The record-union., 1898-03-24

beams and angles and deck supports of
the ship could not be withstood, and
the fabric would be wrecked. The line
of recoil along which the energy would
travel may be followed in the minds
eye, and it will be seen as the muz-
zle goes up and the breech goes down
how more and more destructively the
enormous energy of the piece would be
directed inboard and vertically down
ward
SEVEN MILES THE LIMIT AND
RANGE.
Hence the range is limited by neces-
stiles of construction, and we may safe
~ assume that under the most favorable
circumstances the projectile could not
attain greater distance than seven
miles.
With flatter trajectories-that is, with
lines of flight more nearly level-higher
powder energies and extended resisting
powers of gun tubes and mounts, great
er ranges may be secured. What is
more, the zone of safety will be de-
creased, for it may readily be seen that
low flying shot can exert greater de-
struction in its path than a high flying
| one, which, to reach a point, must be
lifted for greater distances so far in
the air as to leave untouched all inter
Vening obstacles. This is what has
| been sought and gained in the small
callber rifle muskets now in use in all
countries, for they send their bullets so
straight, so point blank almost from the
muZzle, that the ground in front of
| their attack practically has no point
where the man of average hight can
stand without danger
No; New York, save for the cow
sheds of Gowanus and the villas clus-
tering on the ridge from Fort Hamil-
ton to Red Hook, is safe from attack
seward
GUARDED AT ALL POINTS.
The approach from Long Island
Sound is equally we'll guarded both
by submerged mines and by the forti-
ffcations at Willet's Point and Fort
Schuyler. The sound between these two
works is narrow enough to command
the approach to the city from this d.
rection.
The entrance from the lower bay is
usually looked upon as the gateway Of
destruction. brief survey Of the
ground will show how fallacious are
the theories of our friend the alarmist.
Long Island protects the city from
the sea, and obliges any naval attack
to depend upon one or the other of
two approaches, both of them exceed
ingly intricate. During the War of the
Revolution, Lord Howe moved his fleet
down to the Lower Bay and took a po-
sition about middle ground between
Sandy Hook and Coney Island. to pre-
vent the entrance of the French fleet,
under Comte d'Estaing. So to-day we
must look to the outer harbor for the
establishment of our main defense.
In the old days fire ships were sent
against the approaching enemy as the
principal means of defense. Now we
have more subtle, more deadly agent
in the submarine mine and the au-
tomobile torpedo.
With the improved Notifications at
Sandy Hook and Fort Hamilton the
peculiar formation of the channels and
the protection afforded by the subma-
rine mines a hostile cruiser would have
a hard time in getting within Smelling
distance of the city The main chan
mel is the only accessible one for large
vessels and this is amply protected by
submarine explosives.
The attacking force would here meet
with unsurmountable difficulties. In
the first place the largest vessels would
have to wait for high tide to cross the
bar, and the previous removal of buoys
HghtShipS, beacOns and range marks
would render the channels almost i'm
possible to find. The works at Sandy
Hook would have a point blank fire
on the entrance to both the main and
the SWash channels. The East Channel
would be under the direct fire of both
Coney Island and Sandy Hook.
SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES.
1t will readily be seen that the hostile
fleet aiming to attack the city of New
York would first have to run the risk
| of being blown up by submarine mines.
Granting that by the aid of torpedo
catchers and mine destroyers. which
might possibly be sent in advance. the
invaders could overcome that difficulty.
they would then have to cope with our
Notifications.
Passing Sandy Hook only by captur-
ing that point, the next obstacle to pre-
sent itself in the main channel would
be the Narrows, with Fort Hamilton
on one side and Fort Wadsworth on
indeed, that could accomplish the feat
of passing these works. And it would
only be by doing so that the city could
be menaced. The chances of success
would not be one in a thousand.
Six miles is the effective range of a
12-inch mortar. Circles within a radius
of six miles of Sandy Hook and Coney
Island would extend so far south and
a Sf # Tl,O
no ship could approach within eleven
and half miles of Brooklyn without
being under mortar fire.
THE MODERN MORTARS.
And as to the mortars. The modern
mortar differs materially from the old
fashioned affair which was little more
than an exaggerated iron pot The
modern mortar is practically a rifed
breechloading gun, much shorter, how
ever, in length than the ordinary SER
wee gun and much more rapidly and
cheaply constructed. Instead Of throw
ing the projectile directly at the object
aimed at it fires at a very high eleva-
ton, and the projectile plunges down
ward at the same angle, with a veloc-
lty equal to that with which it went
up. An effective range of six miles
is attainable
A moments thought will readily dem
onstrate the fact that in case of an
attack upon New York our defense
would prove much stronger than the
attacking force. We have natural ad-
Vantages, as well as the equipments of
warfare. And while it is, of course.
possible for the invading force to clear
the water of submarine explosives,
those engines of destruction neverthe-