Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-29
REPORT OF GEN. WILSON
PROGRESS IN CONSTRUCTING COAST
DEFENSEs.
Proposed River and Harbor Improve.
ments-Need of Increased
Engineer Corps.

ments-Need of Increased
| Engineer Corps.
The important subject Of coast defense Is
the first considered in the annual report of
Gen. j. NJ. Wilson. chief of engineers, and
generally he has to report most gratifying
| progress in the execution of the various
projects during the last fiscal year. Be
| cause the report included the fiscal year
only, the subject of the destruction Of the
Galveston defenses by the September hurri-
| cane Is left for treatment in a subsequent
| report.
Up to the present time thirty localities
have been selected for defense on the coast
| No formal projects were added to the list
| during the past year, but preliminary prof.
| ects have been framed for the defense Of
| the entrance to Chesapeake bay, and the
| defense of several other localities Is under
consideration. Consideration has been give
| u the subject of coast defenses for Porto
| Rico and the Hawaiian Islands, and in view
| OF the Importance Of these island posses
| sions Gen. Wilson says active measures
| Tor their defense should no longer be de-
ferred A detailed project for the defense
| Of the harbor Of San Juan de Porto Rico
| involves an estimated expenditure of 81 800
| 600. Preliminary projects for Pearl Harbor
and Honolulu are also already available and
| ready for execution as soon as Congress
| shall appropriate the funds. The great
| changes in the character of guns and armor
and ships since the Endicott board framed
| the coast defense plans now under execu-
| ton have involved corresponding changes
| In those plans. The tendency toward re-
| duction In the caliber of guns, together
| with the adoption Of a successful type of
| disappearing gun carriage for twelve-inch
| guns, has rendered unnecessary the armor
| for forts originally planned and now in
| use In Europe. There has been also a re-
| duction in the number of mortars and
| considerable strengthening Of the batteries
| OF secondary guns owing to the develop
| ment of the rapid-fire type, almost I'M
| known at the time the Endicott board made
its plans. These changes have resulted in
marked economies without sacrifice of the
| strength Of the defenses and they will be
| continued
Effect of War With Spain.
| The war with Spain had the effect of
Fastening the work on the coast defenses.
| and now, ten years after the work
| began in earnest, the chief of engineers
Is able to report that so per cent of the
defense work is complete. Twenty-Five of
| the principal harbors of the United States
| have now a sufficient number of heavy
| guns and mortars in place to offer an eff
fective defense against naval attack. Elk
| listing projects contemplate the mounting
| Of about 4SO heavy guns for seacoast de-
| Tense, of $50 rapid-fre guns and about 500
mortars at an approximate total cost of
vision has been made for the emplace-
ment of 800 heavy gus 1858 rapid-f1re guns
and 372 mortars. The armament placed
during the Spanish war in temporary en-
placements will be transferred from time
to time to permanent works, but the tenn
porary works will be held In reserve for an
emergency.
Attention Is invited to the urgent need
for an increase of the artillery arm Of the
service, which is now too small to take
care Of the costly and complex defense
works.
During the past year negotiations have
been in progress for the acquisition of for
LITIGATION sites in Boston harbor dwo sites),
Narragansett bay 1.-TWO sites), New York
harbor Extension of Fort Wadsworth),
Port Royal, S. c.; San Francisco and Rich
Passage, Puget sound. but the proceedings
are slow owing to legal difficulties. The
most important sites are those at Boston,
and the one in New York harbor rendered
necessary by the construction of the pro-
posed deep water entrance.
the work accomplished at each defensive
point during the past year.
Defenres of Washington.
In regard to the defenses of Washington
CITY, in charge of Lieut.. Col c. J. Allen,
Corps of Engineers, the report says:
Eat the close Of the fiscal year 1900 there
were completed empacements for six ten
inch guns three eight-inch guns and two
four-inch rapid-fire guns. In addition there
were under construction emplacements for
eight twelve-inch mortars for two six-inch
guns on disappearing carriages, for two
five-inch rapid-fire guns on balanced pillar
mounts and for five fifteen-pounder rapid
fire guns on balanced pillar mounts. 1t Is
expected that all of these will be completed
during the next fiscal year, provided the
necessary armament is received.
-Four battery commanders stations, per-
tanning to the approved system of fire con-
troll. under construction; also an cleo
trio light and power plant for the battery
Of eight-inch guns.
"a number of necessary repairs was made
to the batteries, buildings and wharf.
1.-THE torpedo material was regularly in
spected and kept in repair"
Estimates.
The total Of the estimates submitted on
account Of Notifications for the next year
is S. 715,OOO, and of this amount the sum
of S4,71O,OOO is on account of the construc-
ton of gun mortar batteries and position
finders.
General Wilson makes an earnest plea for
the reinforcement of the engineer corps,
which has been overtaxed by the addi-
tional work required on account of the ad-
dition of new territory.
River and HarbOr improvements.
The second section of the report treats
Of the river and harbor improvements of
the country, for which estimates for the
fiscal year ending 1902. aggregating 2O.OOO.-
0OO are submitted. to which are added
100000 for surveys and contingencies,
So, $780, 900 for the Mississippi river commits
sion, s1.O40,OO0 under the Missouri river
commission, $4,000 under the California
debris commission, and $72,SO0 to prevent
deposits in New York harbor. The expen-
ditures for the year ending 1900 were $1S,-
4s5, 29S, which does not include 1925, 900 paid
to the Eads estate for maintaining the jet
ties at the mouth Of the Mississippi and
$61,O0 for surveys and examinations for
canal from the great lakes to the Atlantic.
The report is review of all the work
done during the fiscal year. and refers es-
pecially to number of important subjects, |
including the Chicago drainage canal, Pearl |
harbor. Hawaii, and the proposed Memorial |
bridge connecting Washington and Airing
ton.
OF the Chicago drainage project the re- |
port says that all the interests affected |
cannot be satisfied, and the subject must be |
referred to Congress for ultimate settle |
ment
AS to the lowering Of the water level of |
the lakes, Gen. Wilson says that investga- |
tons made under the direction of the deep |
waterway commission and by others may