The Portland daily press., 1897-10-08
FORT BUILDING.
1t Is Proceeding Here in Nominal
Secrecy
BUT FOREIGNERS ARE EMPLOYED
ON THE WORKS.

In Reality 1t is Practically Impossible to
Keep Such Things secret-Observations
of British Captain-v andaIism at
Gorges.
The work of building the Notifications
of Portland is going on with rapidity and
with as much secrecy as can be obtained
| by official orders without an adequate
force to carry them out. The authorities
at Washington are laying great stress
upon perfect. secrecy in regard to all that
pertains to forts and Notifications. No
one is allowed to go upon the new works
or into the old forts. Formerly Fort
Gorges, the large granite fort which rises
out of the harbor, might be visited by
permission of the local engineer officer.
Now no one not an officer or employe of
the military portion of the government
may enter this fort.
But while the orders are strict the en-
forcement is not SO strict. The citizens
who approach tine works on Diamond Is
land are promptly warned off. But it is
said that the contractor who is doing the
|
workmen under him are Italians. The
citizenship of the contractor Is quite like
ly Americana but it is certain that the
workmen are Italians. The prohibition
as to visiting the works is also of little
effect after work has ceased for the day,
since there is no adequate provision for
keeping guard.
| At Portland Head there is one watch.
man, who has warned off many people,
and who gets especially exercised at the
appearance of a camera. But OF course
this man has to sleep some time; and he
has large territory to watch in waking
hours, to say nothing of the time of
sleeping.
When the British war vessel Pallas
| was in the harbor an American officer
visited the Captain. The British officer
showed him all over the ship with great
courtesy, and then the American, after
thanking his host. expressed his regret
that he could not reciprocate by showing
the works on shore; but was forbidden
by orders.
/ "Oh, that is all right said the Brit
ish officer. "Our government undoubted-
ly has plans of all your works"
OF course the officer was simply speak
ing on the presumption that nearly all
governments have plans of the works of
their neighbors.
The British probably know all about
, Portland's defences, and our government
probably knows about Halifax.
A moments reflection will of course
show how impossible it is to keep foreign
nations in the dark as to such extensive
works as are going on here.
The representative of England at this
port is Vice Consul Keating, former
officer of the Royal Engineers, who has
seen service in the famous defences of
Gibraltar. If he should blind his eyes and
stop his ears he would have hard work
not to learn all that is going on. Great
guns are being hauled along the Cape
road in view of everyone. Their size and
number, and the style of their carriages
are known to everyone. And when these
! facts are known, the skillful foreigner
has about all the information necess ary.
He knows how, and about where such
guns must be mounted.
The location of the torpedo outfits
which supplement the great guns may be
more dif1jou t; yet torpedo experts, from
such facts as cannot help being known.
can probably deduce very nearly the
whole truth.
Although the government works are
guarded with care, Fort Gorges came near
being looted a few days ago. No garrison
is kept in this fort, not even watchnan.
But the heavy door Of the sally port, and
the high granite walls defy all intrusion.
But there is a sewer pipe, which has It's
mouth outside the wall and communi-
Gates with a manhole in the parade
| ground. Some vandals got in by means
Of this sewer pipe, and then broke the
| lock Of the sally port door from the in.
side. They had piled up quantity OF
property, like iron fittings and Other
things. ready to be taken away, when
Major Hoxie discovered what had been
) done. He promptly fixed the cover to the
manhole by putting a great weight OF
iron on it, and then secured the door
against further intrusion.
Fort Scanned is likewise unguarded,
and is more accessible than Gorges.
Vandals havo damaged this fort consid-
erably in minor portions.
Fort Preble is Of course garriscned, and
is we'll kept and well guarded. The
works there going on are prac tlcaily in
accessible, and little information about
them is likely to leak out here.
! In 4La po1ioa Court