New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-01
HARBOR FORTS INSPECTED
WORK AT FORTS WADsWORTH AND HAN
COCK UNDER GEN. MERRITT'S EYE.


MORE BIDS FOR ELECTRIC WIRES INNlTED-A
CORPS OF EXPERT ELECTRICIANS ORGAN
lied FOR EMERGENCIES - MORE
GUNS GOING SOUTH.
Nator-General Merritt paid an Official visit yes
to-day 10 Fort Wadsworth, on Staten Island, and
personally inspected tho fortihcaons and the con-
dition % the offences. lie Will 20 to-day 10 for'
Hancock on Sandy Hook. and proposes TO WISH ID
turn all the defences of the Harbor OF NeW-i orN'
including those at the throat Of the sound Gen
eral Merritt found that the big guns at Fort
Wadsworth were all in place, that the storehouses
were filed with ammunition OF all kinds Tor the
mortars and rifeG cannon, that the electrlca' APP
paratus had all been installed for connecting ne
ranGe-nnders with the gunners. and that the WORK
was in II forward state OF preparation Tor the ne"
telephone and telegraph connection by submarine
cable with Forts Hancock and Hamilton Ihere IS
already a three-wire cable across the NarroWs be-
tween the forts which jointly defend the passage
into the Upper Bay, and this will be doubled wheh
the new cable is laid. The new connection win
Sandy Hook Will supplement; the Commercial 'apie
Companys line to that point
AZ the Ouartermasters Bureau a contract WAS
awarded yesterday for the transportation Of eight
Finch mortars from Sandy Hook to Suilvans
Island in Charleston Harbor South Carolina
Their total weight is two hundred ana thf'! wv
thousand pounds and the cost or transportation 10
Charleston will be nearly $1,000. The Seaooaro AIT
Line and Pennsylvania companies have the con-
tract.
An Army officer said at headquarters: III Spain
IS gaining by delay. we are certainly losing nothing
We are doing n vast amount OF rush WORK ."
hurry orders. and the rush Is by no means o'''
There are many thrty-day and sixty-day contracts
made under tho recent appropriation. ana men are
working day and night to I'll them
10 lion of signal
Give out specifications to-day for a large amou''
OF overhead and underground wire for use N INC
various forihcatiors the seacoasi to add 10 ana
complete the electrical apparatus. Inc dos VIII
be received until ?. m. on Monday NpIl' - N"o"
they will be opened by the CHIEF Signal Oiicer' III
Washinston The proposals sought at Governor
Island are for a quantity OF aerial and underground
cables and naked wire What is wanted includes
one twisted pair OF aeriai wires. The bidders, 10
specifv the earliest time within which the hist
five miles can be delivered. ana the remainder III
nve-miie lots. mp to one hundred miles TWO twiS,sn
wire underground lead-covered canes MIN VA
time in which the FIRST five miles Will be dehyereu
and up to sixty miles in hye-miie lotS, anu S So
three conductor. underground. lehd-coN'led 'a"'r,
in hve-mile lots. up to WENT Les. " most
OF this was be used for connecting range -ndeis
with the firing squads at all forts. som" Wouu
electric lights and other electilcaI puipoS 'n, ~
was learned yesterday that large dho1"s y.
contracted for TO be finished within me mex rtH
days and that there was much on mana IN 'e"u'-
ness FOR use -. 80 o-oort-,,io,
OF expert electricians has been iorined 10! enc
cency work of the Government In case or can
or tSeiT services II was said that three companies
Of 6fty men each had been organized In tnls ely,
and a like organization formed IN Boston. Ire
movement was started by men formerly in tAe IN
gineer Corps Of the United states, ana no" en-
Slowed nv the electric light. telephone and teeSrap
companies These will form vaiuabe ai)uhS;
to the regular army force The orsanlzatloh u Sall
10 be- largely formed from the employees 81 me
Western Union and Postal Telegraph companies
the New-York and w-Jerscy Telephone COMPANY
and the Edison and other electric light companies
The men are differed and the duties OF 'i,h a.
signed go that II emergency call IS iss"tu "a
can take a kit Of tools and proceed 70 ASSIST ~
LAYING wires FOR submarine mines. equPplns sraIVi-
lights and maintaining telephone ana lel"sIHPnl'
service They will remain under pay rom tneil r.
spective employees while doing Government DUTY 10
that their places Will not De MED 49, IT,
There will be a transfer OF f'ty men rom mo
r,rginoer CORPS az Wllc;s Point. Long Island 10
Wes, Point today. and "a Ike number 81 men MI
he brought from West Point 10 Willeis Foint. Ihi7
Is for the purpose o, giving tie West rom, i,' me-!
the drill they need IN the works at Nlliets rom IN
where the engineering school is mautalneu. ID,
e.eamer General Megs will take one party up anu
bring tho other down to-day. ,,.,
The house on the property ADJOINING foi 49,
worth formerly owned by J. X Martin mas pee"
demoiished and a new mortar battery ~ 10 Do con
s,-ucfed there There two more houses on w
nrrDerfy adjacent. purchased by the poNti iiHen'
iyo Years ago and these Will have 20 De torn uo"l
a thew are in the OF the range OF w" =, -
which are 20 be mounted at this point as an ai"'-
tional battery.