New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-05
nEFENCES IN BAD SHAPE.
~ ASTONISHING STATE OF AFFAIRS
At NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FORTS.
,,,Ss WHICH NOBODY KNEW HOW TO
CARE FOR AND FIRE RAPIDLY
OTHER GRAVE DEFECTS RE-

r.RE FOR AND FIRE RAPIDLY
OTHER GRAVE DEFECTS RE-
PORTED BY CAPTAIN CRozIER.
rpY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuvEl
washington May Am astonishing report
-.os,t,y made by Captain William Crozier now
~ h,s way 10 The Hague OF the members
:. ,,s Peace Congress- on the defences of the
No-th Atlantic Coast has been permitted to
20 the light of day. It discloses a condition Of
.csirs in the Army from purely military point
:, dew compared with which the perniciaus &C
.,,,,v Of the staff bureaus and the results OF
,,st activity sink into utter instgnihcance.
The report OF Captain Crozer was made in
November last. but long before that time some
,rt,,ng Of the manner in which the guns in the
coast defences were likely TO be handled II an
emergency ever should arise to use them was
.,rnished by the spectacle Of a test made late
,r 1897 before committee of Congress near
ave Indian Head Proving Grounds. in which II
rAnulred one hour and flfty-odd minutes by the
watch TO fire three shots from a gun which was
srnnosed TO prevent the approach and passage
q, hostile feet up the Potomac and in the
d,raction of the National capital. The posts
,5s,tad by Captain Crozer were Fort Washing
con Maryland: Sheridans Point, virginia.
North Point Maryland Battery Point Della
ware: Fort Delaware. Delaware River Fort
Mott New-Jersey; Fort Hancock, New-Jersey
Fort Wadsworth New-York; Fort Hamilton
New-York: Fort Schuyler. New-York; Fort Tot
zen. New York; Fort Slocum, New-York; Plum
Island Long Island Sound; Dutch Island, Rhode
leland: Fort Adams, Rhode Island; Fort War
ron Massachusetts; Long Island Head. Massa-
chusetts; Fort Winthrop. Massachusetts; Ports
mouth New Hampshire. and Portland. Maine
CAPTAIN CRozIER's STATEMENT.
Captain Crozier says:
,bave found in many cases that neither officers
,o- men understood what parts OF the guns ana
CO Spat was the proper condition for bearing sur
faces where the bearing surfaces were 70 Te
cSrriages with reference to the stufiins BOXES
filling with oil and proper a6JHstmends OF OF aiten
lively looked after. have many times had dim
Guilty IN gsseS 6r n ns0 st
ions and directions have not been sufnclenl II mas
oeen srfaces and to make repeated examination
and 10 reerate directions In ORDER 10 get 'ne "oA
~ course there have been differences under DIFF
ferent commanders in the character OF the care OIL
cases in which the above criticism would not Apply
In cases failure 10 take proper care ~ hut
in most it has been through lack OF k" His
edge and instruction. / have found a natural us
inclination on the part of officers 10 make thorougn
inspection OF the material when sucn lnspeosioiss
the body in narrow spaces, where contact win on
or dirt has been probable This Discrimination Is
gests the desrabty Of proper working UNIFORM Gb
for officers well as for men OF gun aeSa asb
able and distinctive OF the officer
CLUMSY HANDLING OF GUNS.
There were great differences in the character OF
the drill by different commands but iouno thdt IA
general 1t was lacking in the smartness ana iile
which should characterize such military exercises.
The officers seem TO be without proper STANDARDS ~
performance, and almost no attention was pau be
Tapidity of fire. most essential eIement OF IL ne
successful OF modern batteries men az iSeIv
10 the actual hring OF pieces an eloS o. ~
work often abandoned. and the cha ts ~
the operations had tendency 10 reduce 10 tha' Oh
The incidents induced very trying feeling h oe %
with the conduct of firing The operation OF point
ing by means OF the use OF Inese oa lime re9u;red
being such destroy all efficiency In nring er
s fP wtout ex pe2ience in the operations required
and were generally lacking the necessary number
OF officers for such operations. .
There has been thus far great neglect Of the
subject Of she Roaqs Of q the coa defence Some
Batteries which nave been completed for years
solntaiv unservceabie because Of inability point
the Urortart at a target. OF five mortar batteries
such condition that the mortars could be pointed:
the other three being unserviceaole from lack OF
In the re-esta blishment Of system OF coast de,
fence the artillery arm OF the sepy nee a aen ae
Of competent instruction; the pamphlets. orders
This purpose have not been sufficient. In order 10
instn proper knowledge personal instruction seems
phlets have not been properly studied and in one
case knowledge of the existence OF one OF the most
important ones was disclaimed, athough IL was
afterward found upon casual search IN the eX,
the recent war have deprived the artillery brancn
Of the service of a large number OF its orncers az
necessary I'm getting the commands into proper re-
latons with the new armament Drills have Deen
presence OF an officer although from the fact that
there had been no previous course OF driis ana
there could have been any non-commis sioned o.
ss capable Of properly G9 csE NJ t Ses 1
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION LACKING.
There was lack Of efficient communication he
tween the posts constituting the artillery defences
OF many harbors under the command Of desig-
mated officer For lack Of such means OF commun'-
cation 1t was impossible for the commander TO
exercise the supervision and perform the inspec-
tons and It may be added. administer the ad-
monitons which necessary to the maintenance
Of the efficiency Of the units of the command.
The defences IF Philadelphia. for instance. con-
City on 3 be Delaware al sde Fort beaware in the
Delaware River. and Fort Mott, on the New-Jer
sey side. Thees three posts are in. command or
major Of artillery, who Is stationed at delaware
CITY He has means OF transportation except
across the river at this point wide and often bois
ferrous estuary and under the best circumstances
two-thrds OF day Under these circumstances
The batteries away from Delaware City are LETT
pretty much 10 Themselves. 49, .
Owing TO The scarcity Of ammunition there has
been great lack OF practice with the new ma
teria and I'm consequence this very efficient means
of becoming familiar Herewith has been denied
me officers and men. In places the batteries nave
been built In such positions that the use or the
guns would endanger lighthouses and other struct-
uFes in their immediate vicinity. Practice with
certain guns has been prevented for this reason
Steps should be taken TO remove such lighthouses
rom the dangerous positions which many OF them
occupy
INEFFICIENT ARTILLERY SERVICE.
As general conclusion from observation ex-
terding over several months spent among the sea-
coast fortihcations It cannot be said that the ar
ulery defence is has been recently in any but
an inefficient state comprehensive reason for