The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-13
FON NNW HAVNN,s DEFNNC ES.

Ii. IoWnsnenu Uo optaln detenceS TOT New Haven, is the following from the New Haven Palladium of June 26, 1891;
 Congress at its last session passed bill for the erection of two forts for the protection of the town of New Ha- ven and vessels lying in the roadstead. Work on these forts will be com menced soon and energetic efforts will be made by our senators and represen- tatives at the next congress for their immediate completion. The residents of Connecticut are under great obliga- tion to Congressman Wilcox, who has been untiring in his efforts to promote the welfare of everything appertain- ing to his district"
 The Courier of June 30, 1892, under the head of Coast Defences" men, tions the abandoned Forts Hale and Wooster, which are to be replaced by two bomb-proofs, for the construction of which congress has voted $600000." The Courier of February 19, 1892, says as follows under the heading "A Fresh Impetus Given to the Movement for the Construction of Notifications for the Proper Defence of Our Coast" etc:
 ''The scheme for the immediate con- struction of Notifications on the island at the eastern entrance of Long Is- land Sound has received a fresh inn petus from the efforts made by a dele- gation from the committee on fortifi- cation appointed by the Connecticut Board of Trade and also by the New Haven Chamber of Commerce. | The committee from these very inn | portant bodies was represented in Washington, D. C., Saturday by Cap ] tain Townshend who with United | States Senator Hawley, chairman of | the military committee of the senate, | called on the Secretary of the Navy General Tracy, and had a long confer ence, the object being to bring about l a combined effort on the part of the | army and navy to carry on to comple- l ton this great project of fortification | for the protection of the states of New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island | in time of war
 | General Tracy received the delega- | ion with distinguished courtesy and | expressed himself earnestly in favor | of this measure and gave assurance that he would make every effort in his power to cooperate with the Sec | retary of War in the case.
 | Senator Hawley and Captain Town shend next called on General Casy, l 1l,; ;Nf of also very enthusiastic on the scheme They considered the details of the matter with explanations. It is pro- | posed to construct six or eight heavy | earthworks, forts, with gun on lifts | similar to the ones now being con- l structed by Thomas Rowland of the l Continental iron works, Williamsburg, 1 N. Y, and builder of the famous Monitor, which disabled the Merrimac.
 These gun lifts now in course of construction by MT. Rowland are for | Sandy Hook. They include a heavy steel plated turret on the Valiant rock in the Race, similar to one loca- ted back of the breakwater in Ply mouth harbor, England.
 General Casy after giving the dele gation all the information that was proper, gave a list of the different mounts requisite to commence build ing these heavy works. The sum to- tai, $6, 200, 000 Of course the arma- ment equipment will be a heavy item, the guns being from twelve to four teen inches and weighing from seven- | ty-five to one hundred tons each and capable of heaving a shot five or six miles.
 Gardiner's Island is to have a heavy fort to hold the bay, which has more than once been the rendezvous of an enemy's fleet.
 The two forts already ordered built by congress for New Haven to protect the outer harbor made by the break water were also discussed, and Sena- tor Hawiey will soon present bill fo1 their commencement. Senator Haw- ley has also sent in two bills to the senate for s500,0O0 for commencing the Notifications at the race, and being chairman of the military committee oi the senate he will be in a position tc push this measure.
 The Courier of February 22, 1887, had the following in an interesting article on "Our Harbor Interests"
 Another subject of which I would speak: Senator Hawley has been re. quested and will use his best endeav- ors in behalf of New Haven's having some proper defences in case of war He has been requested to make an ef- fort with regard to establishing stee fort on the east breakwater at South west Ledge for our city's protection against an enemy's iron-clad fleet
 Such a fort would keep an enemy's guns outside of the range of the city and prevent our city from being laiG under contribution. The cost of sucf fort is estimated at from one million to two millions of dollars. The loca. tion for such fort on the point men. toned would be first-class, the foun
 dation being of solid granite. It i: proposed that the fort be something like the Bessemer steel forts with ar.
 nor plates of forty inches thickness It should be turreted fort and revol
 wing like the monitor turrets. Such { fort would be a safe protection for oul
 torpedoes, as without it our torpedoe!
 could be easily dredged for and taker
 up by a foreign foe Under cover O
 such fort rams of the Ross Winans
 description and harbor batteries could
 operate against an enemy's vessels
 with perfect safety and success, anC
 they could be perfectly protected un
 der the lee of our breakwater.