Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-06-25
BY TELEGRAPH.
TIE GUNS AND TIE FORTS.
waat Stall sr~ Sc pes. Tor eaas, Defence,

WksEEx,-r0s. June ss--it il naw she
turn of the Senate TO consider the problem
of the coast letensses and Il ssete-miBs whai
shall be done for them during tic coming
year.
II can no iufsger he sail that our shores
are without profession. The first install
HseHFs III Hieiern hish- power guns aI,si NOR
ters for harbssr defence are coming forw ar'l,
and epiplacesents are ulisler construction
for them u Ees York, Boston, san Fran
I cisco and elsewhere. The bailhus NJ Of
the navy bias also been 4 soEree of coast
pso,eetion. Ne; the present Congress should
MT fiui in thi, fsct any exrust for faltering
in this important work, which stouh b.
carried forward is promptly and vigorously
As possible.
I The action of the House last week on the
pending Notifications bill vas commensurate
in rnauy respects, although il is open 10 the
criticism Of not quite fulls utilizing 'ali the
/ facilities at cusnmand. The House granted
the fun amount asked for By Gen. Flagier,
/ >I5l 900, for the enlargement of the heavy
I gun carriage works at WATERFOWL Arsenal +,
aud that Is valuable piece of legislation,
since the carriages TO be manufactured
there will be- needed for guns now actually
unier construction IL has also granted IN
! full the amount estimated for completing
the equipment of the south wing of the
Wateryliet gun factory. This will permit
the manufacture each wear of fifteen r.
inch ami three l6-lneh guns. In addition
i; has given Si2J opu for finishing ami as
scmblns heavy guns at this factory, and as
consequence during the next twelve
months, beginning July /, there will be
completed. for sea-coast defence, eighteen
S-inct, fourteen iO-inch, and six l2-inch
guns.
Taking together these guns, and those that
have already been completed, and the NOR
tars now built and bHilding. there viii be
ready for mounting in one year from the
present time, As nearly as can be estimated,
forty two heavy hiah-power guns and City
seven big mortars, making in ronni numbers
100 sach modern cannon. Til. is certainly
a gratiiy Ing prospect, after a long period of
dangerous neglect.
( Still such prospect brings into stronger
contrast the somewhat too scanty appropria-
ton Of $500 900 for the construction of
batteries into which 10 put these guns and
mortars. Gen. Casey, estimates for thi.
purpose were - ca 900 Such a
reduction seems excessive, AMI it will
8
crcasing the amount ut least to The
! 500 900 devoted to it last year But it is
only fair to say that reductions can bette,
come in this item than in finishing guns and
carriages. These cannot he extempurizcd
They take long time to build. But viii
the guns and carriages once ready, as Gen
Flagler has said, 1T a war should break out
We should he able To prepare some kind OF
fertilization in Il few weeks" Thousand:
of men could labor day and night on earth
works. Hence. if there is to he cutting
down anywhere. this is the place for il
Still when il is remembered that the accu
racy of fire is nowadays so great as to re-
quire machinery for the disappearance .
the guns below tbs parapet, except whci
they are raised for firing it is well not /,
rely on merely what can be done in extern
PORTING works of sandbags and earth.
The same reasoning applies to the pur
chase of sites for our batteries. which re
ceiycs an appropriation of only S25O,Oot
this year, in place of $500 600 last wear
The larger sim is recommended by TIN
War Department rs an annual provision
until all the needed sites are acquired. Her
also it is shown that there is an unrxpcndei
balance on hand, and time is required TO
the condemnation of sites under the pro
cesses of law and also for private purchase
1t cannot he positively predicted that $3.50,
600 will prove too little, vet the safer pla
is To continue the annual sum of $500 Ou
appropriated during the last two years
The total estimates of the War Depart
ment for the present bill were much NOR
than 1900, 600. 1t was not expected tia
the full amount would he appropriated
since that is never the case with this bill
but the actual amount conceded by tn
House was only S2.lI 2.37G, and this is :
500, i27 less than the bill of last year
Such reduction would be totally unwar
rantcll at the present stage of the coast lie
fence work were it not that an offset I:i
been made in authorizing the secretary @
war 10 enter into contracts involving al
additional amount of 81, 1916 600 Accord
ingly, should those contracts be made, til
actual liability incurred under this bill
would be just about equal TO that which va
contemplated by last years appropriations