The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-04-13
Uncle Sam at the Centennial,
Correspondence Boston Advertiser

cation to the President on the necessity of
an additional appropriation, beginning
with the War department, the colonel says
the engineer bureau will exhibit maps.
charts and photographs Of the principal
achievements of the engineer corps of the
army in the prosecution of the great svs-
tenn Of river and harbor improvements of
the country. 1T will exhibit models of
some OF such works, and display engineer
ing machinery and appliances in general;
it will show samples of building stones,
concretes and woods; specimens of pom
toon bridges and pontoon wagon-t trains;
siege and mining tools; reconnaissance
instruments; field Photographic outfits;
models of lighthouse and foundations OF
movable dam; of snag boat; of dredging
boat; specimens of fossil trees, and other
miscellaneous fossils; reports, maps, &c
The mechanical arts appertaining to
the science Of war will be amply illustrat-
ed In each class Of war materials per-
tanning to the bureau. not only will the
ultimate perfection reached ia this coun-
try be shown, but there will also be ex-
hibited, so far as available means will
permit, specimens illustrating the success
sive stages OF development through which
such materials have passed in arriving at
their present respective states OF efficiency.
This, in particular, will be observed in re-
spect to the arming and equipping of the
individual soldier, the various stages,
from the early days of the republic to the
present time, being typifed by lay figures
OF soldiers in their correct uniforms arms
and oonirmonts With tha assistance nj
tha ouartnrmastpr,s denarfnnnt thaso t;g-
I-rac win ho ,,ro,a,.ad ao og 10 chow AZ
indir;I,Ial sol,,ior ~, ohnrt tha f,lIo,-;n(r
aroc W.. Povolnt;ono,.r 1--r 10 1snoo
war of 1919 1919 ia 1854. Nayican war
1870 tn $50. var Of tho roboIIion 1e5E to
1870. present neriod 1875 As comnlo-
mentaiv tn the exhibition of tba individ-
nal soldier of fine present nerioJ armed
with tho rnodnrn Iyaanoo Of war thara
will no shown as comnIata g, snt If onn-
,naLiur machinery m onnration &c tba
available dunlicate machines ot the no.
tional armorI at Sprinofeld will hermit
and also . collection Of small arms show.
mo the improvements from ante-r avoln-
tiouarv times ia the present A oomnlete
set nj n1etalIic-cartridoe machinery com
prisinq machines in o9eration maxine the
nresent adontpd service cortri1oas will he
exbibitnd
As q connactin0 lnl, hetween the man.
ufacture of cartridoes and firearms
noqtion of thn avbihi,ion will ha davotad
TO that most importaut oneration IN hal
listics fine discrimination of the initial va
ocitv Of nroiactiles and the mower nres-
spre in the bore of the ann at the momant
Of DISCHARGE If * the intention to have
these machines cnpr,ted simnltaneouslv
bv the DISCHARGE OF a rifle placed in fine
improved Erankfora arsenal fixed rest
and fired tbronob nm iron tnbe AGAINST a
solid bukhead or embankment TO avoid
the ANNOYANCE of the DISCHARGE of firearms
within the main exhibition buildino this
part of the ordnance aisnlav viii he CON
1ucted in q laboratory buildino erected
near this section of the War department
exhibit. One of the most interestino feat
ures of this department will be a WORKING
model of the Hitchcock force. on the scale
of one inch TO the foot This will he so
ARRANGED as to he onnrated from the boiler
of the steam ENGINE and viii actuo]lv
construct at stated times miniature onns
built IN from iron sections iointed hy
means of wax On. other nIastic material
In the exhibition of heavy GUNS there
will be AN Sjnch sieoe howit2er 13-incb
sea-coast mortar and = 4-5-inch siaoe RI
fie and the feld-nieces will he a lioht
twelve-pounder. a 3-jncb wronobt-iron
breech-ioadino Sutcliffe rifle and 3.inch
Rodrnan. In the matter of heavy ord
nance, being in a state of transition be-
tween the recent cast-iron smooth-bOre
type and the present breecb-loadino and
nuzzle-loadjno rifles of HOMOGENEOUS or
comnosite construction if will he d;flicnlt
to make n disnlay worthy of orr rank in
other classes of war material However
it is designed to show the 2O-inch Rodman
smOoth-60re Gun as the present limit of
the series of improvements in smooth bore
Gun construction lust concluded and snc-
ceeded bv the General Introduction of
heavy ritleJ Guns This will he mounted
in the open air upon its proper carriaoe
provided with hydraulic buffer TO take
up its recoil without iniu,y to the car
riage, the pintle, or platform. This GUN
being Of such WEIGHT. over 100 OOO nounds
the difficulty of Successfully and ranidly
manmuyrin9 it by manual power viii be
seen. so that the device for handIinp This
and other heavy demonstrations snbmit-
ted by Lieutenaut-C Colonel j G.. Benton
ordnance department. will he annlied If
il intended to have the Gun worked at
stated intervals by the detachment Of sol
diers connected with the exhibition IA
show the facility with which il car he
loaded and ManGuyred A pile of 20.inch
shot near bv will present an imnosino
feature. The Temporary platform Win he
constructed substintialIy as the wooden
platform used for the experimental frino
1T Sandy Hook with POSSIBLY an evtr,
cross-layer Of balks beneath it. filed in
with rammed sand or concrete, No further
representation of smooth-bore ouns will
be- made. this, our largest one BEING suf-
ticient ~ an illustration Of the R6dman
system
The fine collection Of models Of Gela
siege and seo.coast artillery now in tbe
ordinance office museum can be transferred
bodily These contain many ancient and
obsolete tvpes which can thcn he easily
cOmpared bv fine cnrious The museum
at the West Point Military Academy viii
Also be drawn mon If is intended to