Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-08
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE, TUESDAY, DECEMBER s. 1896


be taken to remedy this condition and that
every announcement be given to thS de-
serving body OF unpaid and voluntary citizen
soldiers. upon whose assistance we must
largely rely In time Of trouble.
Sen Coast Defense,
During the past year rapid progress has
Jcen MADE toward the completion OF the
J scheme adopted for the protection and arma-
ment OF fortldcations along our sea coast,
while equal progress has been made in
providing the material for submarine defense
In connection with those works. II Is peeu-
llarly gratifying at this time to note the
g.eat advance that has been made IN TINS
important undertaking since the date OF my
annual message to the Fitty-third congress
at the opening OF It's second session, IN
December, 1898. At that time | informed
the CongrCSs of the apprOaihi completion
OF nine twClyc-inch and thrty-four eight
inch nigh power steel guns, und seventy-tve
twelve-inCh rhCd mortars. This total then
seemed Insignificant when compared with
the great work remaining to be done. Yet
II was none the less a source OF satisfaction
to every citizen when he reflected that II
represented the first installment of the new
ordnance of American design and American
manufacture, and demonstrated our ability
to supply frcm cur own resources guns oil
uneNcClled rover and accuracy.
At that dete, however there were prac-
these gurs and only thirtyone emplace-
ments for guns and siXty-four for mortars.
Nor were all these emplaCements in condt-
tion to receive their armament, Only one
hiSh power gun was at that time In position
for the deferSe of the entire coast. Since
that time the number OF guns actually COM
pleted has been increased to twenty-one
twelvc-inch, ffty-siX ten-inch siNty-onc
otght-inch high power breech loading steel
ten rapid-fre guns and eighty twelve-inch
rin n.,I Ip o1l thNrn i,
process of construction one siXtcen-inch type
gun. fifty twelve-nch, ffty-sN ten-inch,
twenty-seven eght-inch high-power guns
and siXty-siX twelye-inch ri1ed mortars,
in all, 42S guns and mortars.
Mounts Also Made.
During the same year Immediately proceed
ing the message referred to the FIRST modern
gun carriage had been completed and eleven
more were in process Of construction. All
but one were of the disappearing type.
These. however, were not such as to secure
necessary cover for the artillery gunners
against the intense fire of modern machine
rapid-dro and high-power guns. The in
vertive genius of ordnance and civilian eS>
pcrts has been taxed in designing carriages
that would obviate this fault. resulting, 1t
is believed, in the solution of this difficult
problem. Since 1898 the number of gun
carriages cCf struCted or building has been
raised to a total of l29 of which ninety are
on the disappearing principle, and the num-
btl VI HUI Tar tdlTldBtS lO 49, WIlie lUt
nncty-fve emplaCements which were pro-
vided for prior to that time have been in
creased to 2S0 built and building. This
improved situation is largely due to the
recent generous response of the congress
to the recommendations of the War depart
ment.
Thus we soon shall have complete about
one-fifth of the comprehensive system, the
first step of which was noted in my mes
sage to the congress of December 4, 1898
iS tpo1 hot
placement not only furnishes a platform for
the heavy modern high-power gun, but also
in every particular serves the purpose ana
takes the place of the fort of former days.
the importance of the work accomplished
is better comprehended. In the hope that
the work will be prosecuted with no less
vigor in the future, the secretary of war
has submitted an estimate by which, If al
lowed, there will be provided and either
built or building by the end of the next
fiscal year such additional guns, mortars
gun carriages and emplacements as will
represent not far from one-third of the
total work to be done under the plan
adopted for our coast defenses-thus af-
fordng prospect that the end of the entire
work Will BE- substantially completed within
six years. In less time than that, how
ever we shall have attained marked
degree OF security. The experience and
results of the past year demonstrate that
with continuation of the present careful
methods the cost of the remaining work
Will be much less than the original estimate
We should always keep in mind that of all
forms of military preparation, coast defense
alone is essentially pacific in it's nature;
while it gives the sense of security due to
a consciousness of strength, 1t is neither
the purpose nor the effect OF such permanent
fortifcation to involve us in foreign com
plcaticns, but rather to guarantee us
against them. They are not temptations
to war, but security against it. Thus they
arc thoroughly in accord with all the tradi- |
tons of our national diplomacy.