DEFENSES OF NEW LONDON HARBOR AND NAVY-YARD-continued. Fort Griswold, New London Harbor, Connecticut, in charge of Lieut. Col. Walter McFarland, Corps of Engineers.-This is an open barbette earthwork, on the east side of New London Harbor, opposite the city of New London. It was begun in 1840, as an auxiliary to Fort Trumbull, and from its commanding position on Groton heights, 80 feet above the sea, it overlooks every part of the harbor. It has positions for sixteen guns, eleven 10-inch Rodmans and five 8 inch Rodmans; but under an approved plan of the Board of Engineers this battery is to be fitted for eight 15-inch Rodmans, the estimated cost of which is $48,000. No money has ever been appropriated or allotted for this purpose, and nothing has therefore been done towards making the alteration. No work has been done upon it during the past year, and it is now in very good condition. There is no garrison at Fort Griswold, an ordnance sergeant being left in charge of it. No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886. DEFENSES OF NEW HAVEN. Fort Hale, New Haven, Connecticut, in charge of Lieut. Col. Walter McFarland, Corps of Engineers.--This is an earthwork, built near the close of the rebellion, situated on a point on the east shore of the harbor, about 2 miles below the city, at the water-level. It is a temporary work, and is rapidly falling down. Its site is valuable in a military sense only for a small work, to be used against small vessels that might enter the harbor. No project for rebuilding it has ever been made. No work has been done upon it in the last year, and no appropriation is asked for the next fiscal year. DEFENSES OF NEW YORK AND THE NAVY-YARD AT BROOKLYN. 1 Fort Schuyler, East River, New York, in charge of Lieut. Col. H. L. Abbot, Corps of Engineers.-This work and the opposite fort at Willets Point are our only dependence for closing the harbor of New York City against attack from the direction of Long Island Sound. The existing works at Fort Schuyler consist of an old masonry fort, planned half a century ago, and of three incomplete and unarmed earthen batteries. Of modern armament there is none. During the past year it has been found necessary to construct a seawall for protecting the site of the 10-gun battery and for repairs of the grouted slope on the north end of the covered way. The preparation of all but the iron work of one turret to receive two 110 ton guns should be no longer delayed. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. Fort at Willets Point, eastern entrance to New York Harbor, in charge of Lieut. Col. H. L. Abbot, Corps of Engineers.-This work, together with Fort Schuyler, forms the only defensive line for preventing an enemy coming from the direction of Long Island Sound from entering the harbor of New York City. It is, therefore, of first importance. DEFENSES OF NEW YORK AND THE NAVY-YARD AT BROOKLYN-continued. The defensive works at Willets Point consist of an old stone fort, begun at the outbreak of the civil war and left unfinished since 1865; of four unfinished earthen batteries for guns, and of a battery for sixteen mortars. Want of funds has prevented anything but ordinary repairs from being done during the past year, and the same cause will equally prevent progress during the coming year. Work should be no longer delayed. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. Defenses of Governor's Island, New York Harbor, in charge of Maj. George L. Gillespie, Corps of Engineers.-These works comprise Fort Columbus, Castle Williams, South Battery, and New Barbette Battery. They, with Fort Wood, on the opposite side of the channel, defend the entrances to the East River and the Hudson River. The fortifications on Governor's Island were commenced in 1831. The exterior heavy earthen batteries are as yet unfinished. For years past no special appropriation has been made for any of the works on this island, and the operations during the year have been limited to repairs. During the year the inner gallery connecting the casemates of the third tier of Castle Williams was strengthened and partly renewed for the comfort of the prison guard which occupies the Castle; the storeroom underneath pavement on north side of parade of Fort Columbus was drained by a 6-inch earthen pipe 185 feet long, laid in a trench excavated underneath quarters and parapet to connect with the sewer in the north ditch; and the magazines and terreplein of the new battery were drained by a 6-inch earthen pipe laid in a deep trench 1,130 feet long, excavated inside of magazines, and passing through parapet near salient to and over the temporary sea-wall on the south side of post. An exterior modern earthen battery, designed by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications, and approved by the Secretary of War, is partially built. The plan of this battery requires revision. The unfinished works of defense are in about the same condition as at time of last report. The slopes and platforms are generally in good condition, and the magazine dry and serviceable. