The morning times., 1896-11-27
REPORT OF THE WAR0FF|cE'
Secretary Lamont on the Nation's'
Defense by Land.
WORK ON COAST DEFENSE
It Has Progressed Rapidly and Esti-
mates for Next Year Are Large.
He Renews Recommendations Re
garding the Capital City-The
Grant Memorial and the Library.

views given to the PUBIC this year. rms
is naturally so from the fact that rum Urs
of war are einteresting enough to concentrate
public attention on the operations of the
War and Navy Departments.
The strength of the Navy is fairly well
known, but a matter OF much more I'M
portance in the minds OF many is the con-
dition of the coast defenses, and especially
what will be done in that line during the
coming year, together with what progress
has been made during the past twelve
months.
Tie expenditures for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1896, was $51 sos POS; ap-
preparations for the year 's6-97, $54,-
O44. Pa; aud the estimates for '97-9S $52,-
SS3,3S3
The NUN Der of enlisted men In the service
on October 81, was % ,426. The total
number of men enlistedlast year was s ,49s,
of whom only one-halr were secured ut
garrisoned posts without expense.
In the militia there are: Infantry, IL =
SS7, 4,716 officers and men in artillery,
cavalry 1886 officers and men.
SEA COAST DEFENSE.
Since 1883 there were provided for sea
coast defenses, 81 S-inch guns, SO 10-inch
guns, 21 12-inch guns, and so 12-inch
mortars. There are in process of construc-
ton ~ S-inch guns, 50 l0-inch guns, II
i --iutI oO ls-llICL
mortars. There should tie completed by
June 80, 1897 S-inch guns, 72; 10 inch
guns, 81; 2-inch guns, Al; 12-inch mortars,
So. BY June 80, S9S: S-inch guns, 75;
10-inch guns, los; 12-inch guns, 60; IT,
inch InortarS, lag.
Leaving, at the latter date, still in process
of construction, herollo wing: S-incn guns,
3; l0-inch guns, %; 12inch guns, 80.
MORE FORTIFICATIONS.
Provision will have been made by the
estimates for 1898 for one hundred AMI
siNuy-three nigh power gun emplaccm, nts,
one hundred and twenty-nine rapid-rire
gun emplaccments; three hundred I2-.nch
mortar emplacements; three hundred and
fifty-eight high-power steel guns; ninety
seven rapid-fire guns; two hundred ana
ninety l2-inch mortars, on: hundred and
eighty s, 10, and l2-inch gun carriages;
two hundred and ninety l2-inch mortar
carriages.
During the year the manufacture of new
arms at the Springfield Armory comprised
1O,535 magazine rifles, iii magazine
carbnes, and I04 cadet rifles, all of cal
iber 80. =
During the year battery of three To-
inch dynamite guns ut san Francisco was
satisfactorily tested and accepted. This
makes six of these guns-five of l5-nch
and one of s-inch caliber-now in position
ports.
WASHINGTON WATER SUPPLY.
The pressing need OF the District of Co.
lumbia is early provision for an adequate
water supply.
The WORK of raising the dam at the Great
Falls of the Potomac river. the source
of supply, to an elevation of $50 feet
inches above mean tide, so tina. I its low
est stage the river would fill the mouth
of the 9-foot conduit, will be entirely
finished WITHIN few weeks. An iucreas,
of 90 per cent in the supply of water for
the reservoirs Will thus be assured.
Tie statue of Gen. Logan viii be erected
in Iowa circle during 1897, and il is ex-
pected that the statue OF Gen. Sheridan
will be erected in the park at the inter
section of Pennsylvania avenue and Thir-
tcenth street near the end OF that year.
The committee OF the Society of the
Army of the Tennessee having accepted
the design for the statue of Gen. Sherman,
has selected part of the park south OF
the Treasury Department and adjacent
TO Pennsylvania avenue as a site, and
the contract for the work has been eX-
ecuted.
MEMORIAL TO GRANT.
Recommendation is renewed thatC ongress
make early provision for an appropriate
memorial at the National Capital worthy
to pcrpetuate the memory of Gen. Grant
Each year demonstrates the desira bility
of the appointment by the President OF n
permanent commission OF men best qualified
to pass on questions of art, to whom shall
be intrusteG the selection of designs and
sites OF thefutiirc e nunu mCntS Of the Capital
The favorable consideration which Con
gress at its late session gave to the project
for an Arlington memorial bridge, which
has been repeatedly urged by this depart.
$40.
Sary structure will be authorized at the
coming session.
DISAPPEARING GUN CARRIAGE
In the belief that a problem of sat
isf3ctory disappearing gun carriage had
beef solved, the Appropriations Committee
were informed at the previous session of
the present Congress that this Department
proposed to spend no more money for
gunift batteries, thus saving 100000 900.
The construction of these carriages in
as large numbers as the appropriation
would permit was Immediately under
taken, both at the government carriage
factory at the Watertown arsenal and
under contract. A still more difficult
problem was the designing OF disap-
pearing all-around fire carriage for the
tw welvc-inch brcech-loading rifle.
How difficult problem it was will
appear when ii is noted that such n
carnage must endure, without breaking or
straining any of its parts, tie tremendous
shock due 10 the ballistic force necessary
to propel a ,o00-pound projectile at a
velocity of i 90 feet per second, lowering
its 52-ton gun for distance of nearly
eight feet TO secure position for loading
and returning 1t TO its firing position
and that it must do this rapidly, certainly
and easily. and by mechanism not liable
TO get out OF order and easy to be operated
by the average soldier.
A DIFFICULT OBSTACLE.
The technical difficulties involved NAV,
perhaps, be better appreciated when IT, is
considered that similar case would be
that OF Il fifty-ton locomotive and tender,
running at n speed of twenty miles an
hour, which is required to be brought to
full stop from this speed within n
distance of sixteen feet, or one-third of
its length, yet SO easily and gently that
at the end Of the motion there shall
not be the slightest jar.
Both these problems, it Is believed, have
been satisfactorily solved. One twelve
inch, all-around, traverse, disappearing
carriage is now under construction, and
eight and ten-inchs carriages of similar
design are about to be commenced.
Secretary Lamont says his predecessors
in office at the head of the War Depart
ment, had, during many years, the diff
ficuit task of arousing the public mind
10 n realization of the national defici-
ancies in the matter of coast defense. As
the interest which has been awakened has
grown deeper, successive Congresses have
made more liberal provision for the ac-
cOInnli Shment of the atlontel scheme