The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-12-04
OUR SEAcOASI DEFENS[S

JUN ULIlUUllUl DLILNULU
Secretary Lamont Reports
Progress Of the Work.
OF HieH-PowER GUNS
The cretary Renews His Previous
xation and Increase of the Infantry
Washington, Nov. S0.-In his an
nual report, which was made public
today, Secretary Lamont renews his
previous Recommendation that the in
fantry be reorganized on the general
idea of three light and mobile battal-
ions of four companies each to the reg
iment, instead of the cumbersome ten
company formation, adopted century
ago, and abandoned by other nations
since the development of modern mag
azine rifles, and he quotes Generals
Sherman and Sheridan and Lieutenant
General Schofield in support of the ne
cessity of this reorganization OF the in
fantry.
The completion already of some
coast defenses and the approaching
completion of other modern batteries
renders necessary larger force OF artll'
leries, but on increase of the army is
asked for. The plan Of seacoast de.
fenses involves 100 distinct batteries in
over twenty harbors.
Investigation this year has shown
serious deficiencies in the arms and
equipment of the state militia. When
the states furnish the armories and de.
fray all expenses incidental to keeping
their forces in training, Secretary La.
mont suggests that the United States
should provide them with the imple-
ments which they will need in active
service-arms and field equipment-as
che supply on hand is totally made.
uuate for serious and prolonged field
operations. The secretary recommends
that the Springfield rifles, caliber 40.
be issued to state troops; that the
states be allowed to return to the war
department obsolete arms and equip
ment, to be sold, and the proceeds
credited to the states, and that the
states be allowed to purchase from the
department supplies at regular prices.
The report shows that, whereas on
July /, 1898, in our modern defense,
but one high.power gun was mounted,
by July next we will have in position
seventy high power breech-loading guns
and ninety five breech-loading mortars
i of modern design, and by the following
July, on completion of work already
under way, rs provided for, 1913 guns
and 1853 mortars. A battery of two OF
three of these guns takes the place o1
the former pretentious fort, and is vast
ly more effective
The defenses now under considera
ton are distributed among the ports
of Portland, Me-; Portsmouth, N. H.!
q Boston, Narragansett bay, eastern en-
!, trance to Long Island sound; eastern
and southern entrances to New York
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington
, Hampton Roads, Wilmington, Charles
? ton, Savannah, Key West, Pensacola
Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston, Sal
Diego, San Francisco. and the moutl
of the Columbia river and Puget sound
, All of the emplacements have been 10
, Gated with view to carrying out tn
. project of the Endicott board of fortifi
, cations, organized under act-of congres
March 8, 1885, as revised by the per
! manent board of engineers. The secre
! tary says that the department. in max
3 ing these allotments, was guided by
o. desire to protect as many of the seaport
r as practicable against marauding at
q tacks of isolated cruisers, as we'll as
4 provide more efficient defense for tn
q important places, and also to Utilize
o the best advantage the guns for whic
J. carriages could be speedily furnished
d The total number of emplacement
r provided for to date is 1913 for guns an
156 for mortars, of which ninety-tw
for guns and T6 for mortars were az
ropriated for by the last congress.
q The number of gun carriages CON
70 pleted- and building, all of which wi
J. be finished within the next fiscal veal
n is twenty 12-inch, sixty-nine 10-inci
% eighteen 8-inch for guns, and 153 IL
- mortars. By July, 1897, there shoul
d be ready seventy gun carriages an
1T 1913 mortar carriages. ....
's The total number of guns complete
{, to date. since the first appropriation,
'r sixty-one S.inoh, fifty-six 10-incl
ID twenty .one 12-inoh and eighty mortar
1t With the money already provides
IS there will be completed by June B.
r 1897, seventy-two 8inoh guns. eight,
Id seven 1o.inoh guns, forty-seven 12-int
guns and eighty-eight mortars.
The estimates of the department. f
20 the next fiscal year aggregate $40. 4S2
~ 26S. With this appropriation, prov
- sion will have been made for II
70 high. power gun emplaoements. l:
n rapid fire gun emplaoements, 800 l
Ia inch mortar emplacements, 35s hig
n power steel guns, ninety-seven rap
n. fire guns, 800 12-inoh mortars, 1870
h inch and 12-inch gun carriages, al
an 900 I2-inch mortar carriages
Q. The armament Of troops. with t
ye new magazine guns was completed
be May, and the armory is turning out
ly rifles or carbines per day, under the
I'd propriation made last year. All t
e. ammunition for small arms now ma
be is supplied with smokeless powder
ot American manufacture and of satlsfs
tory quality.
The $40 Apache prisoners of Gero,
It. mos band have, the secretary sa.
les led a quiet, pastoral life. and ha
,rt reached a self-supporting condltle
in He recommends that in time, the II
sst to the SO, 900 acres they occupy be
10 quired by the government, and tn
%, then be placed under control OF the
re dian bureau.