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. Sea-wall on Governor's Island, New York Harbor, in charge of Maj. George L. Gillespie, Corps of Engineers.-The project for this improvement, adopted in 1865, provides for inclosing the entire island by a seawall. No work was done during the year, as no funds were available. Two thousand eight hundred and seven and one-half feet of masonry wall, and 1,560 feet of dry wall, extend from the coal dock south and DEFENSES OF NEW YORK AND THE NAVY-YARD AT BROOKLYN-continued. west to and around Castle Williams, and 930 feet of masonry wall extend from engineer wharf westward along the north side of the island covering the New York Arsenal. From the western extremity of the last wall to Castle Williams, a distance of 1,100 feet, the beach is wholly unprotected against the deposits of offal, dead animals, and other equally objectionable matter, which at low tide are particularly offensive and pestilential, and in warm weather subject the garrison to malignant diseases, such as cholera and the fevers incident to animal decomposition. The sea-wall should be carried in front of this beach and the low spaces behind it filled with embankment. An appropriation of $50,000 is recommended. Fort Wood, Bedloe's Island, New York Harbor, in charge of Maj. George L. Gillespie, Corps of Engineers.-This work, commenced in 1841, forms one of the inner line of defenses for New York Harbor, and with those on Governor's Island is designed to close the entrances to the East River and the Hudson River, and to protect New York, part of Brooklyn, and Jersey City from bombardment. The exterior modern earthen battery, designed by the Board of Engineers and approved by the Secretary of War, is only partially built and should be completed. The plan requires revision. The pedestal for the heroic statue of Liberty has been completed to a height of 93 feet 8 inches above mean low water and will be ready for the statue about the end of September. The statue arrived from France by the French transport vessel Isère June 26, 1885, and was landed a few days later upon the island. No repairs were made during the year, except to provide doors to three of the magazines belonging to the new exterior battery. The slopes and platforms are in fair condition. No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886. Fort Hamilton and additional batteries, New York Harbor, in charge of Maj. George L. Gillespie, Corps of Engineers.-These works, commenced in 1824, are situated at the Narrows of New York Harbor, upon the Long Island side. No specific appropriation was made for the fiscal year, and the operations were confined to repairs absolutely necessary for the preservation of the works. These include, in Battery No. 1, relaying two platforms, providing pintles, pintle plates, and traverse irons for six platforms; pointing breast-height wall, platforms, and sustaining walls of the traverse magazines; making and hanging four interior and seven exterior magazine doors, and putting in place, under contract, 1,500 cubic yards of riprap stone to buttress the sea-wall; in the 15-inch gun battery, placing additional traverse stones to platforms 11 and 12, and lowering parapet 9 inches, to adapt them to two 8-inch converted rifles; lowering rear traverse stones of platform 15 to adapt it to the hydraulic carriage of new design; making and hanging one exterior door to service magazine B, laying concrete walks to, and whitewashing, both service magazines, and relaying the pavements of two sallyports, and replacing stone flagging of the parade, west front of the main fort. DEFENSES OF NEW YORK AND THE NAVY-YARD AT BROOKLYN-continued. The slopes, revetments, and platforms of all the several works are in good repair, and the magazines are dry and serviceable. Only one land slide occurred during the year, and was caused by the chocking of the drains in front of the face-cover. To construct a working chamber, on the east side of the channel, for the torpedo defensive system, planned by the Board of Engineers, an appropriation is requested under the general appropriation for cable galleries, &c. No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886. Mortar Battery at Fort Hamilton, New York Harbor, in charge of Maj. George L. Gillespie, Corps of Engineers.-This battery was commenced in 1871. No operations were carried on during the year. But little requires to be done to fit this battery to receive its full armament as projected by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications. Fort Lafayette, New York Harbor.