The Defences of the Colony.

Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue XXXIV, 16 September 1887, Page 4

The Defences of the Colony.

Sinco 18 3 . r > good work hi- boon 'lone in carrying out tho plan.s approved by Sir William Jcrvois for the defonoo of our harbours— of Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. The original mimic-loading 7in and Glpr guns (of tho samo pattern as carried by most of Hor Majority's ships of war on tho station), which woro imported in 1878, are all now mounted and furnished with side-loading chambers, magazines, and travorsinfj gear. Of tho now gnns ordered in 1885— which are of tho newest pattern which Her Majesty's fiorvico has adopted but i» not as yot suppliod with oxcopt to a very small extent — the gun pitft and magazines for 11 of tho Gin guns with disappearing- carriagos are complete. Every gun excopt one as yot received is mounted, or now being moanted, to the extent of 11, and the romaindor and some of tho Bin gans will be mounted direotly they roach the coloiy, as, when everything is prepared, it only takon a few (lays to mount them after they are landed. Of the Bin guns ordered one is known and two believed to bo on thoir way. There aro 8 Opr rapid firing Nordenfeldt pivot guns already mounted and ready for action, and tho rest will bo directly. There aro 10 more, with field carriages, now on thoir way out, which do not requiro concrete pits. Ammunitio-i, both for service and practino, has been imported for all arms of the service. A complete submarino equipmont, said by Captain Falconer to bo the boat in the world, baa been imported, and moat of tlio teat rooms and torpedo sheds, tanks, &c , &c, are erected and fit for servico at any moment. Electric lights are erected at Auckland and Wellington of the newest pattern 00,000 candle power, and a omallor one for Lyttelton has arrived, bat waits the completion of a contract for the magazine and test- room of Ripa Island to bo permanently put in position. Whon completed the dofence of Wollington will be very strong. A gun of long range from the western ontranco of the harbour will defend both tho approach towards Penoarrow and Lyoll Bay. Fort Ballance, with its fruna and submarine mines, will prove a tough obstacle to vessels attempting an ontranco, whilo if an onomy's vessel sneooodod in running past by any ottrnordinary fatality— commencing from Kan Point and Point ffalswoll, Ngahauranga, Fort Buckloy (ICaiwarra), and Jerningham Pomt — she would find horse! f a turgot for dispersed guns converging their firo from all directions^ so that she could barely answer two at a time. Nor must wo npgloct to montion the torpodo boats with dropping gear, which from epncoalmont would dart oat to within 500 yards of a cruiser, and discharges Whitehoods, with 701bs of (run cotton. Oft or 10ft bolow the surface, and if the Brennan, as proposed by Sir William Jorvois, is added to the torpodo dofonco, it is hard to see how any enemy could round Point Gordon. This now weapon can bo made to follow a vossol, turning or twistin? as sho may, at a Biood of 20 miles an hour, for two miles, and it within that distanco, which is far greater than our narrow cbannola, the toi podo ovortikes tho ship, she is not likely to fly a, ' foreign flag again. Auckland dofenoes are perhaps rather nearer completion than those of Wellington. The most advanced work, opposite Eangitoto, is Takapuna Fort, which is armed with Gin b.l. guns and Nordpnfoldts. Next oomoa Fort Cantley, tho principal fortification, which is armed with one 40-pounder b.l. Armstrong gun, throe Bin b.l. guvs, three 7in m.l. gans, one 64-poundor m.l. gun, with t.vo Nordonfoldta. Tho test-room for tho oxtensivo mino fields, and tho engine, &v., for tho oloctrio 1 ght, aro at Fort Cautloy. All in completed etoept tho pits and magazino for two Bin gnna. Kaking tho ontranco from tho southern sido of tho harbour is Bastion Point battery, in all rospoots a counterpart of Takapana fort. Thus tho narrow ontranco of about 1200 yards is fired npon by 12 guns from tho western sido and swept by four from the Bastion. All theso guns, aided at night by the electrio light, also protect tho mino field from destruction by an enomy's launches ; and it is almost impossible that if