The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-22
GETTING READY FOR WAR.
Work on Local Defenses Being Pushed
 at Lighthouse Point.

s"s LIASiltllpuoS SAAAS'
 A force of twenty-five men is kept busy now every day at Lighthouse Point preparing the foundations on which the battery of three big guns will be placed and work is being rushed as rapidly as possible. Already trench fifty feet long, twenty feet wide and six feet deep has been dug on the sand point between the bath houses and the old lighthouse, and yesterday work was begun on laying a bottom of railroad ties and railroad iron at the bottom of this gun pit. Fifty tons of iron rails have been taken to Lighthouse Point and this will be used in the foundation and also to build a parapet for the gun pit. The guns which will be mounted at the Point are now at Belle dock and will be taken to Lighthouse Point as soon as the foundations are com- pleted, probably this afternoon or to- morrow morning.
 Iue pldtloElH OH tllG WeSI piSihWeb'OA has been completed, but neither the Rodman guns nor the search lights have been placed there yet, the engin- eers awaiting further instructions from Major Leach at New London. At Woodmont the laborers are also engaged in operations. A trench from six to eight feet in depth is being dug, into which will be placed the railroad iron.
 The second section of the brigade signal corps of the Connecticut Nation- al Guard has been ordered out. The order came from headquarters and was to test the efficiency of the men, in anticipation of an early call to enter the service of the United States. The section, consisting of ten men, went to East Rock under the com mand of Lieutenant Broatch, and were divided into two squads. One of the squads was marched off about mile and signalling between the two sections was practiced from to 10 o'clock. All the signalling was done by means of torches, and both squads took turns at sending and receiving. The mes sages were sent rapidly and without breaks and were translated without error. The men were very pleased at the good showing made and desire to be called into active service that they may show what they can do.
 The corps is already waiting the call from the government Their kits are all packed so that it would not take them twenty minutes from the time the | call came before they would be prepar- | ed to move.
 Commander Giddings has requested | the chief of the United States signal department that in case of a call for troops the Connecticut signal corps should receive the first call and has, receive a reply that his request would l be granted.
 The Meriden Republican says that Manager Lines of the Southern New England Telephone company says that | the Meriden division has made all ar engagements for summoning the mem- | bers of Company I to the armory in l case an emergency call is sent out. In the office Is a schedule showing the location during the day of each man in ! the company, and indicating how he
 may be reached. As many of the
 members are now working in the shops and whole blocks of them can be sum-
 moned instantly, Manager Lines thinks that it would require only about ten
 minutes in the day time to notify all
 the members of the company who may I be reached by telephone.
 The first division of the naval re- serves has received a large assortment
 of uniforms and the like for the men. | At the meeting of the company We'd nesday night Lieutenant Goodrich en- listed two men who are expert machin- ists and gunmakers.