The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-11-25
TWO SAFE HARBOKS.
New York and Boston Are Well
Defended.
Hostile Fleets Would Find 1T Diff
cult to Effect an Entrance to
Either of These
Ports.

In these days of war alarms the ques-
ton of our coast defenses has come to
the front; and on this score Boston, ap-
parentlY, has little, cause for uneasi-
ness. The numerous islands make Bos-
ton harbor one of the most easily de-
Tended of American ports; and the for
tifications at the mouth of the harbOr
make it impossible for hostile warships
to project missiles from their heaviest
ordnance as far as the city, compactly
slowed away, as it is, at the head of the
harbor. There is little doubt also that
the defenses of Manhattan and Brook
lyn boroughs are adequate to protect
these chief factors in the Greater New
York from bombardment. An enemy's
fleet could certainly enter Long Island
sound, but 10 would be terribly har-
rassed in its progress toward New York
by mortar stations, and it's troubles
would begin in dead earnest when it
reached the neighborhood of Fort
Schuyler and Willet's Point, with their
great disappearing guns and the
heaviest of modern ordnance, by which
waters for miles to the east Of them.
New York is the second greatest COM
mercial port, being surpassed only by
London, while Liverpool, its nearest
competitor, has now been outstripped
by Hamburg. The time was when the
region Of New York bay was above the
sea, and then the valley of the Hudson
extended far out beyond the present
land limit and the broad valley, eroded
by the river waters, may still be traced
for Is or 20 miles out to sea. 1t plays
an important part in the protection of
New York harbor; for large part of
the sediments from the Hudson and
the sands that are swept along the
shore in the direction of the harbor fall
into this trough and are thus unable to
accelerate the formation in the lower
bay of shoals, which, as it is, grow all
too rapidly for the peace of mind of the
shipping trade.
New York harbor is the best because
thelargestillustration of the important
services which our government renders
to commerce. The earliest work of the
coast and geodetic survey was done in
New York harbor. 1t discovered Ged-
Dey's channel, one of the harbor's most
important thoroughfares. It's seven
surveys between 1885 and 1875 resulted
in many important recommendations.
But harbor work has been much neg
lected in recent years and the mer-
chants of New York are now demand
ing that the Swallowing channels be
deepened to meet the needs of the ship
ping interests.-Cyrus c. Adams, in
Chautauquan.
Gimp waists are quite the rage.
They are tucked and ruf1ed or are
made up of accordion-plaited silk.
Spring millinery is wonderfully at
tractive. The flowers look as though
they might have been gathered from
the garden and hot houses and the
shapes are pretty and conservative.
A pretty gimp is of thin lawn and
lace insertion. Some of the gimps
have the insertion and lace running
from collar to waist line. In others the
trimming. crosses from side to side.
A handsome dress if of brocade in
gray and black. It is made with plain
skirt, wide straps cross over the shoul-
dcrs. This is worn with gimp made
of accordion-plaited India silk in ivory
white.
A check silk in black and white has
black silk rufles down all of the seams
of the skirt and around the hem. There