Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-03
OUR SEACOASI D[TTI3|
Secretary Lamont REM.
Progress Of the Work X
lumber OF HIeH-PowER c,,,l

today, Secretary Lamon. puaAd
previous recommendation that ,Sa
iantry be %reorganized on the
Idea OF three light and mohiIo Seuui
ions OF four companies each to w. Osl0'
lment' instead of the cumbersome =
company formation, adopted . o.s 70
ago. and abandoned by other na%.9
since the development of modern msa
acme rifles, and he quotes Gera.V
Sherman and Sheridan and L;on.u'
General schofeld in support,O of n. y
cessity of this reorganization Of ths T.
fantry. 'neA
Tho completion already O., co.,. :
coast defenses and the annro.oSa NJ
completion of other modern ba,,a.4
renders necessary a larger forcs Of s,a1
leries, but ON increase of the armv !,
asked for. The plan of seacoas, 4.
lenses involves 100 distinct batteriss
over twenty harbors.
Investigation this year has ,bo,,
serious deficiencies in the arm. Nv,
equipment of the state militia. VIII,
the states furnish the armories and 4,
Tray all expenses incidental to keeniD,
their forces in training, Secretary Ia
mont suggests that the United Stats
should provide them with the imDls
ments which they will need in act,,
service-arms and field equipment-u|
che supply on hand is totally ip,dA
quate for serious and prolonged 6sa
operations. The secretary recommend,
that the Springfield rifles, caliber q
Dc issued to state troops; that Ii,
states be allowed to return to tina W.,
department obsolete arms and euuiD
ment, to be sold, and the proceed,
credited to the states, and that Ii,
states be allowed to purchase from h,
department. supplies at regular prices
The report shows that, whereas On
July 1, 1898, in our modern defeus,
but one high.power gun was mounted,
by July next we will have in position
seventy high.power breech. loading gun,
and ninety-five- breech loading mortsu
OF modern design, and by the following
on completion of work ALREADY
under way. as provided for, 1873 guns
and l53 mortars. A battery of two o.
three of these guns takes the place d
the former pretentious fort, and is vast
ly more effective.
The defenses now under considsa.
ton r distributed among the ports
Of Portland, Me-; Portsmouth, N. H.
Boston, Narragansett bay, eastern en-
trance to Long Island sound; eastern
and southern entrances to New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington,
Roads, Wilmington, Charles
ION, Savannah, Key West, Pensacola,
Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston, San
San Francisco. and the mouth
the Columbia river and Puget sound
All of the emplacements have been 10
lated with a view to carrying out tho
project of the Endicott board Of FORTH
organized under act Of congress
March 3, 1855, as revised by the per-
nanent board of engineers. The secre'
AIRY says that the department, in max
ng these allotments, was guided bys
lesire to protect as many Of the seapOrs
ID practicable against marauding at
acks of isolated cruisers, as well as 70
provide a more efficient defense for tho
places, and also to utilize TO
he best advantage the guns for which
carriages could be speedily FURNISHED
The total number of emplacements
provided for to date is 1873 for guns and
90 for mortars, of which ninety'two
or guns and 76 for mortars were ap'
opriated for by the last congress.
The number of gun carriages com
'leted and building, all Of which will
70 finished within the next fiscal year
8 twenty 12.inch, sixty-nine lO'incn'
ighteea 8'inoh for guns, and 1853 ioi
nortars. BY July, 1897, there should
70 ready seventy gun carriages anO
% mortar carriages.
The total number Of guns completed
o date. since the first appropriation u
8-inoh. fifty.six 1O'incn'
wenty one l2.inch aud eighty mortars
With the money already provided
here will be completed by June S'
IS97, seventy-two s inch guns, eignV,'
even l0.inch guns, forty seven l2'inc'
'uns and eighty.eight mortsrs.
The estimates of tho department lO'
he next fiscal year aggregate slO,4Ss,'
6S. With this appropriation, PROV,
ion will have been made for loS
Ugh power gun emplacements, ls'
gun emplacements, 300 -
nch mortar emplacements, S55 h'sn,'
over steel guns, ninety.scven rapiO
re guns, 200 12.inch mortars, lSO .,
nch and l2.inch gun carriages aDO
DO l2.inch mortar carriages.
The armament Of troops with Wv
ow magazine guns was completed ~
law mud rho armnry ia farming OUT -