Evening star., 1905-11-06
TO DEFEND THE COAST
Sixteen Million Dollars Nee
essary to Complete Work.
PROJECTS UNDER WAY
ESTIMATES OF GEN. MACKENZIE,
CHIEF OF ENGINEERS.
No Provision Made for River and
Harbors Except Under Con-
tinuing Contracts.

Sixteen million dollars will be necessary
to complete the engineering work of for
tifications of the seacoasts of the United
States under the plans of the Endicott
board. according to the report of Brig. Gen.
Alexander Mackenzie, chief Of engineers
There has already been appropriated for
that purpose SIS. 693, 434. Permanent projects
at thirty-one different points have been
adopted and most Of them are well under
way. Included in the list are: Washing
ton. D. c.; Hampton Roads, Va, and the
entrance to Chesapeake bay at Cape
Henry. The defense of the Great Lakes
and the st. Lawrence river is under con-
sideration.
The estimate for the completion of these
fortifcations does not contemplate anything
more than the projects outlined by the
Endicott board Modern appliances and
additional projects which may be adopted
by the Taft board, appointed last summer
and the Notifications of the inSular posses
sions may increase the estimates when ad
ditional work IS approved by Congress.
Fire Control.
1t is estimated that s4.253, ,364 will be re-
quired to put into execution by the en-
gtneer department the schemes of the ar
tillery and signal corps for fire control of
the seacoast defenses. The report says:
while the general principles of the fire
control system have been satisfactorily de-
termined and adopted, the actual details
on which costs largely depend are still In
a condition of experimental development by
the artillery. and 1t is anticipated that the
cost of actual construction will probably
largely exceed the above sum when such
development is complete.
Work has been progressing on the for
tfhcationS for the defenses OF Manila bay
and Subig bay, Philippine Islands, and at
the naval station at Guantanamo bay. Cuba.
The appropriation of $500 600 for the pur
chase of sites for Notifications in Hawaii
has been expended satisfac torily.
Negotiations have been continued for the
acquisition of one site at the eastern en-
trance to Long Island sound and of a tract
at Mobile, Ala. A tract on the Kennebec
on the Columbia river. Narragansett bay
and Puget sound were acquired during the
year.
Gen. Mackensie's Estimates.
The toal estimates for fortIfcations works
under the engineer department for the fiscal
year 1907 amount to $11, ,424, 153, divided as
follows:
Construction of gun and mortar batteries,
81 900, 900; undermining older emplacements
$492, 500; sites for fortifcations and sea-
coast defenses 100000; searchlights for
harbor defenStsS, So0J,OD0; protection, preSer-
walton and repair of fortf1cations, $500, 900;
preparation OF plans for fortifications, So
coo; supplies for seacoast defenses, $4,000;
sea walls and embankments. $215,900; sea
walls, defenses of Galveston, Tex, 81, 433,-
953; casemates galleries, etc, for SUBJ
marine mines, $40. TOO; preservation and re-
pair of torpedo structures, $4,000.
Defenses of insular possessions-Seacoast
batteries, Manila. P. l., s2,000.000; seacoast
batteries, Subig bay, Philippine Islands.
$500. 600; hanbor, Hawaii, S52oOOO; procure
ment Of land for sites for defenses Of the
Hawaiian Islands. 1926. 100.
River and Harbor improvements.
Expenditures on river and harbor i'm
provements in the United States reached
500, ,3S3. .623 That does not include $2,26 :
073 under the Mississippi river commission
and s97,575 for the enlargement OF Gov
ernors Island, New York. No estimates
are made this year for river and harbor I'M
provements save those provided for under
continuing contracts. That amounts to
SIT 458. sol, to which Is added $S5. .260 to pre-
vent deposits In New York harbor and
$4,000 to be expended under the California
debris commission, and also an estimate OF
81 0000o0 for the mississippi river commits
4 sion.