Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-11-17
Washington News and Gossip.

submitted to the Secretary of War. II is the
most yoluminous of all the bureau reports the
report proper covering two hundred and forty
pages Of manuscript, and the accompanying
sub-repoTts increasing its size twenty fold.
General Humphreys says the number of
oHctrs IN the Corps OF Engineers at the end of
ia" year was one hundred and fourteen on the
active list and five retired. He reports that
material progress has been made during the
year upon those portions of the sea coast and
lake frontier defenses not affected by question.
respecting the increased use TO De made of iron
IN covering and protecting guns, gunners, and
starfs, against the action of prolectles of very
large callbre served from armOred batteries
ana ne thinks this special question of armor
tAaCtS deliberate and prolonged examination.
The restoration of the forts on the southern
sea coast has been continued, and a large por-
ton OF the defences of New Orleans, Mobile
ana Pensacola have been placed again In CON-
dIuon for use. The Board of Engineers of
which Gen. Is. :. Alexander is presiding MEM
Der, nave had under consIderaI ion the subject
OF the defeDces OF the Pacific coast, and have
stlecttu sites Tor works, directed their survey
DC. Special experiments are in progress with
tnlargen artillery for sea coast batteries and
the protection OF forts against such attacks Ex-
peflmentS Win steel pUoIectIles of various
forms, and plates OF iron and steel, have be esn
ca1Ilrd on with interesting results concerning
Ia"s OF penetration OF solid wrought iron
plates, iamInated plating, combinations of
wrought and chilled cast iron, OF cast and
rolIed Besse1ner steel, OF penetration in sand,
and the effect of different forms of head upon
carried on, but without reaching the de=ire
conclusion.
OIner experiments in proIectiles and cover
Ing are IN progress, as we'll as investigations
INTO devices for allowing barOette guns to de-
scend under cover of the parapets, Including
Capt. Moncrleffe's counter poise barbette car
mage, recently experimental with at Shoe
buryness, and which Is claimed by English ar
ullerlsts to be successful solution OF the prob
I'm. General Humphreys says his estimates
Tor seabOard defences for the fiscal wear eusu-
based
defences. and strongly urges that the appro-
pTIatIons asked tor be made. The following
are the principal sums required Fort Wayne
Detroit, Micn, S2O,OOO; Fort Niagara, N y =,
S.5,ttU; Fort Ontario, n. Y, S5lUOO; Fort Mont
gOmery, Lake thamplaln, ". \ ., $500: Fort
knox, Bucksport Ne, S25,oOOi Fort Pop
nam, mouth hennebeC,) Me, S5O,G0O: Fort
GeoTges, Portland Harbor, Me, S2J,COJ; New
Fort Preb ble, Portland HaIbor, Me SjO,OUO;
Fort SCANNED, Portland Harbor, Ne, S5O,OJO,
Fort ClaTy. Portsmouth Harbor, Me, So .(r4;
Fort Warren, Boston HarbOr, SIUO,UuO; Fort
Winthrop, Boston Harbor, S75,OU9 Fort Inda-
ptndsnce, Boston Harbor, S5u,O0u Fort AT
EOrt al Schuyler, East River, ". Y. S5nUu:
Fort at WIll-tt's Point, New York Harhor
S9utWE Fort Columbus, Governors Island,
New York Harbor. SiJ.OO1. Castle WilIIam
Governors Island. NV York Harbor. lO.ulu:
South Battery, Governors Island, New York
Harbor, $50; Fort Hood. BedlOe's Island,
New OTk HaTbOT, S6U-CS; Fort on site of Fort
TOmpkins, New York HarbOr, n,OG; fortid-
Ca'Inns at Sandy Hook. y. J.. Sl.u.nJl. Fort
NJ it.iE, Delaware river, Pa. >}j,JOO; EOrt Del
aware, Delaware river, Pa, %7G,tUD: Fort Mon
To-. Old Point Comfort, Va, SIUU.UOJ. Appru-
ITidnOHs are also recommended for fJT,s on
the southern coast amounting I SGI4v5pu; for
forts on the PaCIfic coast, ,uytU: for BARRACKS
al engineer posts ana drpOts, IS ,tOu.
General Humphreys saws that contractors on
TiVer anh haI bOT Improvements very frequently
fail To comply with their contracts, especially
unless they are greatly 10 the ad vantage of the
contractor. A change IN the mode Of procedure
II recommended, ard 10 Is adyI~su tnat author
IlN b. granted 10 engineers in chaTg- OF these
works 10 purchase material IN open mari liet
ana employ labor by The day. cases where
contractors fail IN their contracts. a expert
enCe has proved the system Of contracts pre-
scTID-d III the appropriation acts 10 be the
worst possible mCde OF carrying on the i'm
lrONeu.eut of Iiy ers and haTbJrs.
Gen. Humphreys submits estimates show
ing the amount required 20 cOmnlete the yarI-
Gus Improvement u. and also the amount which
can be pIOhlably expended during the net
fiscal year. The appropriations asked Tor I'M
DIR the latter head amount % -j,i7G,S6S, IucIud-
ing the following items Superior CITY Har-
bor, Mich $1,000; OntOnagOn Harbor, Mich.
s.-,oO'; Sandusky River. O, $500; CleveIend
EarOCr. O., St5,tu'; Ashtabul1 HdTbOT, o.,
S9.IJU. CCnneaut HaTbUr. O., s2,2'G: Erie Har-
Dor, Pa, s37,oJO; DunkIIk HarbOr,N. y, SGJn,-
eco; Buffalo HaroOr. n. ", S215,UJO. OsweEo
HaIhOr, y. Y, S5r,tOu: Burliu gtOn Haroor, VI.
S7j,JUt: improvement Of Upper MIssIssippi.
SGJ,Dtu; Improvement of Little Falls. NnneSO-
IA, River. ~ ,OUt; Improvement of Wisconsin
River, S5u,' o.: improvement of Dies Moines
Eapld~, SE4,OG; improvement of Illinois
River, S3Gt,1rt; improvement of Mouth of the
Ml~sIssI-ippi, S-'1j,tG.; Ship Canal Falls, . d..
~iuC,f ~; Improvement Tennessc River, SO 90:
improvement OF Western rivers, excepting
Ohio. S}.si7,~}0; repairs and three snag boats,
s2le ,COu: Improvement of Mississippi, Missouri,
and Arkansas river, <2Oi 500, improvement of
Ohio river, So 0,uUu; improvement of PatapscO
rIyer, Md, Sl'-,oOO; Improvement of Susque-
hanna rIVeT, S5J,OUO; improvement of Delaware
Ray, 30 Oh- Improvement of Hudson river,
N \ -
Dor, Sil5,ffF: 10 remove rocks, New Haven har-
nor. 500 D; improvement of Connecticut river,
below Hartford, S70,OG,; improvement OF
Providence river. $1,000; improvement of
Pawtucket TIver, $500. improvement of Ply
mouth beach, Mass, $500; improvement OF
Boston naTbor, Mass, sol ,Ott; improvement OF
Great Brewster harbor, Mass, ~lU,UUU; i'm
pTOYement Of SacO river harDor, Me, Ss5Oyl;
Improvement of kennebec river, Ne, S50OU;
TO complete Washington AqUeduct, ID. G.,
SC~5,itO: survey OF North western Lakes,
S.bJ,.to, surveys Tor Military Defences, $780, 900