New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-26
FOR JNSULAR DEFENCE.
EMERGENCY PLANS Made
But General Gillespie Suggests TIT
bunaI Like Endicott Board.

Washington oct @-The annual report of Cen
eral George L. Gillespie. Chief of Engineers l. .
A. for the year ended June 30 last. dealing Win
Notifications and river and harbor work. has Deen
made public He refers first to the work OF con-
structing Notifications that has been going on ui
the general scheme of the Endicott Board. anu
adds:
The degree of defence to be provided for coaiins
and other naval stations scattered all over tho
world for the larger naval bases which must oe
promptly established. and for which appropriations
asked of Congress by the Navy Depar
for the ports of Manila, Pearl Harbor ana Hoho
lulu, and for the lake ports and the St La"ionNs'
River should preferably be determined by a triDu,
nal similar to the Endicott Board. as recornneilueu
in my last annual report. In the absence OF esiSi
ton the subject of insuar defences ni&eu
board of engineer and artillery officers. ORGANIZED
by authority of the Secretary of War. has alfeauS
partially considered and reported upon plans loi
the emergency defence of several Of the most IN
portant harbors In the insular possessions. DC
fore these preliminary plans actually eh'e,oco
upon, IL might be well to invite the corporation
Of the navy by the assignment a certain mum
Der of naval officers upon new joint poaru u
army and officers appointed to revise OF gu.
large the preliminary plans of defence heretofore
prepared.
General Gillespie says that projects for deiehce
of thirty-one localities have been approved anu
In addition defences of the Great Lakes and .lle
81. Lawrence River are under consideration nc
adds:
Projects for the defences OF san Juan, IO4'O
Rico; Pearl Harbor and Honolulu Harbor HAWAII
San Luis d'Apra. Guam Manila Bay and Supls
Bay. have been approved by the Secretary OF war;
and actual construction should begin thereon at an
early day. 1t is believed that the time has come
when 1t will be longer possible to ignore the
question of nsular defenCes. The Navy. Depart.
ment is properly insistent that all its important
coaling stations should receive proper defensive
protection to keep off predatory attacks from pos
sble hostile fleets. -
The seacoast sefences of the United States are
somewhat more than 80 per cent conlplettteo;
Twenty-Five of the principal hsrbOrs of the tnIteu
States have a sufficient number OF heavy guns
and mOrtars mounted to permit effective defeIlce
against naval attack. and during the last IhIee
years considerable progress has been MADE IN IN
installa ton of a adequate rapid fre armament
the matter of first importance. ,.,
With few exceptions all haTboTS are now equlpteu
with torpedo storehOuseS. able tanks and service
able mining classmates. Many of the latter are not
of the latest type. and complained OF by the
artillery insufficient in size. AS funds become
available. they will he replaced by more convenient
and commodious classmates
General Gillespie submits totai estimate Oh
SO 3s Notifications for the fiscal year ending
80. 1895.
For the Improvement of rivers and harbors, Cen
eral Gillespie submits the following general eSI-
mates for the next fiscal year:
Under continuing contracts. s1 30 1Ss; rivers ana
harbors. (generaD. $40 so: examinations. sur
veys and contingencies. s3O0.O0o: under California
bris commission $1,000; prevention OF deposits in
New-York HarbOr 1920; enlargement of GOV
errors Island New ork, s20ooo: Mississippi River
Commission, S2545.Gt0.