Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-09
THE NEW FORT COMPLETED
Inpregnable Notifications and Rapid Fire
Guns at Fortress Monroe.
Torpedo Mines Controlled by Key
board in the Sanctum SancfOrEm-
Protecting the Ship Yards.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
FORT MONROE, Va, May 9.-Should the
Spanish fleet dare to attack this place. as
they have repeatedly threatened TO do.
they would meet with as disastrous defeat
as that they received at the hands OF Ad-
miral Dewey at Manila week ago.
The new fort in process of construction
when referred to in dispatch to The Star
several weeks ago has been completed, and
Fortress Monroe is now believed to be both
impro enable and among the strongest forts
in the world, reputation which it en-
joyed for many years, but lost for time
when its formidable armament became an
tiquatcd through the development Of the
Science OF modern gunnery.
1t is said TO be generally admitted by
army ana navy officers that If they can &C
cC:npiish it The Span.ards Woulu IKE TO
capture the navy yard at Portsmouth ana
the shIpyard at Newport News, and that
THESE are the TWO principal objective points
On the Atlantic coast With, however, the
guns of Fort Monroe working satisfactorily
lnese Two important naval stations will be
we'll protected against the advance Of hostile
EIen-o1-War.
The main armament Of the fort consists
OF S, ~ and l3-inIh breech-loading rifles,
sixteen 10 and Finch seacoast breech-
leading mortars and four disappearing
guns, three 10-inch and one S-nch. In
there are also two large 1J-inch guns of Old
pattern on the higher rampants, which
have been moved back to make room for {.
rapid-fire rifle battery.
Range of the Guns.
The upper ramparts command splendid
view of the whole of Hampton Roads, and
the guns therein can be trained either
down the bay in the direction of Capes
Henry and Charles up the James and
Elizabeth rivers, with Newport News on
the former and Norfolk and Portsmouth on
the latter all within few miles of the
fort.
At the foot of these ramparts is wide
rlcat and On the outer side of this, en-
:irely surrounding it, is a thick wall, be-
hind which large number of old I'M
improved guns that can be effectively
used in checking landing parties.
In the lower extremity of the fort is
the new disappearing gun stronghold, or
pit, as it is termed at the fort. In this
elevated emplacement are three up-to-date
disappearing guns of 10-inch caliber which
easily have an effective range of ten miles.
If Spain sends warships to- the Virginia
capes with view of entering and advance
ing on the cities within these modern rifles
will be the first to be used in repelling
the attack. They have been thoroughly
tested and are now in splendid order.
Between the main fort and the NAM
| moth mortar battery is long strip OF
beach, on which is built connecting rail-
way. This strip is "a mile in length before
1t widens into the pines where the six
teen mortars are located. The name
pines Battery is derived from "a clump
of tall pines which marks the mortar
stronghold. This is said to be the finest
battery of the kind now held by the United
States.
Instead of being built of solid masonry
after the customary manner, the works are
a combination of cement small gravel and
sand. the latter being used as an outside
coating. having been proved to be the
rost effective material to resist shot and
shell. The mortars fehind this impregna-
BILE wall throw protecties of the weight
of 1000 and 800 pounds, and have a range
of from two and half to six miles. These
valuable engines of war are mounted on
revolving carriages. having swinging ra-
dius of 1870 degrees, and can be trained on
ships either above or below Fort Monroe.
Rapid-Fire Batteries.
Batteries of rapid-fire rifles which have
been placed in positfG form valuable
addition to the heavy armament described
above. They comprise six and fve-inch
guns Of English make, which will be used