| what other countries are doing "hen ne"
shin is bull, we know lust what her drought IL.
what harbors she enter. what her speed II.
tor constructions her armament and all about
\
canno; tel you about the new batteries, ana
40 . matter ~ fact We Army men don't know
much.
cyan 600 the engineers keep these details all
nre,tv much to themselves II Is their business
! IN SOLICIT sites for works and 70 erect them: 1t Is
tho nroyince OF the Ordnance Department To
furnish us with the guns. and 1t Is ours TO ngh'
| them.
Had Congress for some years past expended
the money on coast defences that II has wasted
In digging out mud creeks Of no eaItnly value
uo would be one OF the best fortified nations in
the world.
| AT the close OF the Civil War this was the
best fortified country in the world az Things
were then but for years nothing was done untii
recently 10 keep up with the ideas Of modern
progress II General Miless suggestion OF
spending 800 900 900 be passed. in eight years
we will be impregnable. There are, believe,
900 900 900 asked for New-York harbor. including
the Sound Az we'll the Sandy Hook entrance
/ This money is intended to be expended In eight
wears AT the end OF that period, and with this
expepdtur.. this harbor would be mpregnablc
| To the combined navics OF the world. II Ia about
time that some action was taken and that the
people were aroused to this state OF affairs.
! Our defenceless coasts are great temptation TO
! European countries, Jealous OF our great sue
cess as nation.
The Spanish affair does not amount TO much.
] She is but tenth-rate nation with no re-
/ sources The mass Of the people are ignorant
! and do not know anything about the vast re-
1 ources Of the United States These cowardly
! Spanish sailors that deserted the Ailsa on
Saturday evening when she foundered outside
| here are a sample Of the lot. But there are
= others Look how Africa Is being divided
Eur-rean countries doubt look greediy on
the rich plains OF South America. and the Nenez-
uelan affair was but the entering wedge. Ii T.
rot cafe for our people to leave the country In
It's present defenceless state: the temptation to
J other nations IL too great. Al the same time.
should trouble come-and ii IL very easily
brought about sometimcs-I do not think
would have to- stand alone. The French aided
us In the Revolution. not that they loved us
4 Il.lao L..