Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-07
THE PROPOSED DEFENSE RoNER sBoAL-

ize the president to appoint a board, con-
sisting OF three engineer officers of the
army, to report upon the feasibility and
Fischer has made q careful study OF the
matter and has prepared rough prelinni,
nary plans and designs for the location
of the battery and the projection Of the
guns and magazines.
Calculations made for Mr.. Fischer by
the officers of the coast survey show that
there are thirty-five acres included within
the line of Romer shoal, making a depth
Of six feet or less. and that, owing to the
abundance of material right at hand. this
could be filled up TO three or four feet
above high tide at comparatively little ex-
pense. Mr- Fischer proposes to place three
turrets. carrying two 16-inch guns each,
on this thirty-five acre artificial island.
The turrets he proposes are of the turtle
back type, largely used by both the French
and Germans along the Franco-German
frontier. They are to be constructed upon
strong foundations Of concrete. inside OF
which will be subterranean chambers for
working the guns and turrets. The ex-
terror of the bases of the turrets is to be
protected by embankments of stone and
earth, which will leave nothing exposed
but the turtlebacked tops These embank-
ments will slope away very gradually to
the water line around the margins Of the
fill At a suitable place on the island q
magazine is to be located entirely under
ground, protected by armor and earth
works, so as to be safe against attack.
whether by direct fire or by plunging shots
from mortars. 1t is to be connected with
the turrets by subterranean passages con-
tanning all the necessary appliances for
handling the charges for the guns.
There is no ship afoat, and none will
probably ever be built, able to Withstand
the fire of 16-inch guns at close range.
and large vessel could not enter New
York harbor without passing within point
blank range of the guns on the shoal Mr..
Fischer proposes to place the guns so that
they all may be brought to bear upon a
channel. Gedney's channel or the South
channel. All large vessels, such as the
battleships of a foreign navy, would be
compelled to pass the shoal either by the
Swash channel or by the Main channel.
Should they attempt to pass by the Swash
channel they would be so close to the bat
would be almost inevitable. Should they
try the Main channel they would still be
within effective range from the shoal, and
would be forced to pass directly in front
of the guns on Sandy Hook. The Sandy
Hook batteries would also be able to oper-
ate effectively against ships passing in by
either channel would be subjected to a
cross fire from the time they came within
effective range of these two powerful for
tifications.
On the opposite side the battery on
the shoal would directly command the
East channel and would be able to stop
any vessels attempting to enter by that
passage, while its guns would sweep all
the expanse of water clear over to Coney
island, and, with the assistance of the bat
teries to be erected on Plumb island, would
craft to attempt to steal through the four
teen foot channel.
Should any vessel by chance succeed in
passing all the defenses of the lower en-
trance to the harbor. the battery on the
shoal would effectively aid the fortifica-
tions at the Narrows in preventing her
going any further. and it would be almost
a miracle IL vessel Should live under the
combined fire of the shoal battery, Sandy
Hook. Fort Hamilton and Fort Wads-
worth, and at the same time escape being
blown up by the submarine mines with
which all the channels would be planted
in time of war.
When Mr.. Fischer goes before the COM
mittee on appropriations to urge that his
bill be Incorporated in the fortifcation ap-
preparation bill he will point out the ad-
vantaSes of the situation as point from
which to control submarine mines in time
of war, and will urge this as an additional
argument in favor of his plan.
Not only would the establishment of a
fertilization upon Romer shoal be of in
estimable value in time of war. but the
filling up of the shoal and the establish
ment of a light and fog signal there would,
in the opinion of Mr.. Fischer, greatly re-