tho Torpedo Corps and Artillery aro alert any vossol can gain the inner harbour. But if snob, an accident ocourrod, such a vossol would bo under a hoavy firo, for from Fort Cautloy two, if not three, heavy guns, besides Nordenfcldts, and all tho gnna of the Bastion oonld be brought to bear, in addition to the 04-ponndors of Point Besolution and the Gin and 04-poundors from Mount Victoria. Comparatively little remains to bo done at Auokln.nu, oxcopt tho mounting of one and mounting and emplacement of two Bin breeohloading guns, and the completion of tho omplaaemont of the guns on Mount Victoria. Of oonrso a certain amount of finishing slopes, planting, &.0., will remain to bo dono by the Permanent Force, but for practical defenoo, whon the Bin guns aro mounted the harbour entrance of Auckland will bo completely protected. At Lyttelton also the works aro advancing t) completion. Tho magazine and test room of Eipa Island is to be done by contract, and may tako till midsummor to finish. The Gin B.L. guns and all the M.L. gans are mounted. Tho pits for tho Bin B.L. guns aro completed, and the 6-pr Nordenfeldts aro waiting the completion of the small emplacements they requiro. The eleotno light his been tested, and is at Ripa ready to bo e.-ooted. When finished, Ripa Island will have a very strong armament of Bin and Gin B.L. guns and Nordenfeldts. Along the apposite shore are distributed 7in and Gt-pr gans which are already mounted, and another tilpr will be mounted at Erskino Point, Where the pit is ready. This gun is at present asod by the Lyttelton Artillery for praotjoe. The submarine defence of Lyttelton, like that of Wellington, is to be supplemented by a Brennan torpedo as soon as the apparatus oan be obtained. At all the ports there are torpedo boats und Whitehead torpedoes, and tho Admiral his agreed to put five of onr men through the courso of training neoossary, and under his powers to awear them in to preserve the Whitehead seoret. At Port Chalmors thoro are one 7in and BMno ftlprs already in position at Taiaroa Head, and a Uin B L. gun pit in process of completion. On tho Oooan Bcaoh the battarios of Lawyer's Head and St. Clair have already each one 7-ton gun omplaced, and tho pits for two Sin guns aro coon to bo made The Central Beaah battory of (Sin B.L. guns is nearly complotod, and tho guns are ready to be mounted this woek. It is not considered probable that any crnisor could make its way into tho harbour of Port Chalmers if the buoys were removed, as it is narrow, tortuous and shifting ; bat if it did the submarine defence neoessavy in so narrow a channel wonld be trifling, and make it almost impossible for a vessel to pass. Tho gans of Taiaroa Head, however, would render it a very dangerous undertaking, and tho 64-pr inner battery with tho Nordenfeldts render any attempt to countermine impossible. Thero is a danger of bombardment from tho Ocean Beach by cruisers with long rango guns, but as those already in position, and to be placed thero, have a range as long aa any likely to be carried by a oruiser, and as they would be some two miles nearer tho ships than the town, it is unlikely that any bombardment conld take place unless they woro silonoed, the accomplishment of which would probably (if it were practicable) exhaust a very largo supply of costly ammunition, of whioh only a very limited quantity could bo carried by cruisers of such a description as could reach Dunedin from the six-fathom line off the Ocean Beach. That onr submarine defonce is very perfect wo are aware. Bnt the officers of this branch are prohibited from explaining details for obvious reasons. The dofonco of oar harbours, however, depends very largely on the perfection of our submarine preparations, and as we are not enenmbered by any obsolete stores like Melbourne or Sydney, but all are of the newest and most improved type, we believo that if ever required, the submarine defence will prove the most perfect in Australasia. And, lastly, the personnel to work our land and submarine dofenoes, notwithstanding the labouring work contributed, even by the eoientific branohea, to the fortifications and torpedo buildings, &c, is capable of comparison with any others in Australasia. It is not only in ita conduct, but in its efficiency