Morning journal and courier., 1889-11-18
OUR COAST DEFENcKs.
Moro Than $500 Heavy Guns and In
War Time More Than $4,000 Artil-

| More Than $500 Heavy Guns and In
War Tine More Than $4,000 Artil-
lerymen.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16.-The tables that
| accompany the report of General Schofeld
| furnish interesting and important facts upon
the armament and the garriaons which the
board of Notifications proposed for the sea-
coast works. The guns on hand consist of
snaooth-bore Rodmans and rifed PARROTS,
relics of the civil war period, and of smooth
bores converted into rifles of smaller calibre
by the insertion of steel rified tube.
T OF the Rodmans there are 210 eight-inch,
996 ten-inch, 308 ffteen-inch, and 2 twenty
inch, making the large total of 1878 guns;
and to handle these will require, in time of
war, as garrisons, 40,1s8 men. OF the Par
rotts there are on hand 17S 100 Founders, 81
2o0-pounders, and SO 800 Founders; and the
war garrisons, of these 292 pieces should be
zoos men. OF the converted rifles there are
80, requiring 500 men. Thus it now APP
pears that we now have on hand 1000 heavy
guns, and that they would require 81, 1876
men. It will probably be some eonsolation
to citizens interested in coast defence to
know the number Of guns existing, although
none are of the high-powered class now
needed. But of these latter 1t is proposed to
add ], S05 of various calibres, and they will
call for 81 ,96S men in time of war. The
grand aggregate, therefore, is 1896 guns,
and 81, 204 artillerymen. Since of this force
$40 men are required for the lake ports. SUBJ
tracing them General Schofeld obtains for
the seacoast 49, 1884 men.
It is probable, however, that the addition
of more powerful guns will gradually render
obsolete many of the Rodmans, PARROTS and
converted rifles now on hand, and the total
number of men required may be less than is
estimated. OF course, during peace the
force will be limited to what is needed for
the comparatively few guns in position, and
for the care of the remainder and of the
forts. Still, General Schofeld thinks that
over four thousand men should be added to
the artillery at once, thus bringing up the
maximum Of enlisted mon to about 10000.
This would give seven regiments of artillery
instead of five, as now. With IL batteries to
a regiment there would be "a in all, and II
of these would be light batteries. Tho other
70 he would dispose in New York harbor ana
its approaches, and in various ports of New
England and the middle, southern and Paci-
fic States, making 81 posts in all. Yet only
one-third of these now have the barracks and
quarters adequate for the increased garrisons.
Until the proper additions and repairs are
made to the remainder General Schefeld
would not attempt to supply them with extra
men, and he further makes these sugses-
tions:
Until the work of fertilization is begun the
construction of barracks at Charleston, Mo-
bile and Galveston ia not recommended; the
garrisons of these should be kept for the
present at Atlanta, Key West, Pensacola and
New Orleans. No garrison is now recon-
mended for Wilmington or the mouth of
Cape Fear river, because this point is one of
the last to be fortified. Moreover, the small
fierce available for garrisoning the Atlantic
coast should be concentrated toward the
northern an southern extremities, the part
most liable to sudden attacks in the event of
war. also recommend that barracks and
quarters for one regiment of infantry be
constructed at Pittsburgh.
1t is doubtful whether the proposal to
make this large increase to the artillery will
be favorably received by the present Con-
gress. A proposition to raise the enlist
ed maximum to $4,000 introduced into Gen.
Logan's army efficiency bill was received
with so much disfavor that it was dropped
lest it should ruin the remaining provisions.
Again, some congressman hold that If any
| such addition is to be made it should go to
the infantry, in order that this army may re-
oeive twelve company organization. Still,
it may fairly be assumed that, when the
new guns and mortars intended for
seacoast defence are made and put
in position. larger force of artillerymen
will be provided to handle and care for them.
One thing shown clearly by the estimate of
the large number of troops required for the
war garrisons of the forts is the service that
may be rendered by the proposed organize
ton of heavy artillery in the militia Of the
seaboard States. A force even of 5000 ma
tional guard artillerymen, trained two or
three weeks each year at the harbor forts of
the Atlantic and Pacific States, would form
desirable source OF reliance in sudden
| Of regular artillery remains SO small.