New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-11
MERRITT TO GO SOUTH MONDAf.
ARTILLERY OFFICERS TO BE EXAMINED Al
GOVERNORS GSLAND-CoLoNEL LUZ
LOW ON NETWORKS DEFENCEs'

LOW ON NEW YORK'S DEFENcEs'
81 shall start on my trip TO inspect the lo''''o
lions upon the seacoast Of the southern '"''
Monday next" said General Wesley MerI''' "
reporter Of The Tribune who met MN AZ '"e So
rerrv sta,ion NJ the elevated railroad yesterday
afternoon. He was about 10 go uptown, "i''' - 20,
ing his headquarters. on Governor ls''"'' 49,.
itinerary Of his trip. which will take ABOUT io''
night provides FOR going direct 10 Oh N"' ~,
From there he will proceed TO Key WeT', """ ""
visit In turn all the dofenccs on 'H' r'"
He will 20 on UT the coast Of Georgin ana also 10
the forts defending the harbors OF south carohn'
and North Cnrollni He may Visit ror' MN. 49,,
and tho defonces on tho Potomac River, put inc
rsnoc,ion Of the hitter Is likely to he deterreo @
he goes TO Washington later In the season' i'''"
tenant Strother will accompany him.
General Merritt said that arrangements were
hoi,g nade for the stationlng OF the TWO new
ortiIIerv regiments at Fort Monroe ana NJ for'
Socum A Board Of Examination Tor aru'ie'S o''
GERS will shortly convene on Governor 'S' -
NH, oors,s, ~ three officers Of the line and two
surgeons Colonel John l. Rodgers. VINO co'n"'anu'
tho eth Artillery ut Fort Hamilton. and - on 'h'
department staff ut Governors Island, Is the press
dent Of the BOARD Twentv-eight officers VIII DC
oxan,ned The places to be filed in the new reGi-
ments call for the following officers; TWO coione'
two lieutenant colonols. six majors. twenty-'o"'
captalns fourteen first lieutenants ana tweNe SET
ond lleutenants There are now enough ileuteHa"'s
10 properly equip @omc OF thf l"eH'S-i'"' -
non,cs which are being recruited II Is expected
H., Tho ranks will he filed in n few days and the
regiments will begin their military instruction IN
camp o..
Lieutenant Colonel William Ludlow. United states
Corps Of Engineers said 10 tribune iepo,'
Yesterday afternoon: The life or the Nation mas
hoen insured for s-0cO0GO by the action OF 'o''-
gress We have that additional assurance as"'"9,
an outbreak Of hostties have never oeneveu
no world have n war but this makes assurance
doubly sure" $1,000,
How much Of tho money do you want for add'.
tlonnl fortified atoms the senhoard? was askeu %
Colonel Ludlow. who has genera c""'be - '"'
defences OF Network Iiarbor. "
AS much as can get The P'ans uhps 1 49,
wc are now working called FOR an expenditure "a
about s2ocooooo OF this sum Congress mas appro-
priated from 81 10000 to S20O00@o we nave uVN7
what We could with the money aVa''aDle, H'e
hovo been secured and modern guns nou'iteu '"'''
ave bcen prepared for much more WORK IMAM VIZ
have vet been able to do l suppose that fu'ly ~
- oo,, ,vouid have to be added 70 the original
estimate Of cost owing to improved ordnance anu
explosive , ,-o- x-or,
"Iow much more ls needed 70 make New-iorK
Uarbor impregnahe?" was asked
..Take what we now have and multiply IL by FOUR
~ ave and we could bid defiance 10 the world'
NAw-york ls the most important point In the coun'
try 70 he defended a foreign nation would strike
first at the commercial capital Here the must
humiliation and loss could he inflicted 30 hefe We
should have the most adequate means n ID modern
machine guns at the Hook Foft iiamit b IN, Inv
Fort Wadsworth down the BAY ana on ' re, near
side M the sound and no warship can Set mo- ND,
enough to reach Manhattan They mlgn. uiTp ,o o.
or shells in South brooklyn or at Coney Island
but not any nearer the centre OF tho metropol1s,
But we ought to have more batteries on ,ssi nndGy
on Sa dT nropertv purchased few years ago ad-
Joining the Fort Hamilton reservation an" ali
protect Coney Island. We ought TO nave more
property up the Sound for addluqha o"tSe'% nnrtb
Sands Point and other heacland, or the i ~,
shore of Long Island. east of Wiles Pon r Ing,
property Is now ,b nn9'G if sSmebod y puts million
dollar hotel there and the Government has TO con-
denim IT to get ss DPW ho s We now own
We shall occnpy Romer Shoals some Gay VIII" Il
W he sg snGh s sg nov Soh SsnF ud mSse be
year before that question Will come up. il won h
be able shoot much II any, tTrnfr tns" pr te
teciie - about the same. ana that ia what deter
mines the range. Our offences now nay " TheiT
l5nch guns can't be elevated so as to carry over
seven or eight miles. We can shoot nine OF IL"
mus et ~ us have E money enough to carry out the
plans We have already made ana We ca" uei' '"'
-S Rot so much ACTIVITY prevailed Yesterday as on
other DAYS recently at the ordnance WhhFt OH
C;oyernors island a. most OF the forts have been
fully supplied with reserve anmunltl.n, Dut "nct
III" supply in hand is renewed mofe shipments
viii he made to points where new guns VIII soon
be ready. IL was denied yesterday that any guns
had boon completed I'm their emplacements at fort
Hamilton and turned over to the artillery forces N
the last few days. An officer in chargc salq mat
the last completed ones were turned over I'VE OF
six weeks ago and more would he ready Tor
scne tine Tho recommendation Of the War De
partment that cables be laid for easy ana speedy
Communication bv telegraph and telephone from
the Governor Island headquarters to the various
forts ie one which L. most heartily approved BY an
the Army officers stationed AT headauarters Ihis -
eomcthing we have long needed" said one Of them
To b, sure We can communicate in roundabout
wav through tho general telephone wires with tho
nearby forts hut We need direct submarine wires
10 Staten Island. Long island and Sandy Hook
II would not cost much 10 lay and maintain them.
and in case Of emergency they would be lnvalu-
able I hone that Congress will now make the
necessary appropriation, and give what
want We have 10 take advantage Of tho present
feeling not from any idea that here il 10 be out
break OF hostlllties. but TO get what need and
" hich Congress Ignores m Ordinary times For
thirty years wo have hocn trying 10 get the port
n New York properly fortified thai there need
he no fear Of a levy by foreign Zoe upon the
wealth Of the er at city. In which centres
Of tho interests of the Nation. We have secured
this in part and want 70 complete tho
work and have everything in readiness for
whatever arises. That is the part OF wisdom and
prudence and the expenditure required Is wholly
justinable."