and training, that so muoh has been aohiovod with a dispersed force and few instructors At Auckland, nnder Capt. Falconer, the submarine dofenoea are so far completed, that with six honra' warning we could bo ready to bar tho ontronco with our mines, and our olootrio light and test-rooms, stores and launch, are now ready for action. Capt. Falconer has just taken Wellington in hand, everything being now ready in tho shape of Btoros, test-rooms, &c. Lyttelton has its stores of all kinds, bat till the test-room there and at Port Chalmers aro oomplete, it would bo of no use to instruct men morely by theory or description. Practical illustration at thoso ports not being possible, instruction will bo given here, and the dotachments at thoso places completed by instructed nwn when the engineer hands over the test rooms, &c, requirod. The small Torpedo corps, which is ont hero only as strong for four harbours as at eaoh jingle one of Melbourne and Sydney, must in war largely rely on the local forces— Volunteer Navals or Engineers. When all U in working order thero will have to bo an annual practice of subm&rino work, at which tho local forces will assist the Torpedo corps In Anokland Captain Falconer lias instructed one Naval corps up to some proficionoy, and has given preliminary leoturcs to others. . Here ho will in a few days givo his first leotnre to the Wellington Navala, and on his taturn tnko them in hand if they desire it. and put them through a regular practical course. It will be understood that the necossity for economy has to some extent delayed tho_ completion of the requirements of snbmarine mining, pspooially in the matter of instruction. At Melbourne this branoh his a commanding officer drawing .£9OO a year, and four instructors like Captain Ealconer from the Royal Engineors, while we hero have but this one officer for all onr ports. Lieut.-Col. Boddam has bo many other duties that he has no time, even if ho had been a trained teacher, to. carry ont tho i duly instruction, and Captain Falconer has flot, like the Melbourne officer, the advantage of having 12 trained submarine minerfrom England in the torpedo qohw. Tithing has had to be created in +t veT y dition * - efficient to keep them ffi ,.. • ' ..iory stores in serviceable conx'he men aro highly trained, and nr, ...u is allowed to be promoted except after » searching examination in this as wel\ as the Torpedo corps. The expense of the modern ammunition restricts gun practice, but this will be to some extent provided for when tho Morris tubes for the breoohloading guns arrive. The Artillery, however, aro now as profioiont in the scientific as in the drill part of their training, though they havo but ono instructor with previous training at each port. The superior intelligence of tho Permanent Force, chiefly New_ Zealand born, and now recruited exclusively from the Volnnteers, is probably tho reason why there are none of tho constant crimes, desertions, and dismissals chronicled in the Melbourne Gazette. Crime is almost unknown, while

desertions are unheard of, and scarcely a dismissal han occurred. In this respect the Rifle Branch is also rcmakable, though the pay in small and tho v.-ork exacted considonible. Tho cost of thoso workH may bo thus stated to date :—: — Expenditure in New Zealand survey, plann, materials and labour, &c. itt70,587 English material, guns, submarine, electric light, &c, &c ... 140,500 Total £311,087 From this mnst, however, bo deducted from tho first item— Purchase of land Sundry other Home and Now Zenland expenses not contemplated , such as jß3joo, removal of buildings Ripa Island, Ac 10.000 J6271.087 Balance of material now on ite way to New Zealand, say ... 40,000 .£311,087 Total estimate .£300,000 Amount spont 311,087 £54,913 Leaving £54,913 unspent to complete. Of tho total, much of tho labour being done by tho Pormanent Force, is othorwißO paid for, though calculated here. If tho English ordor* do not much exceed expectation, and this cannot bo ever exactly estimated, the wholo of the works will be within the abovementioned calculation of £306,000, of which £180,000 odd in the cost of English armament. The coßt of land is not nearly all chargeable to works, as much is intended to be resold when opportunity arises.