The Portland daily press., 1898-02-28

the lights are in use by officers of the
engineer corps of tho army and 1t is pre-
sumed that the work in progress is that
of locating and planting torpedoes. 1t is
said that some time ago number of tor
pedoes were received here and stored In
Fort Georges. Lately tug has been seen
at the old fort and at the same time these
mysterious lights have appeared at the en-
trance to the harbor. A we'll Informed
man who spent some time recently watch :
ing the lights from the shore said that to
all appearances they were used as signals
to aid persons in some work which WAS
being carried on in the middle OF the
channel. OF course the work is being
done quietly If it is being done at all.
These torpedoes would be operated by
electricity from the chamber blasted in
the solid rock at Portland Head. The
troops here are not employed on the work
and know nothing about it. 1t the tor
pedoes are being planted the operations
are conducted by the officers of the engi.
neer corps with the assistance of civilians.
In this collection it Is said that steam
boat man who is an expert pilot visits
the vicinity of Portland Head nearly
every night and this in the opinion Of the
people living near by is sufficient to con-
meet him with the work.
Tho detachment of troops at the Head
have not been idle during the week and
the third OF the great guns is on the
skids ready to be placed on the carriage.
The work of hauling the fifth gun from
Fort Preble to the Head was begun by
the contractor on Saturday and will be
vigorously prosecuted. The usual ship
ment of ammunition was recently re-
ceived here for Fort Preble. 1t consisted
of about 600 pounds. This is not an
evidence of any warlike preparations as
it is stated that when the supply at the
fort gives out, Il large amount is sent to
take its place. For the night and morning
guns and the target practice, such ship
ment as that recently received would last
about two years. News has, however,
been received at Fort Preble that con-
signment of ammunition for the guns at
Portland Head has been shipped but it
has not yet arrived.
While it is not definitely known what
the engineer officers are doing hero and
what other preparations except the mount
ing of the bigsguns are being made, it
means was being used to put the port in
state of defence. The news from the
Watertown arsenal printed in one of the
dispatches below is evidence enough that
the government is taking unusual pre-
cautions. In the meantime the life ct the
fort goes OH as usual, save the difference
made by tho transfer of the detachment to
Portland Head.
AMMUNITION FOR THE FORTS.
Boston, February s6-The Watertown
arsenal is now engaged in loading $4,000
pounds of ordinance and other war ma
terial, destined for points along the At
lantic coast. This material will be trans.
ported in 26 cars which have been sup
piled to the arsenal on orders from Major
Riley by the Fitchburg railroad. Twenty
thousand pounds will 60 to each car on
an average, and the orders are to load
the cars with all possible dispatch. Some
of the supplies are for Fort Warren and a
quantity for points along the Maine
coast, including Kittery. Much of it,
however, is for southern points. The
order for the cars was given to the Fitch
burg railroad, yesterday by messenger
from Major Riley and the work of loading
the material on the cars is now well in
progress.
The ammunition includes shot and
shell for inch, 10 inch and IL inch rifles
and 10 inch mortars. The shot and shell
are heavy, weighing from 300 to 1000 lbs.
apiece, which involves considerable labor
and time in loading. This work of trans
porting war material is nothing for the
Fitcnburg, considerable of that form OF
supplies being sent in the cars of that
road during the year past. But there has
never been time within the memory OF
the Fitohburg officials when such large
number Of cars was called for at any one
time.