The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-27
LAND FORCES UNDER LAMONT.
GOOD SHOWING IN THE sECRE-
TARY's ANNUAL REPORT.

Interesting Statement OF the Power.
of the Big Coast Defense Guns.
Economical Handling of the Ap-
preparations For the Departments.
The New disappearing Gun Car
ringe-rhe New Magazine Rifles.
Men Needed to Man the New Guns.
Washington, Nov. 26.-Secretary La
monts report OF the operations of the war
department for 1896 show total expendl-
lures aggregating nearly $52,0O0,0OO, and
an unexpended balance of nearly S2,oO000o
turned back into the treasury at the end
OF the fiscal year. For the three years
OF Col. Lamont's administration the sur
plus has amounted to more than $5.OOOO0O.
On the 1st Of July, 1893, of our modern
defense. but one high power gun was
mounted. BY the 1st OF July, next. we
will have In position seventy high power
breech loading guns and ninety-ave
breech loading mortars of modern design.
and by the following July, on completion
of work already under way, or provided
for. 12S guns and 1863 mortars
A battery of two or three of these guns
takes the place of the former pretentioua
An S-inch gun weighs 141k tons, is 23M
feet long, requires powder charge Of 125
pounds and throws projectile weighing
800 pounds about nine miles.
l0-inch sun weighs 80 tons, Is 9ola
feet long requires a powder charge Of $50
pounds and throws a proJectile OF 575
pounds about twelve miles.
12-inch gun weighs 81 tons, Is 40
feet long. requires powder charge of
$40 pounds. and throws a projectlle of 1000
pounds thirteen miles.
A 12-inch mortar weighs 1920
pounds, Is 10 feet long, requires a powder
charge of 105 pounds. and throws a filed
projectile weighing 800 pounds over five
miles.
The defenses now under consideration
are distributed among the ports of Port-
land, Me, Portsmouth. N. H., Boston, Mar
ragansett Bay, eastern entrance to Long
Island sound; eastern and southern en-
frances to New York, Philadelphia. Balti-
more, Washington, Hampton Roads, Will
mington, Charleston, savannah, Key
West. Pensacola, Mobile. New Orleans,
Galveston. San Diego, San Francisco, the
mouth of tho Columbia river and Puget
sound.
The total amount appropriated for the
sea coast defenses, including cost of sites.
fortiflcations, and armament since the
adoption of the present scheme, is $2S,457,-
900, Of which more than one-thlrd was car
ried by the act passed at the last session
of congress.
Before the end OF the present year, we
shall have eleven 12-inch, forty-two
1O-lnch, eight s-inch, six rapid-fire
guns and 112 mortar empiacements. By
July next there should be completed four
teen Pinch, forty-slx 10-inch, ten S-inch,
ud III
tar emplacemtns. And by the close OF the
coming year this viii be increased to
twenty-one 12-inch, sixty-six 10-inch, twen-
ty-hve S-inch, and sixteen rapid-fire guns,
and 1856 mortar emplacements.
In the belief that the problem of satls-
factory disappearing gun carriage had
been solved, the appropriations commit
tee were Informed at the previous session
of the present congress that this DEPART
ment proposed to spend no more money
for gun-lift batteries, thus saving SN,OOO,-
900. The construction Of these carriages
in as large numbers as the appropriation
would permit was Immediately undertaken
both at the government carriage factory
at the Watertown arsenal and under con-
tract. A stlll more difficult problem was
the designing OF disappearing all-round
fire carriage for the 12-inch breech-load-
Ing rifles, not liable to get out OF order
and easy to be operated by the average
soldier The technical difficulties involved
may, perhaps, be better appreciated when
Il Is considered that similar case would
be that of fifty-ton locomotive and ten
der running at a speed of twenty miles
an hour, which is required to be brought
to a full stop from this speed within q
distance of sixteen feet or one-third OF
It's length, yet so easily and gently thae
at the end of the motion there shall not
be the slightest jar. Both these probemss
It Is believed, have been satisfactorily
solved. One 12-inch all-round- traverse
disappearing carriage Is now under con-
struction and s and 10-inch carriages OF
SIMILAR design are about to be commenced
The armament OF troops with the new
magazine arms was completed In May
and the armory Is turning out 125 rifles or
carbines per day under the appropriation
made last year. All the ammunition for
small arms now made is supplied with
smokeess powder of American manufac-
ture and of satisfactory quality.
The total expenditures for river ana
harbor improvements ordered by congress-
during the year ending June 30, 1885, tn~
Guiding those of the Mississippi and Mis-
souri, river commissions, was Sl7089. .000-
Including the amounts appropriated by
the act OF June 3, 1896, there was availa-
BILE for expenditure on rivers and harbora
July l. S2G,02O,OOO. The Mississippi river
commission has decided to discontinue
the plan to improve the river by bank
protection, and to adopt the plan of
dredging channelS IN snoal places anu
maintaining, with state and local co-op-
Grafton, an effective levee system.
The army consists of 25,426 officers and
men, or 2s4 below the legal maximum. The
effective field strength on Oct 81 was
% 1882
The completion already OF some coast
defenses and the approaching completion
OF other modern batteries render neces-
sary a larger force of artillerists, but no
other increase OF the army is asked for.
The plan of seacoast defense involves 100
distinct batteries in over twenty harbors,
and a force must gradually be supplied to
take care Of the guns and fortifcations
as they are completed, and maintain them
In a state OF efficient defense.