Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-31
OUR SEACOAST DEFEySEs
ne1r inefficient COnditiOn-Heavv
HiiIed Guns Needed to ReDcI IRON.

Their Inefficient Condition-TF.avx
CladS. Rei AFOn
The lndefensible condition of our LONG line n
| sea coast is attracting the attention not onlv q
the ordnance department OF the army but q
| melhoers OF Congress and other public men
An army of1lcer perfectly familiar with tht
suoJec' says tnat we badly need guns of ,
neaVy cail0re, to cope with the 1ron-clads n
foreign powers. He states that nother not,on
are Iemodel1ng the armament of their forts
Snootn-DoTe cannon are obsolete. Rifles %,
auht and t,a meet Ine demands OF present warfare
| ara an Ine experience of the last few years leave
no douDt that muzZle-loaders must give niace = :.
toat ne ecm-loaolng M cannon. We have forts to nro
must he arma t ana roadsteads These fort
sSaiclent TO meet gun for gun the armament q q
one !ron.clads that may attack us. W,thou
kuas Sa T, Iort IT, IS an inert mass. body withou,
1ense, until supplied with modern armament an ue
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Ine Untod states led the world In the norar NJ
Mer guns. Other nations looked in wondor q,
me grand strides made by our Ordnance nfsicor. a.
OF OF tnat era, at the head of which stood Roime . n
a5o n1,n So1on 15lnch gun, hurting round shot O.
no shin nf vHr was Inen considered monster thai
coaas nave forced the gun problem ,ip n fhf
9to!on gun OF England and the 100 ton gun o
Ha!y, the nrSt throwing shot of SOa nnomnSe
ana the latter OF 1900 pounds f"oS
STILL HEAVIER CANNON
@ aIe among tne possibilities OF the near future
Inc iron. clad armOr that has forced tho e,,n
pIG1iem up TO It's present plane forces us to the
soluClOn, as well as we may, of the Same
problem. What guns do we need, and how are
they TO be provided? The old idea that wa arc
not f0 to have wars may do as an argument in
favor favor OF economy, but Is not convincing in the
nght OF our own experience. We viii have
Wars-hoW and when, no one can tell-but we
must De prepared to meet the shock when II
comes, as come 1t Will sooner or later
ara narDors and commerce. What guns have
We to arm the forts that stud our coast from
n Name 10 Texas, and along the shores of the
sent about 1000 I0-inch rifles and 1000 S-fnch
rlnes, the former for barbette and the latter for
casemate: These are small guns, but they are
mentioned specially because the bulk of them
can De provided by utilizing our smooth bores
on hand: For instance, we have I,1OO 1O-inch
smootn pores that can be converted into s-inch
can Do converted into 10 or 11-inch rifles and
these conversions can be done I'm this country.
WIN our own metal, and the skill OF our own
people. True, we have 30 1O-lnch Parrot rifles
and 20 s-fnch Parrott rifles, which in their day
did most admirable work, and were among the
pioneers In the great gun struggle, but they
s,,ar T1,S not teaaea lor the heavy charges that
GUS work That guns must accomplish. These
conversions OF and 10-inch rifles from the old
saI,S Oores on nand ought to be carried on as
DO NOT SOLVE THE GUN PROBLEM
as IL must be solved, but 1t Is a beginning. #
gives US gums that Will at 900 yards 20 through
siren and 10-inch OF iron; guns that viii hold
cisds Owl % aganst the large majority Of the iron
ty OF those that will cross the ocean with hostile
intent. But 1t must be remembered that the
S9aesI way 10 prevent an attack is to be fully
prepared 10 repei 1t. Powder and shot are the
stronges advocates Of peace A gun throw mo
ton OF iron every few minutes with the un.
thhllng th celtalnty OF rif1e is an argument that
most reckless must heed. And the only arm.
ment that can meet 1t and conquer it Is a gun OF
neaV1er metal throwing shot Weighing more
strongest battal1ons, it viii never desert the
hea'iest guns. But how are we to procure such
MONSTER GUNS?
BY purchase or manufacture? But few na
s,, s,0ms aepend on their own products. Krupp has
strong has supplied England and Italy. with
Ine mechanical skill and enterprise of our peo
pie we need not go beyond our borders for any
made the largest gun in the world. and there Is
no reason why within the next decade we
snodia naed q not again lead the nations What we
nseo IS money, and fair field for our Ordnance
officers and our skilled mechanics. The nrenao
ration Tor such work requires the exper!mepts
o. OF years, costly work that consumes tens of
~ hsin collars for the mere preparation
provided. The steam hammer at WooIwich has
alone cost over half a million of dollars and
kruPp is erecting one that is to cost about
million: ,,,a,a IT, Without such appliances guns that
welgn When finished 100 tons cannot be made
All other portions OF the plant must be on the
same m seal scale. 1t M Is money that is needed,
NH ~ Sucn y,c a na!ers we must move slowly; in
uuth we cannot move fast.
WE MUST WORK UP GRADUALLY
TOM smaller calibres to larger, attacking ohsta.
~ CIeS as we progress, overcoming them With our
!nCiease0 experience, laying each day a solid
.ornuauon Tor the next days work. We want
approprlations, and even with money we must
sx pect Ieverses, and Ieverses are often our best
[eacheIs. England spent S12, ,OOO,O 900 on Arm.
,tIOng guns, and then threw them away. and
changed her plans and her guns But now she
arsenal, and dictates terms on the Bosphorus
at TIE muzzle OF her sO-ton guns. AID vet
sngiand s @ continues her experiments. Her next
move VIII be the adoption of breech-ioading
a ma1n an Of expenditure
ne Ie. result, her place as mistress of the seaS
N n TN IN tne small appropriations annually given |
Is we nave done much, as much as could he |
npecIe1; out TIVE we went money to provide larger
ne most powerful iron -clads, and make onr
larDOrS as secure as our homes "