The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-18
A Corner on Books.
Standard works fer 10 cents. See novel
advertisement on page Is.
B0sTON'S FoRTIFICATIoNs.
The New Defenses of the Harbor Are
Going Forward.
.oston TRANSCRIPT,

Boston Transcript. =
The first OF the new series of Notifications for
the defense of Boston harbor is now practically
completed. This is the mortar battury on Win
throp Highlands. All. that remains 10 be done
on the construction of the battery Itself is a
little grading along the trout. Inside the works
the guns have not yet b 'eD put In position, and
this will mol be done until spring, as the plat
forms will have 10 be putin and this work can
not be done during the cold weather. This is
essentially a mortar battery. 1t has no sighted
guns in its equipment, which consists of
sixteen 12-ineh rfitd mortars. It. is situated
just back OF the highest part or Winthrop
highlands, and IS In appearance large Oblong
mound 40 feet high aud about 200 by $50 feet
In area. In IL are four large pits, which look
good deal like the craters of extinct volcanoes
They slope down. at sharp angi until Within
about ten feet of the bottom, when a vertical
wall OF masonry tak~s the place of the earThen
embankmeut, The disposition of these pits is
like that OF the spots on four OF cards, aud it
each pit.
The entrance to the battery is oil the north,
through solid archway. The walls, like the
others in the fortificatiOn.' has an arch of con-
crete over It 8 feet in thickness with 90 feet
OF earth over that. 1t would be impOsSible
for any vessel which could reach the lOeatio
with her bre TO- break through this defense.
Passing through this archway, we reach
the first, or nOrtheasrerly. OF the mortar
pits. and another archway of a similar
kind connects itwith the corresponding pit on
the southeast corner. These are the lwo pits
nearest The water and thefront of the fortifca-
ton, but they are not very near it, as seventy
feet Of earth aud masonry separates them from
the outside world. Halfway through the con-
Meeting passage IS another passage, running at
rightangl eS to IT., which. connects with the two
westerly mortar. pits. Halfway between the
TWO sets OF pits, and. directly in the center of
the fortihcat0ns, are the magazines, which run
on at right angles from the connecting pas
sage, one TO- the north and the other to the
south. They are Carefully arranged so that
there shall be no confusion in getting out am
munition in times of has e, ana open into the
connecting passage at two different points, the
north magazine supplyiug'th the g stern pits and
tue south magazine the western ones. In con-
nectlon Win. The magazines several good.
sized rooms for the handling OF the ammuni
ton, and these may also be used as quarters
Tor the men. The two westerly pits are similar
10 the other TWO, except that they are open on
the land side. NOearthwOrk is necessary here
as no nTe could come from this side.
This battery is most important one as from
It's posltion, II commands the entrances to Bos-
ton harbor,. through Broad Sound, and TO Lynn
harbor. The guns have-a range OF six miles,
and no vessel, however heavily arrnored
would care to come within. this range. The
mortars are designed TO- thrOW 4 shell upward
SO as 10 iaH upon the deck OF vessel where
sne can be lightly armored; and are arranged
SO tDat the whole sixteen can, If necessary, be
concentrated on one point, and fired at once by
means OF electricity. dropping sixteen 12-Inch
smells on the deck of a vessel
IL was originally proposed to have another
Da'tery or he same size and equipment close
beside this one, but it is possible that this plan
Will De changed. aud the battery be placed
somewhere else. just where is not now known.
IL Is certain. however, that there will be num-
as there are 128 of the .mortars' To- be disposed
OF. Ii Is probable that another one will be be-
gun IN the spring. at some location which Is not
yet decided upon.