The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-23


ry IT is, cemented and put together like
mosaic, as all Spanish masonry is
Bar the shock of hostile shot, il viii last
Till the crack OF DOOM but the gunners
who have to serve the pieces when the
stone splinters begin to fly under the Inn
| pact of even 6-pound rapid gun fire win be
in bad plight.
One more battery of precisely similar
combination on the shore half a mile etill
| further west, completes the seeaward de-
| Tense of Havana. II contains four 6-inch
! Hotchkiss rifles. mounted like the rest,
with apparent particular invitation to the
destruction of gunners and garrison by
the fire of even the secondary batteries OF
ships.
Within pistol shot of this last battery is
the llttle cove at the mouth of the Amen
darez river which. so far as landing OPP
erations go, is the key to Havana. Its
sole preteuse to protection is a curious old
castle, which enjoys the distinction Of be-
ing the most ancient edtice OF European
construction la the new world, having
been built early in the sixteenth century,
Here a landing of troops in any force
could be effected without difficulty, and
along the shore lies fine high road and
a railroad, affording an easy route to the
assault in flank of one battery after an
other, and finally to the heart of the cItS
Itself. This however would necessarily
be accomplished only at the cost OF much
| life, for which there appears 10 be little
excuse.
The fatal defect in this whole sytem of
| shore batteries lies not alone in the fact
that they are individually weak, but thai
no one of them supports another.
Hence, a fleet approaching from the
westward could with perfect ease demolish
battery after battery by flank fire. After
this IL would be time enough TO consider
the matter OF landing troops In Almendar-
| en- Cove, and of marching them into the
city along the beach under fire OF the
fleets guns
The question of entering the harbor,
with the consequent risk of torpedoes, may
be ignored until the city is occupied, when
the cutting Of all torpedo cables and the
clearing of the harbor of mines may be
proceeded with at leisure
| In addition to the batteries described,
| Havana possesses two permanent works
designed for the land defense of the city.
| The more important of these, the Castillo
del Principe, covers the high ground on
the western outskirts of the town.
1t serves principally as a military depot,
with barracks, hospital and offices OF az
| ministration While ii might contribute
! In measure 10 defense against an invad-
\ ing army, II offers no obstacle to the at
tack of feet. It's armament is insignif-
can't consisting of a few ancient pieces
! of cast-iron artillery and four modern
mortars of only 6-inch callberSt less i'm
/ portant is the old Castillo de Atares, the
masonry bastions Of which crown a little
knoll on the southern side Of the city. IL
contributes about as much TO the defense
I of Havana as the block houses In Gen.
trail Park does to that Of this city.
The exterior line OF land defense, or the
/ Havana trocha, runs from Marianas. on
the westward, TO Cojimar. on the east, a
distance OF twenty miles or more. It ron
sists of a carefully constructed barbed
wire fence, with block houses at inter-
walls, and is admirably adapted for repel-
| ling the incursions OF wild cattle As
military expedient It Is the wonder of all
foreigners who have seen IT,
| The officers In charge Of the fortidca-
lions of, Havana are evidently impressed
with the idea that the attack Of our feet
| Will be directed against the harbor, for
here they appear to have concentrated
their recent efforts 10 strengthen their de-
| lenses. Whether or no there were any
mines In the narbor prior to the arrival
of the Maine, there is no doubt Of their
existence now, in such numbers as to ef-
fectually block the channel
X Is probably to cover these mines that
Gen. Blanco has within the past two weeks
caused a strong battery to be erected on
the shore opposite the Preside, between
La Pupta and the old battery at the erd
of Cuba street. II is said to mount one
10-inch and two S-inch Honoria rifles, the
fire of which may be directed straight out
10 sea between La Punta and Ell MORO
Throughout the whole system of fortifi-
cations there Is not one piece mounted On
a disappearing carriage. all. with the OK
ception Of the few small mortars. rising
fully exposed above parapets, for the most
part Of simple masonry.