, 1880-12-21
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL.
The Condition OF Affairs There at
the Present Time.
What Work rs Been Accomplished
During the Past Year,
And What Is Proposed 10 DO Dono In
1881, with Estimates Of Cost.
sptttn, Correspondence o, The catenpo 1rihrn..

time, for any sectional difference at opinun
u encourage discussion as 10 tho wisdom
of lncatIng the great National Arnory nnd
Arsenal Of the Mississippi Valley oil Rock
Island,-tho ihust beautiful Of the many
islands that divide the Father of Waters.
And, with the vast plnn 0f construction
four-iftlis flushed, md thu fabrication Ut
stores nctually commenced on n large scale,
II Is Idle to defer pushing tho work to entire
completion. II may l,c well to state s0tsc ut
tho REASONS for builing tlle Arsenal which
will not suggest themselves to the hurried
render.
A NATIONAL p1:rESsE.
It must be admitted, FIRST, TINT we should
have National defense; md. this granted,
IL Is easy Ia s!!ow: First, tl,u absolute l,eces-
eity for constructing tho Arsenal; scc0ndty,
ihe economy to the United States In dung
ST. The Ordnance Department supplies to
the army every nriiclU used BY the soldier for
offensive and defensive purposes. THIS elie
braces small arms; equipments for infantry,
cavalry, and artillery; MI ammunition Of
every kind for cannon, rifles, carbincs, anu
pistols. and also fireworks (s,lcl, rs r0ckGts)
etc.; ali cannon md gu'tcarrlnges for field.
Siege, E;lrrlson, and mountain or prnirio
service; and nll the equipments for
the last, which e,nbraeu harness,
tools, Implements, bnttery-wngoils, md
forges. OF wiNt l,as been named everything
will be manufactured Mt this Arsenal, OK
cout can1Nai Md gt,llp0wdcr,-n,ul rrnbnbty
one or both of these eventually. 1t WIS
learned during the lntc civil strtfa {by snd
expericncc) TINT the material Of wnr-evcry-
thi1's l'lht tl1t soialer hE"ts w'lh-s'sou"l w
manufactured III Government SHOPS; mil
tl,at THE Government shops were inadequate
f,r $v,a, f1t,,,t t,,,
tic capacity rra,Ire, for the first tlrcu years
thoso u o,cr,aIs % 1 s"'',, ',s io ,o o ,,,.,r VIZ t
control Of tic Government are % herewith pre-. re-
Bentcd. II not obtained III this way, they
mus, bcnc,lutrel by purchase from foreign m
t;n,,s cr,,,rni,,. nr frnm cn,,trnctnrs f;urm,,
tio'S Ee"e.mly, OF l,1'l e"nls'etols' OuflhE
the Ware tho 1selellEun the Government p,'r.
chased abnut 10000 mlislscts, and the greater
part of i!.csu weru purchased from foreign
nnt,nns. 'rh,s,, u,,.t inv, ,nst nlnut 81:
Wo,oo' Ihey were worm rs ,nercl'a1'lnnle
100000. 1lrrc was n loss Of over slaWo,0oo.
It ean be shown by calc''ntiou that, in the
qs'", or cox, , o, e,,n aaomf e oeK
aoout 1he s'1lA oi,t.'hfl LINES tl,1liile caGh
.c"nedornt, @ lin II NM, ', ~ "su s'.cd i'n" y II ~ ~
wise or prudent fnr Tie GovernIilunt, With
asaia 70 b. ",ii% s uiui md Il fot ns: wen I'll, ,e
Nntion's snfuty il at stake, MIDI ,nusIu t,..
pendent for wsa,o,,S for scit.prutccti,i, ,,vun
contractors or furrign nations Another
vHi!,s % %.wr i!le ysry pcst M artrn that The
s"iier c,t i,nvn fn l.t w,tI1 a,,,I t.,'.. t, if
is little poorcr, OF one tilat Is almost WORTH
IT, =. rrnnns,.,i n nokn ,his 4 rsm,o, ,ho
rsoMo1 ~ H., Whit, IT, Nls.,st;,f ~ H. w
cnnui"tn,l X wn,,i,i i" s,,tt;,,,t ''S ;SvAa,,
cr"M,lesi t it, fii n "aIeity' M iii n tie Of WIZ war.
i, NJ a 1 ~ % t1,,Iur Sny m n.s ~ 81 '~o
trots Mi lin s,nn, Arac,,ris " to = East iv,
t,,te great 4 Hrs",,u1 witIt rr.nti,. "nInr'.nT
sapaclty fos MINI gai M l.tryass' e eas!ci;sy sy
(" .miar',,, tI. is""if,. .Imst rs.,,n, . ,,,9
xhnIf in s,,tii,irnt fs.r tim ,..,,,,trv vnut ~ ~
tiis i,ockS W",ntutns Ahoui sIHi, tH' Mns mnra r.,
rse,1ni as'fs n M fi.s,e tia r, iS , eR lstd
~ IL. MI s,.t, If, ~ i,nss ,.,,
IN m, ncnnMIct. % .tn,c nnsi,y, lss ANY, ,voni onih
be Tho RESULT Wh"I, c,,,,nlrt,,i' ,ts co"ri,v ms
t3m"s thnt ~ III ia 'tI. ,sn,,,fs iha 1ftgG
@t. i, ~ y, ~ ~ t ti W WM:esina , t ~ uncs
onl Tia 1,,r"ssi,s fr " % t @ H"rthwcat t tt"''t nm
tie Mississpvi VALLEY from mn ti,n AicEnrnis.s nis.s
W '4'o A'os"1es' ....-...
CONDITION OF TIE Wol'ls.
The plan for THIS Arsenal, III outline, Is
familiar to Innxt TRIituSE readers. Ii con
sists ot two rows Of shups, with five II. each
lr ~, ,nH s"ns,hS WIZ t!n ,AtSennl, a
,,af s "ad, ast s T. tn nlnle s!lop on ina
# - untn.i nS = u liz 1na'try @ IoIe'i,G s''0n;
T. 10 ",,pna! ~ .na a.Sei,Ai Mntk n'iy aiM
,. sGnlne,s!. @ 'n' eots1eSla''it!lng snnp II tho
inG"sI,G,, 'n fnr H., % r,m.,s; ~, i' ~ ,1aG aG1rG
e ~ t,I1 liz ,y",, .U A'Is ,,. sri nr!t Ii aeapt-
pes!ea; o;,, EMci o. ~, ti'rs r Sims Is built
rnnr STi rtH ts Tr ). s dfn'S ~, ~ tle
Minc.re 81 slntcs IN y tile ntter four sliol's ot
i.S . 1"M ni,, ~ cn'lx' y ~ tne nier stl!,s Nrn
~ it ,,,iu ni s.., it ~ 1e H. slrei!gth
oi t,lS annb i %nstetl. Ih!s u thtf cso with
% n!. ths WITH w4tk TINT lt'ls l@el done,-srwnrs,
MMiiGir.Moshs' WY i,.' Watelnwer; failfotls, nnl.is,
alt .r,"G"H; ,EtrHtn!i,S aS Msll cn'lstrct,
M o" wru,.ttevsst tiitl
pMm' anu nyefyttt,ng inns fnr l;''s been nINtl.,
ss s ssr e"F ~ II" @ .vor St .oS t n 20 10 Wy pl
ilsi,nselit s.lol'l hs PRESSED nl,d tested. This
IN s.M sMG efsat @ a"ynttSe % clalineA iof tl!1 Ar
be'nt' tll'tt u RlltlNlti pe l'erfett lit I'LL Its