The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-03-18
OUR BOSTON LETTER.
Harbor of the Hub Is Fairly
Prepared For War.


Reasonably Safe From Attack,-Big Guns
and Where They Are Mounted-Valua
ton of the City-Rich Have Grown
Richer and Poor Poorer-Short Ice Crop
In Spite of the Severe Winter-Fund
For Fire Victims Families-Personal
and Dramatic.
Secretary Longs alleged statement:
I'VE are prepared for war, y hnds more
general echo in Boston this week imam
ever before since the Spanish situation
assumed a critical phase. Four weeks
ago, as | said in this letter, we were at
the mercy of any foreign power, last
week we were getting on our feet, now
we may fairly be said to be standing
erect and bold, with our faces toward
the ocean, ready with shot and shell to
make it pleasant for any kind of call
err BY now mean the time that any
foreign power could possibly reach our
shores or before the present week shah
have passed.
The present artillery defenses of Bos-
ton harbor may be summed up in few
words They are: Three 1O-inch rifles at
Fort Warren; three 10-inch rifles at
Long Island; Is 12-inch mortars at Win
throp Highlands. Besides these one may
fairly add two more 10-inch rifles atLong
Island, for they will be ready in a short
time During the course of the week am
munition will be received at the mortar
battery and then all will be in readiness
to give an enemy very warm recep-
ton. OF course, we might be better pro-
tected, but compared with our situation
four weeks ago we are now well pro-
Vided for, the more particularly as the
channels in our harbor are narrow and
the guns have been mounted with a sole
purpose of commanding them.
On our present situation Lieutenant
Ketchum, who is in command of the
mortars at Winthrop, and one of the
best informed as we'll as most modest
of our army officers here, says: II don't
see how a small fleet could get near
enough to do any damage to the city. In
this direction we are four miles from
Boston, and our mortars would prove
effective for five or six miles out at sea.
The immense guns at Long island com
mand Broad sound and would reach a
ship off Nahant. Fort Warren is about
seven miles from Boston and it's guns
would carry the range of effective fire
IL miles from the city in that direction.
With torpedoes in the channel it would
be impossible for cruiser to run past
the forts In order to remove the tor
pedoes the silencing of the forts must
first be accomplished and that could
not be done with anything short of
feet of 20 or rs big vessels. In case of at
tack by such a powerful armament it
might be possible for one or two ships
to run the gauntlet and get into the har-
Dor.
Referring to the often made assertion
that a battleship could shell Boston
without coming into the range of our
land guns, the lieutenant said it was
not based on fact, for he alleged that
1.-The heaviest guns on shipboard are not
mounted on carriages that would permit
OF an elevation sufficient to throw shot
into Boston at distance of much more
than seven or eight miles without re-
coil that would capsize the ship. If
ship came within this distance of the
city she would fall within the range of
our Shells and while mortar fire is not
as accurate as that from cannon, it is
much more liable to produce disaster. L
think a commander of vessel would
be loathe to risk his ship within the
range of our fire, knowing that he could
make no reply of consequence and that
he would be sent to the bottom should
one of our shells explode nearby"
1t is hard to tell how rich a city like
Boston is, but we can easily tell what its
valuation is for taxable purposes as
found by the assessors. Mayor quincy
has lust received the assessors report
for the present year, showing total
valuation of $1,012, 100000 with the sum
of $40, S2S, 079 in property exempted from
valuation for various reasons. The
property returned as taxable is divided
as follows: Marsh land and flats, $46S,
4O6. $50; dwellings, houses, stores, etc.
1886. 453, 700 personal exclusive of bank
stock, $196, 745, 900; bank shares, $11,
GIG. $50. This valuation can be further in
creased 81, 1865, 800 for bank stock assessed
at the several rates of the places where
the banks are located, as the taxes are
DalQ 10 bOSIOIl. lIC AldlilDSi VI "a" NiiAiAS
houses assessed was &C, 947, of which 212I
were vacant, rs hotels, 54S family hotels
AL houses erecting, 1923 stores, 6466 mis-
cellaneous buildings. Quite healthy
town, isn't it?
These figures are significant in another
way. They not only show the wealth o
the city but indicate an advance in the
character of the people of the city ant
its residents. With the city's increase IL
population during the past half-century
there has been a corresponding increase
in wealth and in the number of Boston,
millionaire citizens. Fifty years ag
there were, in the city of Boston, but
people who possessed property to tn
value of 81, 900, 900 and upward; and 81,
OOO, 900 or SO, 600, 900 was then looked upol
as a fabulous fortune. Among the old
time millionaires there were many who's
family names are familiar in Boston to
day as leaders in the community fame'
for their enterprise, charity and refine
ment: whose history has been closet.
identified with the city to whose pros
perity they have so largely contributed
The % persons are now represented Il
financial standing by hundreds and for
tunes of 81, 900 900 or 100000 are n
longer things to be wondered at.