The record-union., 1895-06-11
HARBoR DEFENSE GUNS.
Battery at the Preside Nearly Ready
to Turn Over to the Government.

Battery at the Preside Nearly Ready
to Turn Over to the Government.
WAsHINGToN, June 10.-By next fall,
if all goes we'll, the new battery OF
pneumatic guns located at Fort Winfield
Scott, on the Presidio reservation, in
tended for the protection of San Fran
cisco. will be turned over to the War
Department. The battery is even now
practically complete, but owing to the
difficulty of securing an adequate water
supply, upon the application of the con-
tractors. the War Department granted an
extension of time TOR the delivery from
April to November 9th next.
TO operate the plant powerful steam
pumping equipment is necessary to COM
press the air which throws the pro-
jectiles laden with half q ton of
dynamite, and of course the steam plant
requires water supply for the boilers.
When good progress had been made in
putting up the battery and machinery
the contractors found to their dismay
that not drop of fresh water was to be
found OH the site. To obtain water they
were obliged to run pipes half mile
To tap the conduit leading to the
Presidio, and then to install pumps to
force the water up to the bluff. They
have contended that the Government
should defray the expense OF this work,
as the water is intended for the supply
of the fort, but as the contract was so
worded as to require them to furnish
every appurtenance necessary to the OPP
Grafton OF the battery, the success of
their application is doubtful.
This battery is composed of three fif-
teen-lnch guns, one more than the bat
terry installed at Sandy Hook for the de-
tense of New York Harbor, and it is 80
~. =
main channel leading up to San Fran.
CISCO AT present there are two of these
batteries in use. and while it was con.
templated to install another in Boston
HarbOr, this project may Have to he
abandoned. The difficulty lies not in
lack OF money, but in serious objection
that has been made by engineer officers
that the dynamite guns would in such
places as Boston Harbor endanger the
whole of the costly and elaborate system
of submarine defenses planned Tor the
protection OF the harbor.
Wherever the depth of the water is not
too great at the entrance TO large har-
Der, the engineers have placed or intend
to place In case of war submarine mines
and anchored tOrpedOes lying beneath
the surface of the water. The accepted
plan of operations against such obstacles
to the entrance of a fleet is to send ahead
small torpedo boats, which by firing tor
pedoes or heavy charges of powder Ill the
channels succeed in exploding the hidden
mines by the shock, and thus clearing
the way for the larger ships. This plan
was used with success by the Japanese at
Port Arthur end Wei Hal Wei, so that
the engineer officers feel that it is neces-
sary tc protect their mines in turn by
placing them under the line Of their
shore batteries, which would be relied
upon to keep Oft the torpedo boats. But
in the case of the dynamite batteries it
has been urged that the effect OF a miss in
shot would be TO exp plode all of the mines
in the vicinity of the places where the
projectiles strike. This would open the
very channels that the guns are designed
to aid in keeping closed against a hostile
fleet. Fortunately the objection does not
lie against such harbors as that at San
Francisco. where the water is so deep
that submarine mines cannot be effect
lively used. but it does undoubtedly ap-
ply to many of our other harbors.