The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-02
THE MILITARY MANEUYERS
NOWIN PROGRESS SsBETWEEyOUR
 LAND AND NAVAL FORCES.

the Eastern Entrance to she Sound.
 Captain Charles H. Townshend re- turned Saturday night from New Lon don where he had spent his time partly with his old shipmate. Captain George Goddard, commanding the U $. Light house Steamer Cactus" and afterward with his colleague, Hon. John Ginley, New London's popular postmaster, whose guest he was while making ex- aminations of Fishers Island fortifica- tions and the outlook therefrom in the vicinity where the maneuvers were be- gun yesterday between the land and naval forces of the United States.
 Messrs. Townshend and Mckinley it should be remembered were members of the Connecticut Board of Trade during its first session at Hartford, January g. 1891, and strongly advocated the fortifi- cation scheme which had been set on foot by the New Haven Chamber of Commerce in the early part of the year 1887. They had strongly urged their representations to the National Board of Trade sitting at Washington, D. C., January IS. 1888, to press the great need of Notifications at the eastern entrance of the Sound.
 To preserve the historical record of this matter the following bearing upon the early efforts of Connecticut men to secure these defences is copied yer batim from the proceedings of the eighteenth annual meeting of the Ma tional Board of Trade held in the city of Washington, D. C., January, 1SSS The New Haven Chamber of Commerce representatives were Hon. N. D. Sperry, Hon. James D. Dewell and Charles H. Townshend.
 Page 4234 of the repots under Long Island Sound' is as follows: "The sec retary read proposition VII from the New Haven Chamber of Commerce in regard to the protection of Long Island Sound viz:
 Resolved, That in view of the large amount of traffic, both coastwise and foreign passing through Long Island Sound adequate Notifications should be placed at it's eastern entrance as being the easiest and most direct approach to the port of New York and the harbors of Connecticut.
 There was some discussion as to whether this proposition should be con- sidered by itself, or in connection with the more general one which followed it on the programme.
 MT. Smith, of New York: I think it is very important that this proposition should be considered just as it stands. I have served on a committee on harbor defences in New York and we have had a great many experts bfeore us, and the thought has been that any worthy system of harbor defence, instead of commencing at Throgg's Point, should commence at the east end of Long Isl- and Sound and thus protect New Lon don, Norwich, Bridgeport and New Haven. It is practicable to erect de- fences on Fishers Island, the little Gull Islands, and on the eastern end of Mon- tauk Point that will absolutely defend, so far as such Qualifications can defend, the entire system of cities on Long Isl- and Sound Any system of defence which may be adopted for New York city should commence at the extreme eastern end of Long Island Sound, and that is the idea that should be brought before Congress with great distinctness We want to defend ourselves from San dy Hook and Coney Island, but we also want to begin the system of fortifica- tions on the extreme east so as to de- fend all the cities on Long Island Sound at the same time.
 MT. Townshend, of New Haven: Long syo1o hot be utilized by foreign navies in case of war. There is no part of the Sound that could not be entered by an enemys ships in case of war; there is no part of the Sound that does not afford per feet anchorage; ships could come in un- der the lea of Long Island and there they could prey on the cities along the coast of New York and Connecticut to our very great disadvantage. The Sound could be used for much better rendezvous by the enemy than Gar diners Bay that was used by the Brit ish in the war of the Revolution and of 1872. It is large roadstead and affords protection under the lea of the differ ent headlands in and about the Sound. I think this is matter that will bear discussion, and time should be taken for its consideration. There will be gentlemen here tomorrow who will be ready to talk on the subject and explain it better than am able to do. There fore I move you to have it treated sep arately at any rate.
 MT. Thurber, of New York: MT. Nim- mo, late chief of the Bureau of Statis- tics, has written a somewhat elaborate pamphlet on this subject. He is a na- tive of Long Island, and is very faniil- jar with the topography of that section. On reading his pamphlet I was very much impressed with the feasibility and the necessity of action there. I pre- sume there are other places the in- habitants of which feel the necessity of Notifications, and my only object in ad- vocating the adoption of this resolution as it stands would be because of it's very great importance The Govern ment has heretofore fortified Throggs Neck, which is some ten or twelve miles from New York, but has seemed to overlook the fact that these islands at the eastern entrance of Long Island Sound furnish most feasible and appro- priate places for the erection of forti- fications. In these days of increased