The herald., 1896-01-19

been made for the laying Of submarine
mines and torpedoes. This work has
been done in secret, and the mines
and torpedoes could be made ready for
exploding within a few hours. 1t is
ranged to stretch a cable heavily
charged with electricity from one shore
to another at the Narrows. The cable
would be submerged to depth of fiji,
teen feet, and if the hull of a warship
came into contact with it the vessel
would become SO charged with elec.
tricity that her machinery would be-
come disarranged. This latter plan is
regarded with some suspicion, how
| ever.
Even the submarine mines and the
torpedoes are not regarded with great
favor by high military authorities.
They claim that defenses of that kind
cannot always be relied upon to work
properly, and failure on their part
would be fatal.
| The new defenses spoken of COM
prise four steel turrets to stand upon
the Romer Shoal. The site is peculiar
ly suitable for defensive pdrposes. 1t
lies on a line between Sandy Hook and
Coney Island light, little nearer the
former than the latter. The shallower
parts of the shoal extend about mile
and a half on a northwest and south
west line, with a varying width of from
one-quarter to one-half a mile, within
which limits the average depth of water
at low tide is about nine feet, although
in spots it shadows to three or four
feet.
Close to the southwestern side of the
shoal passes the Swash Channel, avail
able at low tide for ships drawing If
teen or sixteen feet of water. A little
! more than a mile to the south runs the
main channel, where there is supposed
to be constant depth of thirty feet or
more. About two miles to the south is
Sandy Hook. The shallow East Chan
mel is about half mile to the north,
and four miles to the north is Coney
Island. The shoal lies in an admirable
position for commanding all the chan
nels.
On line running about east-north-
east and west-southwest, across Romer
shoal, according to this design, four
| steel turrets are to be set up. The old
| method of building a foundation in
shallow water by throwing down loose
| rock and then placing concrete blocks
on top of this riprap work will prob.
ably not now be adopted. 1t is expected
that steel piling will be sunk to take
the weight of the forts, and these piles
will then be connected by steele plates
until the water can be pumped out.
| Ample space below the lowest tide
level will thus be secured for machin-
cry, magazines and quarters.
| Upon solid foundations will then be
erected sloping barbettes, above which
will be revolving turrets. The backing
of both barbettes and turrets will be
! much more solid than that which can
be given to similar defenses on board
ship, and there is every probability that
the forts will be absolutely invulner-
able to the heaviest ordnance mounted
on any ship of war. AS the barbettes
must extend several feet below the
| lowest low water mark, and also sew
eral feet above the highest high water
mark, it is proposed to face them with
cement so applied as to protect the
metal from the corrosive action of the
salt water.
ing machinery. The thickness of the
relative status of armor and the gun at
the time when the forts are ready for
their steel protection, and-to a certain
extent-the calibre and length of gun
will be dependent upon that relative
status. 1t is to be expected, however,
that the four forts will contain eight
of the most powerful pieces that can
be made.
| The alignment of the forts ia such as
to enable all of them to command the
approach to the main ship camel and
to sweep the whole front of the bay
entrance. With such battery in place
| the ocean bottom from Navesink lights
! to Ruckaway Beach could be made a
great mine field, and hostile fleet
could have little hope of clearing way