Evening journal., 1898-04-13
DELAWARE S DEFENCES
Ranges of the Guns at Fort
Delaware and Fort Mott.
ROUGH TIMES FOR HOSTILE FLEET

w EllN y NlllSiAD 4 ~ In A 49,
CITY. CHESTER AND PHILADEL-
PHIA. TO SAY NOTHING OF THE
SUBMARINE MINES.
While much remains to be done be-
fore the defences of the Delaware river
are completed in accordance with the
plans of the National Government,
every assurance is felt by officers OF
the army that the fortifcatiOns so far
completed are sufficiently powerful to
prevent any vessel or fleet of vessels
which Spain might send from ascend
ing the Delaware river and lombard
ing Philadelphia or any Of the cities
above the system OF defences at Fort
Delaware and vicinity The defences
so far as the work has progressed, are
complete In every respect. They have
been manned by batteries of regular
artillery and ammunition and projec
tiles are in the magazines ready to send
forth a welcome of hundreds Of pounds
of armor-plercing steel against any hos
tile vessel which comes within range
The Endicott Fortifeations Board
considered the subject OF coast fortii-
cations very thoroughly thirteen years
: ago, and the batteries under construc-
e.
river are the result Of the findings and
recommendations of that board II
recommended for the defence of Phila-
delphia armored easements barbette
batteries, mortar batteries and subma-
rine mines and the proposed armament
was as follows: Ten 12-inch guns, five
E 10-inch guns, five S-inch and sixteen ~
inch mortars All these were to be OF
the latest type of riled cannon. The
- board also recommended six torpedo
boats for service at this port The esti-
Y mated cost of the fortihcations and ar
, mament. based upon the cost of mate
rial thirteen years ago. was about sA,-
600 0O0, with S360,000 more for the tor
L pedO boats.
n Naturally these recommendations
n have been somewhat modified since the
- report was made, but the work, which
has been in progress for the last three
years, has been In line with the recon-
n mendatiOns, and guns will be added un-
a til the armament Is considered suffi-
~ cent to defend the river against the
=, passage of the strongest battleships oi
:. the world.
q The defences at Fort Delaware and
vicinity not only protect Philadelphia
and Camden from invasion by sea, bu
u Chester, Wilmington, New Castle, Della
y ware City and Salem, N. j., as we'll
~ Fort Mifflin, nine miles below th'
" foot OF Market street, Philadelphia,
Z has been abandoned as a part Of the de
az fences Of the port Of Philadelphia, OF
81 the ground that it is too near the city
e and turned over to the Navy Depart
~ ment which uses its magazines for tn
storage of ammunition and projectiles
- a. cruiser or battleship which coul
ut 1 fta
" shells into the lower part Of the cit
W and work destruction at the League Is
land Navy Yard
Large forces of men have been em
ployed for several weeks at the fortifi
cations at Fort Delaware and vicinit.
n and the work has been rushed in orde
=, to have certain guns ready in the short
w est possible space of time. Three 10
inch guns Of the very latest type
he mounted on disappearing carriages
X have been in place at Fort Mott, TIN
nv battery at Firms Point. on the New
es Jersey shore, opposite Fort Delaware
he for more than a year. Recently II
-st inch gun has been addedan as soon a
ia, another carriage is received a secon
I'd, | Pinch gun is ready and it could b
mounted as soon as sent to the fort
n Emplacements for two 5-inch rapid-hr
he guns have also been constructed and
mt is expected that these may be sent
to the fort any day now.
ed At Fort Delaware the work is not S
far advanced. Emplacements are abou
ms ready for u and S-inch guns and rapl
NE FIRE guns. Little change has been mad
to In the exterior of the old fortificatioT
but the interior has been greatly altere
in order to provide for the mounting G
the modern rifled engines of war. Nor
- than fifteen S-inch rifles of the old typ
=, which formed part OF the original al
q mament of the fort, have been mounte
~ in the strongest part of the old work
~ and. as they are considered very e
- fective at ranges Of a mile OF so, coul
~ be made useful at close quarters
WI necessary.
lmel m Just below Delaware City on n
sso' Delaware shore mortar battery, whic
III has been under construction since La
wv Summer, is said to be practically con
plete There will be sixteen l2-inc
rified mortars in the battery. and everl
thing is ready for eight, the carriage
having been mounted and the mortal
IoI themselves are expected any day.
vas Details about the submarine mir
her part Of the defences are guarded vel
gs- carefully. II is supposed that the mir
" field in connection with these defence
De will be within distance Of eight
ths ten miles Of the forts What there vi
a be further down the bay and at the e.
trance to the bay between Cape MI
~ - and Cape Henlopen is yet to be deve
Se' oped It is said that the mines are a
ready to be planted in the channel, az
when the orders come this can be do
at in few hours. The electrical machi
arp cry, the cables for carrying the cure
orn that will explode a mine and send al
ms vessel over it to the bottom as q
OF Maine was sunk are ready and every d
'lar tail has been made perfect.
sss- Situated at the end Of a cham
me, marked with buoys and ranges, Phil
delphia is much easier to defend than
city located on a broad and deep ba
with a short entrance from the sea. T
5. removal OF the buoys that mark [
eet- channel and the dismantling Of {
loir range lights, if necessary, would rend
the the navigation of the river most diff
f. | ,F fy,,hancefhTa