The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-06

some months in mounting guns and prepar-
Ing things generally to make s the best fight
coast, was first visited, and all the available
guns there mounted in casemate-thirteen
ten-inch Rodman smooth-bored guns and two
one hundred-pounder Parrott rifles, and two
tifteen-inch Rodman smooth-bored guns en-
barbette. This was a great showing to COM
pete with a fleet OF ironcads and some
Of the heaviest riiled guns In the world! 1t
Is true that the fort, which is beautiful
structure OF brick masonry, Can be sand
bagged, and that 1t could at a days notice be-
crowded with the men of Mississippi, Louis
lana and Alabama, than whom no gamer
were ever known In this world. It is true
that, under competent engineers, these great
abIe-bodied, cheerful fellows would in q few
days erect another admirable Morris Island
Wagner out of tho sand as q terrible auxiliary
to the fort. It is certain they would do all
that patient labor and courage could do; but
why not give them a fair show for their blood
| with any foreign foe? The engineer wants
twelve 1O-inch and eight S-inch rifles and two
| flank defense guns there. very modest re-
quest and the people Of the Gulf coast ought
to see that 1t is complied with.
FORT MORGAN, ALA.
At the time Of the Virginius affair this fort
did not have single gun mounted. There
| was not even an old Fort Pike howitzer to be
seen where solitary owl or noble American
eagle could crawl into at daylight and hide
| his diminished head. The ordnance party
from Ship Island mounted twelve O-pound
ParrOtt rifles here to give our Spanish friends
| q welcoming blizzard when they put tn an ap-
pearance. These 200. pound PARROTS were
only mounted for tie emergency, as they are
| not regarded first class guns by the Ordnance
| Department; but they were the best they had
| for the occasion. Morgan is noble old fort
and bears many battle scars on its gray old
| masonry. It is situated about thirty miles
| from Mobile and protects the channel on its
ri Et,I g
neers wants twenty-five twelve-inch rifles,
sixteen ten-ineh rifles and twenty-five flank
howitzers OF the new, and not the old Fort
Pike revolutionary owl-trap pattern.
FORT GAINES, Ala.
This fort is situated on Danphin Island,
Just opposite to Morgan, and is an auxiliary
| to tht former work Id protecting the channel
| 1t Is OF no such Importance as Morgan, but
could be OF great service during war as a
| post OF observation, etc. 1t was formerly
| armed with some old thirty-tWo and forty
| two-pounder smooth-bores abandoned by
Gen. Washington when he crossed the Della
ware. After serving as owl traps Tor about
| forty years at Gaines, they were sold to a
speculator who extracted the guano aud pre-
sented the guns to the ordnance sergeant in
charge. This is a positive fact, and it also
can be verified by the neghbors that the SER
| geant III charge died directly after receiving
the generous present.
| For this fort the engineer wishes twenty
utlcU5t guns.
FORT PICKENs.
| The armament OF this fort at the time of the
| Virginius affair consisted of one fifteen-i inch
gum mounted on front pintle carriage, which
could not be fired Fort B trrancas and the re-
doubt opposite to Pickens had no guns mount
ed Of sufficient calibre to even make al at
tempt at opening fire on a man-Of-War. The
gun in Pickens had it's plntie-plate broken,
and consequently would have been dismount-
ed at the first fire. Fort McRae Was a mass
OF ruins at that time, but is not repaired.
Heavy rified guns and mortars, in connection
with flank defense howitzers Of improved pat
terms, are wanted to arm these forts.
1t has been the Intention OF the writer to
state as briefly as possible the deplorable
condition OF our gulf defenses, and to repre-
sent the case fairly before the whole Ameri
can people
It is affirmed positively that unless some
thing Is done at once to arm this coast we will
be most amentably and tearfully thrashed at
all points there when war is declared. It is
affirmed positively that the Chief Of Ord
nance has called the attention OF Congress to
this matter for the past eight years, and that
Ii only moderate appropriations for proper
guns are made this coast can be armed SO as
to defy the world. It is not necessary that
immense yearly appropriations should be
made, but only money enough al
lowed annually to build the guns for
which places are provided by the
engineers in the construction of their
works. This yearly sum, whatever 1t Is, will
be but a loan made by the government to the
laborers Of America. 1t will, ere it finds its
way back to the Golfers of the treasury, en-
poy artisans from all parts of the country
Of the South, the workers about the forges OF
the North and the gun mouDterS along
the great gulf coast. This money
will not be iost-it will be expended
among our own people and will be as
nothing compared to the ruin that may be
wrought In a few hours by q single modern
ilOn-cad on the gulf coast The annual ap
preparation $3.50, ,00O) for all the sea coast de-
lenses recommended by the Chief OF Ordnance
in his report for 1875 is but q hagateie as
trihuted as 1t would be over the entire cnuu-
try, it would be a blessing to the American
laborer. With this SUM appropriated for a few
years we could secure all the twelve, ten and
eight-inch rifles we would need for all Of our
coast defenses, and the writer hopes that the
gulf coast may obtain its share Of these guns
very soon, as the chances are that they. may
be needed at no distant day. The engineers
are peTtecting their works MS fast as they can
with their limited appropriations, and call
upon the Chief of Ordnance to furnish rifles
suitable to the requirements OF the times.
Some OF these rifles are ready-per- |
fected by able ordnance officers, but
there is not enough money to meet
the acquisitions OF the engineers. The en-
gineers have modified their works SO as to
protect these guns in the best manner known
to modern military science. There Is no
place in the world where powerful rifle, well
protected, can do better offensive and defen-
sive work than on the Gulf coast with It's ad
vantages OF location. The great engineer,
Beauregard, remarked at Fort Jackson sew
eral years since that he regarded one well
protected gun as fully equal to dozen that
were unprotected. How easy it would be to
put dozen good tWelve-incn rifles on Slip
Island, for instance and man them with the
men OF the adjacent coast, under the lnstruc-
tIon Of several competent officers.
Disposed to Consider Et "A Canard.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 5.-The Alaska Fur |
Company are disposed to consider the re- |
ported escape Of Mordenskjof's steamer, the |
Vega, from the ice in the Arctic ocean, can
ard.
They have late advicps from that neighbor |
hood to the effect that the season has been |
rlsat4a no