The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-15
| From O photograph. ]

Bedford, Mass. He was thus engaged I'M
I'll 1868, when he was ordered to San Fran
cisco to take his place on the Board of
Engineers for the Pacific Coast.
Colonel Mendell's first work as a mem
Der of the board was in line with his New
charge of the Notifications of this harbor.
Up to that time the only guns that
guarded the Golden Gate against invasion
were mounted in the old batteries at Black
Point, Fort Point, Acatraz and Angel
Island. Once in charge, the veteran en-
gineer set about devising new line Of de-
lenses for the entrance to the harbor and
the mounting of the great guns in the forts
erected on the height thanking either side
of the Golden Gate, which is now pro-
crossing, constitutes the browning effort in
the development of these defenses.
When Colonel Menden came to San
Francisco the harbor was virtually at the
mercy of any naval force that chose to at
tack it. The Civil War had revolution
lied naval architecture ami armament,
and the forts and guns here were so far out
of date that they were practically of little
if any value. It is all different now, on the
eve of his retirement to private life. Be-
fore that event will have been actually
consummated, the Golden Gate will be
guarded by two batteries, mounted with
guns capable of dropping their mammoth
shells in the hull of an enemy's ship twelve
miles off the coast-that is, nearly half
way to the Farallon Islands. These are,
of course, supplemented by series of
mortar and other batteries of shorter
range, but of much greater danger, per-
haps, to an invading force. Two of the
more important of the new batteries
erected under Colonel Mendell's direction
are situated at Gravelly Beach, Lime Point,
and at Point Cavallo, headland lying
os{ - 7 int hot nd ho
town of Sausalito. These are water bat
teries, whose big guns sweep the Golden
Gate and the bar.
Another battery stands on Lime Point
Bluff, elevated 400 feet above the water
level. This is one of the batteries in which
one of the new sixty-ton steel guns will be
mounted. On the summit of the bluff on
the south side of the Gate are series of
other batteries, known only by their dis
tinctive numbers, while on the elevation
overlapping Fort Point will be mounted
two other sixty ton twelve-inch rif1ed can
non, corresponding with the one to oc-
cupy the Lime Point Bluff battery. One
of these guns is now being slowly hauled
up the steep slope.
modelled. New batteries have been erected
on that rock at every available point, so
that it is now literally bristling with guns
of great destructive power and long range,
ready to challenge the entrance of the in
yader long before his keel shall have
crossed the bar.
With these new batteries and remod-
eled forts, and a perfect system of torpedo
ing, the Golden Gate of San Francisco Bay
is considered as secure against attacks
from the sea as any fortified place on the
shores of the Pacific.
Harbor defense has, however. consti-
tuted only part of Colonel MendelPs off,
cial work during his twenty-seven years
residence here, and it has been, perhaps,
the least important part of it in some re-
spects, for we are living in piping times
Of peace, with no sign of war cloud
darkening the horizon, and the guns
which guard the Golden Gate may never
be needed for more serious work than prac-
tice or for the saluting of some important
dignitary on peaceful mission bent.
Colonel Mendell's chief work has really
been in the aid of commerce and industry
through the improvement OF the harbors
Ind rivers of the coast.
In this line of engineering Colonel Mem
dell has had broad field for the exercise
Of his talents. The field has. in fact, been