The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-11-27
OUR COAST DEFENSES
Explained in the Annual Report
Of Secretary Lamont,
RAPIDLY PUSHING THE WORK.

All the Troops Now supplied with the
New Magazine Arms aud with smoke
less sPowder-The Expenditures for River
and Harbor improvements.
/ WASHINGTON. Nov 81 Secretary La
monts report of the operations of the war
department for the year 1895 show total
expenditures agRregating SOL SOB, 29s, of
/ which Sl3, sos, 06S was for pay OF the army, /
/ 81 4SS 2S6 for subsistence, 81, ,S5S.2SS for |
regular quartermasters' supplies, $500, ,12G |
/ for barracks and quarters, 1891 ,T97 for |
army transportation, 81, $40, 20i for cloth
ing, 1856, 1884 for ordnance, &, ,967 464 for |
seacoast defenses, Sl7, ,s44, 500 for river and
harbor improvement, S3,133, 1871 for ma
tional soldiers homes and 81, 496, 7p5 for
salaries and contingencies In the war Of
flee at Washington. This last item shows
"A saving of $bS2 $50 from the expenditure
under the same head for the year 1892.
The aggregate appropriations for this
department and turned back into the gen
eral fund of the treasury at the end Of the
last fiscal year was 81 go 038 For the
year 1895 it was 81 ,764, 467 and for 1894 it
was 81, ,3S7, 1922, an aggregate for three years
of more than S5,O00OO0
Much of the report is devoted TO de-
tailed exhibit of the work accomplished
and now under way on the coast defenses,
as ordered in 1885.
On July l. 1898, of our modern defense
but one high power gun was mounted. BY
July l next we will have in position
seventy high power breech loading guns
and ninety-hve breech loading mortars Of
modern design, and by the following July
on the completion of work already under
8 way or provided for, l2S guns and 153
mortars. A battery of two or three of
these guns takes the place of the former
pretentious fort, and is vastly more effect
i've. A 12-inch mortar requires a powder
charge of 1O5 pounds, and throws a filled
projectile weighing 800 pounds over five
miles
/ The defenses now under consideration
are distributed among the ports of Port
land, Me. Portsmouth, y. H.. Boston
Narragansett bay, eastern entrance to
Long Island sound, eastern and southern
entrance to New York, Philadelphia, Bal
timore, Washington, Hampton Roads,
Wilmington Charleston, savannah, Key
West, Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans,
Galveston, San Diego, san Francisco, the
mouth Of the Columbia river and Puget
sound.
, Secretary Lamont says his predecessors
in Office at the head Of the war depart
ment had, during many years, the difficult
task of arOusing the public mind to a
realization OF the national deficiencies 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-
} cOmplishment of the accepted scheme
The total amount appropriated Tor sea
coast defenses, including cost of sites,
; fortitications and armament since the
adoption of the present Scheme is S36, 49,
100 33, of which 50 $50 0lJ or more than
one third was carried by the act passed
at the last session of congress.
Therefore, in submitting the estimates
for another year, he feels Jhat it is no
no longer necessary to repeat the argu-
mcnts that have been reiterated so many
!, times. While earnestly inviting attention
I. to the great work that yet remains to be
at done, it is also his fortune to have the
more grateful duty of exhibiting the inn
- portant results that have been actually
accomplished, as we'll as the splendid
progress which is now being made to-
ward the early completion of the work.
The armament of troops with the new
magazine arms was completed in May,
and the armory is turning out l25 rifles OF
carriages per day under the appropria-
llOn Iluut ldSb year. AL lllt ammunition
for small arms now made is supplied with
g smokeless powder of American manufao-
n ture and of satisfactory quality.
j, The total expenditures for river and
q harbor improvements ordered by congress
: during the year ending June 30, 1896, in.
4 Guiding those of the Mississippi and Mis-
: souri, river commissions, was Sl7 ,039, ,73I. 81
8 Including the amounts appropriated by
I. the act of June 8, 1896, there was available
for expenditure on rivers and harbors July
: l, S26,O2O, ,974.79 The Mississippi river
= commission has decided to discontinue
the plan to improve the river by bank pro
lection and to adopt the plan of dredging
e channels in shoal places and maintaining
with state and local cooperation an eff
cient levee system, With this change OF
u policy the minority believe the function
10 of the commission is ended and the worl
should be turned over to the secretary O
war.
Under the new system established by
Secretary Lamont the army has for tn,
first time been paid monthly. Over $14,
20 900 900 was disbursed, and the discrepancy
between the money shipped and claimed
\ to have been received amounts to only
J S27. The saving to the government by tn,
system is about $4,000 annually, and i
Il appears to encourage economy among tn,
Y men, as soldiers deposits this year ar,
over 100000 more than last year. De
. sertion in the army is decreasing. DE
n serters in 1888 numbered 3,57S, in 1898 onl,
., l,6S2, and last year 1865
- How to Ward on an Attack of Crou u
In speaking of this much dreaded disease
Mr.. c. NJ. Dixon, of Pleasant Ridge, Pa
: said, Il have little girl who is troubles
frequently during the winter months wit
croupy affections. Whenever the frs
symptoms occur, my wife gives her Chan
berain's Cough Remedy, and the result
-, always prompt and satisfactory" This rem
, edy is used by thousands of mother
throughout the United States, and in man
foreign countries, and always with perfe,
success. IL is only necessary IN oive