Evening journal., 1917-03-03
RIVER Cities SAFE
FROM ship GUNS
fContinucd' from First Page

should be declared, the mines would
be sowed and the commandant OF the
navy yard would cooperate with me
I'm the matter Of patrol along the
river, distance OF seyenty-eight
miles This patrol would comprise
vessels OF light draught, OF speed, and
similar in every respect to the craft
which Great Britain used for the
same purpose. There isn't a harbor
In the nation. or a city either, that
has better defenses than Philadel-
jhia.
AerOplanes Only Menace.
/. "a ice only scare that could come TO
you people would he q raid by aeroplancs
and seaplanes. These are carried on
battlcships and are released. They have
little military value. the only purpose for
their use being 10 frightcn the populacc.
They have accomplished nothing else
abroad, at amy rate
These tmcc forts arc sixteen miles
below Wilmington and az present are
manuel hv iOn mcn. but iu time of war
there would be al least 1900 artillery
men needed Under the new military
bin. the coast artillery is augmented
onc-nlth OF the increased enlistment
every year. aud under normal conditions
10 would require five years before the
forts had their actual strength IN man
power.
The roticence Of the commander and
the official ban on exact Information
for the public cannot hide some OF
the facts. There arc nineteen mines,
each weighing from ZOO to 1000
pounds, anchored near Fort Mott
ready 10 be sown when the word
comes Of hostilities.
This mine field has already been
plotted, and will be in the vicinity of
the Qualifications This proximity of
the explosives will permit the forts 10
guard them so no enemy craft could
sweep them from the yer. The OK
plos We used is guncotton.
Ono hundred tons Of steel netting a
mesh that stretches across the river.
will be put into place by the first OF
the week. This Is the means by which
the submarines are laid low. and the
steel forming n barrier which the
undersea boats have failed to pass.
The steel nets are a modification OF
the meshes used by Great Britain.
They are held upright in the water by
forty buoys. which keep the upper
edge straight. The lower part of the
net is held firmly by huge anchor
weighing many tons.
VIII Have Ship CAFES.
At intervals in this net wall gales
arc punched. openings through which
ships drawing a large quantity OF
water can safely pass When these
nets are laid the Navy Department
must furnish a pilot for every large
vessel traversing the Delaware to the
sea. II is understood that this U-boat
trap VIII be laid in the narrow chan
mel between Reedy Island and the
artificial island that forms the base of
Fort Delaware. Hostile submarines
would be forced to use this stretch OF
water to ascend the river.
The forts are situated in the form
of triangle. Fort Dupont is on the
Delaware side. Fort Delaware on q
made island in the middle OF the
river, while Fort Mott guards the Jer.
sey shore just below Salem Captain
J. G.. Donovan, with sixty men. com.
mands Delaware, while Lieutenant
/ Reinhold Melberg. with ninety men, Is
in charge at Mott
The primary defensive batteries oil
/ each fertilization are eight-inch anl
twelve-.nch disappearing guns. twelve
I inch mortars and eight-inch rifles
4 The twelve-inch gihes have an ex-
J treme accurate range OF 12,000 yards
while they will carry 10000 This
means that q battleship fleet to shell
Philadelphia would he forced 10 carry
armament that would hurl projectiles
! forty-eght to flfty-two miles.
|. The twelve-inch mortars are mOunte'
four TO the battery. and each fortified
tion has one such battery. They ar
fired from pits. the gunners hidden be
hind concrete wall twenty feet high
They do not see the target Instead
two men with telescopes sight the tar
get. plot the range and telephone the in
formation TO the runners. The prOiec
tilc weighs moro than 1000 pounds Tn
moftars are similar TO the Skodas s.
valuable in demolition Of fertilization
ia Europe They are hidden so well tina
a. batileship would have hard work L
spy them ont.
Have Powerful Searchlights.
Tho eight and twelve-nch rigcs ar
smaller brothers Of the big "sixtccners
which guard the Panama Canal. The
operate by the touch of n lever. :
powerful Is this armament that no poin
on the Atomic or Pacific coast boast
better. In addition there are small
calihcr pieces. such as the iiye.inch, 70
repellng submarines.
Meanwhile pt night. in case Of wal
there are powerful searchlights whic
would reveal an enemy six miles away
In addition 10 these bulwarks tn
new defense BIZ carried with it al
appropriation for the erection of ;
fort az I,ewes. at the mouth OF III
bay This would not be available il
case of sudden hos;ilities. but whel
completed win give this city a watch
dog r 'ght al the sea
Colonel Harris also finds murl
: comfort in the nature OF the land iron
Lewcs to Delaware City. on whicl
Fort DuPon' abuts. Il is marshy AM
could hardly be effective for an,
operations unless considerable TIM
and trouble was spent in drainage Il
make II passable
"A feet might reach this part O
the coast, but you can tell cverybod
we would make Il our business to So
that II came no farther Your city Ina
no more to fear than Gibraltar con
cluded Colonel Harris.
rfnn aat~ rranH o-1sra.