-This old work, commenced in 1812, and situated on a shoal at the Narrows entrance, occupies the best of all the positions for the defense of New York Harbor. It was injured by fire in December, 1868, to such a degree as to make it practically worthless, unless repaired at a very considerable outlay; and as it was adapted to guns of small caliber only, it was not thought worth while to restore it, but to replace it by an iron construction which should meet the demands of modern armaments. The plans for this have been prepared. The defense of New York requires a new work which will mount the heaviest modern ordnance, and, as many years will be consumed in the construction, an adequate appropriation should be made without further delay. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, New York Harbor, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This fort, commenced in 1847, is situated on the west side of the Narrows, and constitutes a part of the second line of defense of the southern water approach to New York. It is an inclosed work, built of granite, containing three tiers of guns in casemates and one en barbette, the lower tier being only a few feet above the water-level. The work, in connection with those adjacent to it on either side, Fort Tompkins and the two Glacis Batteries on the hill in rear, is designed to throw a heavy concentrated fire on vessels approaching or attempting to pass through the Narrows, crossing its fire with that from Fort Hamilton and batteries on the opposite side of the channel. During the past fiscal year twenty-five old pintles were removed from gun platforms on the barbette tier, and new 4-inch pintles with keys substituted. The revetment on top of the breast-height wall of the barbette was resodded, and the guard-house and store-room roofs painted. The roofs of the circular stairs leading from the parade to the barbette were repaired. A part of the granite masonry was repointed where DEFENSES OF NEW YORK AND THE NAVY-YARD AT BROOKLYN-continued. necessary, and some repairs made to the road leading from the North Cliff Battery to the fort. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year, Fort on site of Fort Tompkins, New York Harbor, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This work, commenced in 1858, with the earthen Glacis Gun Battery on its left and the Glacis Mortar Battery on its right, crowns the hill in rear of Fort Wadsworth and the earthen batteries known as North Cliff Battery, South Cliff Battery, Battery Hudson, and the South Mortar Battery. It is an inclosed pentagonal work, having on its four land faces two tiers of casemate quarters, a deep, dry ditch, and a heavy barbette battery to resist a land attack, and on its channel-front seventeen large casemates for storage and other purposes. It mounts its channel-bearing guns en barbette. It is intended to supply quarters for the garrison and act as a keep for all the defensive works occupying this position. Properly armed, this work will be able to throw a heavy fire from a commanding position upon vessels attempting to pass through the Nar rows. The four land faces were, for all defensive purposes, finished in 1865. In December, 1869, a plan giving such increased depth to the casemates that heavy rifled guns could be mounted over them en barbette was adopted and carried into execution. Since 1876 the work has been in readiness to receive, on temporary platforms, all the heavy guns intended for channel defense. The following work was done during the past fiscal year: The bonnet on the southeast angle of the fort was completed. Five storm doors, at the entrances of the service magazines and staircase on the barbette of the channel-front, were built, and the magazine doors painted. Lamp-closet fixtures for the barbette magazines were supplied. Three iron casemate doors were renewed and one casemate floor in the north front repaired. The pointing of the masonry of the scarp and counterscarp walls of the ditch was continued. Some repairs were made to the road leading from the officers' quarters to the north sallyport, and to the road from the light-house to the south sallyport, and gutters and cesspools cleaned. Grass and weeds were cut on the glacis, exterior slopes, on the parade, and in the ditch. The torpedoes stored at the fort were painted. The estimates for the completion of Fort Tompkins comprise ten permanent gun platforms in place of the present wooden ones, four bonnets on the traverses for the better protection of guns and gunners, and finishing off twenty-six casemates for quarters, and eleven large casemates on the channel-front for storage purposes. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. |