The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-01

any service Very reduced charges must
be fired from them or the mounts will 60 TO
pieces.
Some Of the old smooth-bore guns have
been converted into rifles aud their effective
ness is thus greatly augmented, but they
are few.
Al Fort Winfield Scott on Fort Point the
battery consists of eleven ffteen-inch
smooth-bore guns on REINFORCED carriages
and they are the most servieeabe of any in
the defenses of the Pacific Coast from the
position they occupy on the narrow chan
mel. With these are sixteen eight-inch
converted rifles and thirty-two ten-inch
smooth bore guns on old carriages.
The Preside battery is composed of eight
8-nch converted rifles on REINFORCED car
riages.
AT Black Point are six 10-inch smooth
bore guns Oh old carriages which are un-
serviceable. one S-inch converted rifle on
REINFORCED carriage and one 10-ineh siege
mortar with an unserviceable mount.
Alcatraz Island has a battery of two g.
inch converted guns and one 15-inch gun on
REINFORCED carriages, also six 15-ineh
smooth-bores on old mounts that would 60
to pieces at the first shot.
On Lime Point are four 15-inch guns that
are mounted to stand a fair strain, but
heavy charges would soon render them u Sc
less.
Angel Island has a few old "a and 80
pounGersfh are not even fit for OLD iron,
and scattered about among all the forts are
about eighty guns of different sizes that
might be of use we're they put on carriages.
but these important parts are missing.
Congress, since 1888. has appropriated
nearly S1l, 600. 900 for the purpose of estab-
fishing coast defenses mainly at New \ ork,
Boston and San Francisco. but the Ord
nance Department seems very dllatory in
the matter. Up to the first Of the year five
12-inch, eleven 10-ineh and thirteen S-inch
breech-loading steel rifles were com pleted.
as we'll as two 10-inch wire-wound guns
and three S-inch rifles, made under contract
at the West Point foundry. Along with
these were forty-four 12-inch breech-lOad-
ing cast-ir0n mortars, hoped with steel. or
these guns, four mortar5 and three 8-lnch
rifles were brought to San Francisco. and
were unloaded at Benicia arsenal during
the Chilean troubles. A house was built
over these guns. and there they remain
without carriages, and would be OF as much
use as so much scrap iron should they be
required in a sudden emergency.
Ont OF this immense appropriation for
ordnance during the past five years the
carriages so far built are one ten-ineh
pneumatic, one twelve-inch gun lift, two
spring return mortar and one cavet mortar.
Apart from these there is not a single COM
pleted modern carriage for either gun or
mortar in the United States.
AS both guns aud mortars are useless
without carriages it will be seen how poorly
defended the port of San Francisco is when
all the gun mounts are of an old pattern
and in many ways defective.
The greatest reliance here at present
would be in torpedoes and Submarine mines,
and with this point In view the War De-
partment is now actively engaged in erect
ing torpedo galleries aud preparing for any
such emergency.
These galleries will be three in number,
and stationed on Lime Point, Black Point
and Angel Island, forming triangle and
so placed as to command a wide stretch of
the harbor's entrance.
OF course IL is not necessary that the
mines shall be planted until the exigency
should arise. but considerable quantity of
electrical operating apparatus, cases, an-
chors and other necessary articles have been
stored at Angel Island.
The positions for the mines in the harbor
here have been carefully studied and ac-
curately indicated on charts. and men have