The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-13

the Norfolk navy yard, Pensacola, Fla,
and Mare island Cal.
The Dover storehouse is the principal
one, and it is doubtful if all the others
put together contain as much as this
one 1t Is located on the governments
military reservation among the Dover
mountains in Northern New Jersey,
eight miles from the nearest town. A
mile away from the buildings on every
side are red signs announcing: United
States Naval Powder MagaZine-No
Smoking" The warning is forceful,
though brief, and is never disregarded.
The storehouses, OF which there are four,
are long, low, yellow-brick buildings.
placed some distance apart from each
other along hillside on the middle of
the reservation. The place is reached by
queer narrow gauge railway, which
carries little except government freight
and on which there is no danger of col
lisions-for the road boasts but one en-
CINE and very few cars.
Here are stored a million and half
pounds of powder enough to blow even
the surrounding mountains into moth
ingness should any untoward accident
ever set it off. But there is little dan
ger of that, for the government reserv-
alton extends for miles in either direc-
ton and the spot is carefully watched
by the men on guard who carefully in
spect the contents of the building every
Qdy. Inc place Is III charge u 1unUeT
Cornelius Duggan and squad of men
from the navy department who live on
the reservation the year round and sell
dom leave.
OF late most of the work of actually
loading the powder and projectiles
into shells has been done at Fort Wads-
worth, in New York harbor, where
about 20 workmen, who lay aside pipes,
matches, all metal they may have in
their pockets and their leather soled
shoes every day before they enter the
powder room in the old cheesebox fort.
In preparing the heavy charges a
cylindrical form is used into which the
powder is carefully laid, first tier of
black and then many more of the
brown. 1t takes more than a thousand
of the big siX-sided pieces to carry
13-inch projectile dozen miles, and
each piece is laid in by hand with the
greatest nicely and care. When the
column has reached the proper height
canvas bag is drawn over it, it is
turned upside down. the wires are
withdrawn and the mouth of the big
bag is tied. Next it is taken to where
the cartridge shells are standing, the
bag is dropped in and a small piece of
wadding is placed on top of it,
The loaded steel shell is fastened into
the end of the cartridge case by means
| of a screw and fits SO firmly that moth
ing but the charge contained within
can drive it off Then the whole thing
| is slipped into a gun frame of exact
| bore to make sure that it fits and will
| not stick at the critical moment. Then
| ii is ready for the gun to be stored in
| the water-tight magazines of the bat
| tleships.
United States war vessels of large
| size regularly carry 100000 pounds OF
| powder in their magazines. This is
| their peace armament and is less than
| half of what they are intended to have
| on hand In case of actual or threatened
| hostilities. Most of the magazines have
recently been replenished and put on
| something like a war footing. 1t will
be remembered that at the time of her
recent disaster in Havana harbor the
| two magazines of the Maine were said
to contain 100000 pounds of powder