The national Republican., 1867-05-13
LOCAL DEPARTMENT.

aLUO n IL II hE N II Hl II
A TouR AMONG THE GUrs.-At the most
southern point Of our city, where the Anaoostia
Joins the Potomac, Is located the Washington
arsenal. It's position Is q remarkably Rne one,
and a. It's area has lately been considerably ex.
tended and improved, II has become attractive to
the sojourner as we'll as the resident, even In
thsse times Of peace. In the time Of war, es.
pscisIly on the hrst "blue Sunday" aftsr the
isth Of April, 1851, The place was an object Of
solicitnde to more than one Of our resident patri.
ots for II was 10 that storehouso Of defence that
our fighting men turned their bold inquiries, es.
pecialy a. to the number Of muskets II contained.
Tho usual answer At the street corners In those
psrilous days was that there were about twenty
thousand guns ht for immediate service. As the
Information 10 not now "centraband'' we can
assure our anxious friends that at that time there
were about eight thousand muskets ht for scr.
vice, though not Of the most approved pattern.
Filled yitk these martial "Reminiscences we de-
tsrminsd to revisit this scene Of our boyish fish
ing days, whom Isaac Clarke aud Col. Dade ON.
eisted as wardens Of the penitentiary, the FIRST
distraction that blocks up the travellers path
TO the arsenal. There the old penitcntiary
stands despite the acts Of Congress- long and
solemn solitude Of bricks stretched across -Four
and -a-half street. and facing our Capitol, cutting
on the view Of the beautiful grounds and water
that surround the arssnd.
Why is this ominous pile Of bricks and mortar
kept thus staring at the hall Of our city fathers
Whist moral effect can II possibly have upon
thsm What admonition does its dismal walls
suggsst to the City Hall ''ring," that has been
% much abused BY our politicians Of late! These
moral problems We must leave to be solved by
philosopher but practically to us, 1t seems tina,
this abode Of the criminal Is neither ornamental
nor ussful-in fact sadly needs "reconstruotion.
10. Having rounded the penitentiary, We take the
a. and tha Oala nj lha tInitad SLalAl
Arssnai. Here We have . display Of big guns
Armstrong. RodmAn, Parrott, Mexican, and
British, spread out into long lines Of iron, thai
imrrsss us profoundly with expense and desola
ton o; war or political dig guns We hay'
sssn soms dne specimens, but tho real hre.eaterI
are 10 bs sesu here. By the politsnesS Of Gen
Ramsay, eoumandsnt Of the post, We are enabiet
20 stroll through tho "model arsenal and militar,
suuseuuan Here We hnd material enough Il
interest rs In the paraphsrnalia Of war exhibited
In miniature In almost every style now In fashion
among Christians, with . few Of the "meane
sorv' still used BY Turks Ard MohammedMs. .
The model arsenal 10 q neat two-stsry build
ine. built Of brick, the dimensions being abou
I75 feet long and 90 feet wide. In tho lowe
story ye hnd innumsrable piles Of saddle-trees
brides, halters, blankets, buckets, harnsss-th
debris OF many weary marches and bloody nights
In the upper story We enter the military museuu
Here are STORED models Of all firearms now In us
Prussian needle. gun to President Lincolns cohe
mill-a very effective weapon, by the way, an
much used during the rebellion. Another pu
pose Of the museum Is to preserve memento'
and trophies Of the war-a most desirable objec
itfOn entering the museum ono OF tho hrst In
elements you meet Is the "Danish Espinol
Barrel" with machine for charging It, Tn
apparatus Is somewhat complicated, but ProbI
Giy effective when used by practised gunne
asainst the weapons heretofore used In norther
Europe Next we have full uniforms Of the B
yarian infantry, cavalry and heavy artiller.
sIso OF the engineers. They arc made OF blt
nrmy cloth, with green and red faoings III
sloth is we'll made, and makes a good outfit f
the common soldier. Near those are three Me
ia.n aaRs, with helmet and cuirassi also, simil
srtisles from the French army. Models .
French sud English guns are also near th
group. -,,o ,,o,,.ao., .gord;nv
varsity Of patterns. are suspended from ths %
ing, soms Of them resembling lager beer ke
With pointed ends. They are made chiefly
copper, and were to have been placed in I
water and exploded BY electricity. A few we
40 designed as to be attached to cartridf
capped pole or PROV projecting forward une
water and exploding by percussion One OF
most interesting stands In the museum Is az n
lection Of musksts taken from the helds Of u
tysburR soon after the battle. These Weapo
bear the marks OF the hot contest by which tn
were torn and bent into almost every eoncei'
BILE shape, fragments Of human hair oooasiona
intervening between the stock, band or lock
the muskst We noticed one gun barrel "h,
had boon split wide open nearly Its entire leng
Nsrt We hnd lot Of Indian spear heads, mt
az blus stone and about twelve inches lo
These were no doubt the rude attempts ot
rcd man long before the progressive " Whlt
bsRan the "rsoonstruction OF this contlne
They were found In the recent excavation
james creek to the Anacostia-An improvem
lately oomplstsd for the Government by
ssteemsd. fellow citizen, Mr.. william w
Nothing, perhaps, could more readily define
vast strides Of civilization than the contrast |
Isntsd by these comparatively harmless sps
side By side with the formidable array OF Pa
and Rodmsn guns, carrying balls wsing
pounds with lightning velocity and demolish
houses and vessels miles distant.
Woyipg a little further on We hnd specimen
old Spanish war pieces, taken In Mexico,
near them q varied assortment Of English, Ere
and American aSooutrements. Here our Bu
invited US TO the imposition Of the ceie1to
PrusIian needle gun, which has so decidedly
tailed the boundaries Of Austria, and Is
held pointed with defiant air from Luxemt
toward the realm Of Napoleon III. The nee
gun is undoubtedly m ingenious oontriVa
IL IL . breech-loader, dispenses with cap
took, and may be charged as quickly as the
disy can place the charge into horizontal L
which takesthe place OF the OLD lock- tne
iI discharged BY q needle that work; frS
.arlnr behind tho charge. At pull Of
trigger the needle perforates the cartridge,
StTiEss the Illuminating material, which
charges the lullst with precision and vii
range equal TO the Springfield musket. The
yantAgeis In dispensing with the old ran
and esp and in the rapid firing which re
from breseh h.loading The needle'gun must
dsntly be handled with care, as Its liabilit
got out Of order 10 about tenfod in oompa
With It's rivals, now adopted for tho United s.
army, such o. Hsnry'S rides or Bsrdan's