The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-28

| teric microbes, eaten bareback and SOW
| belly, and never murmur or question
! as to the reason why. 1t will not be
safe to laugh at the tin soldier for Il
| time.
| Everybody is familiar with the story
of young Hamilton Fish, of New York
| shall not soon forget picture that
saw shortly after he was shot by the
| Spaniards in the underbrush near San
| tiago de Cuba. 1t was drawn by
| Wagner in the bold strokes character
istc of that artist Only two colors-
red and. black-were used. The sun re-
| hected a lurid light upon the overhang-
J ing sky. Against the far horizon were
, men marching to death through tropical
underground. Shells were bursting
above the palms. At the foot of Il tree,
| in the foreground, was poor Ham Fish,
with cantecn by his side. trying to
| staunch the wound in his head. And
underneath it all were these words:
''And they called him only dude.
| This tells the whole story.
| Then there is the hobo. Surely some
good can come out of Nazareth. He
| like the dude has developed surprising
qualities as a soldier. Whether drilling
| in camp or plunging through Cuban
! thickets. he has often been in the fore
| front of his company. Perhaps he had, in
! civilian life, shamed his name; perhaps
! his conduct was the worst and his record
one Of crime and debauchery. All these
| things fade before his heroism. He has
made a good soldier and hereafter in
| the light of that record he will be read.
| do not wish to indulge in any clap
trap about the glory of dying for the
| flag or read anyone a cheap moral lee
| ture. but it may not be out of place to-
say that this war having given many Il
man an opportunity to redeem himself
| and show the stuff that is in him, his
! career hereafter will be watched by his
friends with the keenest interest and
| pride.
Another important lesson taught this
country by the war is that it stands
greatly in need of Il system of signal
stations, Notifications and submarine
mines with which to guard the entrances
| to its ports and harbors, and protect it's
seacoast cities from bombardment.
SPANS experience has proved that forti-
cations are more cheaply and quickly
| constructed than battleships, and if
damaged they can be repaired at COM
| paratively little cost The Notifications
| and the fleet must be counterparts of
| each other.
| We already have fine fleet, though
we are adding to it very materially. We
have practically no seacoast fortifica-
| TONS but it will be only matter of a
| few months more before we will have
such defences as will make it well nigh
| impossible for foreign fleet to enter
| our waters. Witness the recently erect
| ed batteries and the forts now being
built all along the Atlantic coast from
| Bangor. Maine, to Key West, Fla. OF
| those / have recently had the pleasure
| of visiting in the South, the new fort at
| Tybee is perhaps the most interesting
and best.
! Guarding the mouth of the Savannah
river, are no less than three old forts,
| I'LL in use during the Civil War, but
| since dsmantled and allowed to fall into
decay. About year ago the govern
ment decided that it ought to erect here
some sort of defence against hostile in
vasion and destruction of the city. To-
| this end work was commenced i'll a.
| desultOry sort of way on Fort Iybee,
| but little was done until the breaking
| out of the Spanish American war. I'll
is situated on point of land, west of
| the town of Tybee, just in front of and
near the Tybee light, where its guns can
sweep the whole entrance to the har
| Dor.
| The fort, when completed will be one
| of the best on the Atlantic coast. In
deed it is in every way Il marvel of en-
| gineering skill, and strictly speaking,
ought to lie called fortification rather
than fort Save for the dismantled old
wartime fort standing out on the beach
| just to the left of the new fort, a
stranger coming into the harbor would
never suspect a hostile gun near. But
he would, in case of war, not have to gOj
| far before he would find four great s.
inch guns leaping to the top of a grassy
mound just in front of the lighthouse,
and belching forth flame and deadly
| shell.
| The fortifcation consists of an en-
| bankment over three hundred feet long
| and twenty-five feet high. turfed over.
| Back of this is n concrete wall, with
classmates extending under the embank
| ment. Over these are the four pits for
| the huge S-inch coast defence guns,
| with carrying power of twelve miles
and an ability to penetrate over twenty
inches of steel at closer range. These
| heavy weapons are mounted on Il disap-
| pearing carriage, which is on steel roll
| lers so that the muzze of the gun may
| be turned to the right or left. The gun
is loaded and sighted below the para
| pet and out of sight of the enemy. IT.
| comes into view above the parapet for
a few seconds only at the moment of
| firing-the recoil serving to throw it
back and down to the loading position.
| These seacoast guns are among the
most perfect weapons of their kind in
| the world. Protiting by its experience
with Spain, the United States is having
them placed on Notifications all along
| the coast.
The Tybee fort is yet incomplete, and
| two forces of hands, over POO in all,
are working on it day and night. The
main part of the fertilization, as above
described, is finished, but on either end
and slightly back, two great gun-pits
are being built for two Pinch coast
| guns. These are most powerful wea-