Connecticut western news., 1896-12-03
THE COAST DEFENSES
THE ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY
 OF WAR LAMONT.
The War Departments Elaborate Plan of Fortifestions and Armament - United States to He Put In Position to Quickly Repei a Possible Invasion-

WASHINGTON. Dec. s.-The annual re- port of the secretary of war, Daniel .. La mont, has just been made public. It shows that the expenditures of the war depart ment for the fiscal year ending June 30 last were s51, sos, s96. 62; the appropria- tions for the year ending June 30, 1897, were S54, o44.2 20 and the estimates for the year ending June 80, 1898, s52, SSS, 3SS 20. The aggregate of appropriations for this Gs partment unexpended and turned into the general fund of the treasury at the end of the last fiscal year was $l, 915, 0S3. or. For the year 1895 1t was sl, 764, 467. sS, and for 1894 it was sl, ,3S7, ,9ss. s1.
 The number of enlisted men in the serv- Ice on Ocr. 3l was 25. 4s6, or 2S4 less than the number authorized by law. Deducting the sick, those absent on furlough, recruits not joined. the men employed in the staff departments and on detached service, the effective field strength of the army on that day was 22, SS2 of all arms, The number of officers of the line is 1,6l9. Of these 13O0 are serving with their regiments and 3I9 are on detached duty.
 In no previous year of the history of the army has the health of the troops been so satisfactory as during the last fiscal year. Each soldier was sick 1s. days, as against l a record of 15 for the preceding ten years.
 
 require their discharge from service was g. l5 per ,0O0, as compared with 2S. 7T an nualfy for the preceding ten years The | mortality rate was ,. .16 per l, 900 of mean ! strength, as compared with 7.S5 for the preceding decade
 The National Guard Referring to the national guard, the re- port says:
 | ..rhar, ara ,.1r os sr,,,r ofssoars r>sx,,lar ly assigned to state headquarters, and in | addition to these Sl officers have been de- tailed on temporary duty during the past year st state encampments- All concur in reporting a steady improvement in the | training and efficiency of the militia | Camps of instruction were held in S1 states, and In several instances regular troops were encamped with the militia, | serving not only to furnish an object les son in matters of detail, but also to pro mote cordial relations between the regular | and state forces.
 The total number of officers and men comprising the organized militia of the states and territories is shown to be | 111,SS7. The artillery arm, comprising | 4,716 officers and men, Is maintained in S4 | states, and the cavalry, comprising 4,e36 officers and men, is maintained in 26 states. The general government last year | allotted S40O. 900 toward the maintenance | and equipment of the national guard, and aggregate appropriations of 8, 1000, 900 were made therefor by the states and ter | ritorieS.
 1 The Coast Defenses-
 The matters of Notifications and arma- | ment are treated in detail and at consider able length. The secretary asks for an ap- propriation of sl0, OO0, 900 in addition to | k..- rba ra congress for the construction of needed coast defenses, the equipment of new sta l tions, the reorganization of the infantry branch and other improvement in the gen eral service
 In the past year the department has ! made great progress in the purchase of ma terial for the manufacture of great guns and other parts of coast defense equipment and will ask congress that large additional appropriations be made with which to con- tinue work. Contracts have already been awarded for the purchase of 2l sets of 10 inch and one set of 16 inch steel gun forg- ings, costing nearly 6, OO0, 900, and a sec ond contract will shortly be made for as sembling s, 10 and l2 inch guns, costing nearly SI00, 900, besides 66 mortars, costing ! about $500, 900. When the total number of emplacements upon which work Is now progressing are completed, 12S guns of large caliber will be required for installa- ton and 156 mortars, costing the govern ment an even ss, 00O 900 Of the 4Sl guns to be emplaced it is now proposed to mount but IS on nondisappearing carriages. The intensity of the fire delivered from the main and secondary batteries of battle ship is such, the authorities claim, as to make adequate cover for the gunners in shore batteries an absolute necessity. The | experiments, it will be shown by Secretary Lamont in his report, with disappearing | gun carriages, have developed fine type, | about whose efficiency there is no longer a question.
 The full scope that the coast defenses of the country will take is set forth elaborate ly in the report and embraces, Colonel La mont says, about 21 cities so far. with chances that seven more will be added to the list requiring the attention of the na- tional government Of this number, em- placements will be ordered and work pur- sued in the next six months in the con- struction of emplacements at Portland, Me; Portsmouth, N. H.; Boston, Narra-
 gansett Bay, eastern entrance to Long Is
 land sound. eastern and western entrances
 to New York harbor, Philadelphia, Wash
 ington, Baltimore, Hampton Roads, Will
 mington, Charleston. Savannah, Key West, Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans, Calves
 
 of the Columbia river and Puget sound. An Enormous Prrjeet. , This enormous project will require, the
 secretary report shows, 4S1 high powered , guns, excluding the great Is inch gun for : which the authorities have been endeavor-
 ing for years to secure an appropriation. | The emplacements are to be located by the ] engineers with a view of enabling the guns to throw a line of defense at a mini l mum of 5 to 10 miles from the place de
 tended and to give the guns in most in
 stances a clear sweep for at least 12 miles. The engineers will require further that the
 guns shall be so placed that they can con
 centrate upon any one portion of an enc 1 my's vessel fire equal and if possible su.
 perior to the heaviest that can be brought Q 10 bear from the most powerful hostile fleet = which could attack the position To hold : the fleet under fire of the guns and prevent
 them from running the batteries the pro-: k ect, the report says, requires complete
 system of submarine mines, so planted d:
 to close all nayigable rivers to an enemy = while offering no obstructions to friendly commerce. These batteries will form on, ' of the most formidable features of the coas
 defenses of all cities and upon them in s
 great measure several of the big cities vii
 depend for their safety from invasion should the shore guns be unequal to hole
 the feet outside. To protect the principa
 cities and harbors on the navigable water
 of the coast the report says that over (, 00' = mines and 10, O0O mortars will be used [. 1T prevent an invading feet from occupyin; an advantageous position.
 }. Torpedo Boats Ready For Trial @ NEWPORT, R. l., Dec. 2.-Commande It Converse, president of the board which J. supervising the construction of torpsd l. boats Nos and : at Bristol, has aske l. the department to appoint board for th n trial trip of the former, which is no' t. ready. It is said the boat will develop
 speed of 27 to 30 knots