The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-16
MANY POUNDS OF POWDER.
HIGH EXPLOSIVES STORED WITHIN
NEW YORk's LIMITS.

in Fort Lafayette ana were IL 10
Explode, Would Wreck Every
thing Near by-COnfusion and
Haste the order of the Day There
During the spanish War-How
shells and Cartridge Cases Are
Loaded-"Last word" with Regard
TO SmokeIeSS Powders Form.
New York, oct lS.-Few New Workers
know IT, but the naval department of the
tinted states government is maintaining
to-day. virtually weH within the city's Dor
ders. magazine containing enough high
explosives 20 bow half the town into
smithereens.
AT the present time this magazine holds
not far from 2lo tons. OF 10000 pounds of
black. brown and smokeless powders. and
tnis is about lis average, though there is
room for at least 10 tons more. and there
have been days since abe breaking out of
the war with Spain when upwards OF half
a million pounds were stored there. Yet
there is really litle or no cause tor alarm,
since water surrounds the powder deposit
tory completely and accident is guarded
against with all the precautions that in
gcnuity can suggest and the utmost care
fulness enforce.
This little known storehouse of potential
death and destruction is located on a tiny
Island in the most contracted part of the
famous channel connecting the harbor Of
New York with the lower bay and through
which all the deep sea and much of the
Goa twise commerce of the new worlds
metropolis must of necessity pass It is
separated from the shore of Staten Island
Borough of Richmond by the better part
OF a mile OF water though the shore OF
the borough of Brooklyn is only lew
hundred yards away. IL is housed in
venerable diamond shaped structure of s9l-
81 masonry, built for defensive purposes
nearly 50 years ago, just after the close
of the last war with England. named Fort
Diamond from its distinctive shape, and
fitted with an armament of 2i-pounders
When Lafayette visited the United States
in 1924 he inspected Fort Diamond and
pronounced il one of the finest defensive
works he had ever seen, and said its guns
We're ample TO stop any ship that ever
sailed from proceeding up the harbOr to
the city In his honor il was renamed Fort
Lafayette. and for many years was held
in high regard both by the general govern
ncnt and the people of the big town it
was built TO defend.
Fort Lafayette ceased to be regarded
seriously as a fOrtihcation long ago, how
ever, its usefulness having been done
ern high-power artillery. In fact, no de-
fensiVe shot has ever been fired from its
grim and solid walls, for since the foun-
dation of the republic New York has
never been attacked by a foreign feet.
once or twice in the course of the
Civil War sea expeditions were planned
against the town by the Confederate au-
thorities, but none of them came to any
thing, and il Is certain now that Lafayette
will never be a factor in New York's de-
Tense, Fort Hamilton a modern fortifica-
ton on the Brooklyn shore hard by hav-
ing been erected and fitted with heavy
guns of the latest pattern to take its place
Fort Lafayette has served a useful pur-
pose, however. nearly every year of its
existence. While the Civil War was in
progress the old fort was used for the
confinement of political prisoners and 9TH
ers. and a complete story of the doings in
those years within its walls and under
its roof would make highly interesting
reading. After the Civil War Lafayette
gradually fell into disuse and virtually
was abandoned by the army. to which
branch of the nations service il belonged.
Then fire came along and destroyed all its
wooden parts, and for some years it stood
useless and idle, picturesque, indeed. but
more or less ruin, in the narrow channel
interesting as place for sightseers to visit
and an instructive object lesson, compared
with the modern Fort Hamilton, in the
evolution of the art of war, but nothing
more.
Nays Distributing Point.
Fort Lafayette might be falling into
deeper ruin still had II not occurred to
some one, not long before the breaking
out of the Spanish war, that save for one
drawback il would be an ideal distribution
magazine for the navy.
The drawback was furnished by its near
ness TO the open sea and consequent dan
ger from a hostile fleet in case of war.
That drawback wasn't counted for much,
though, since no one then thought war
would come, and the navy being unable to
IND any other suitable magazine location
the forts transfer from the army to the
navy was suggested and accomplished
As soon as the transfer was made a
big body of men was set to work max
ing repairs and fitting the place up for
its new service. Parts of walls had TO
be rebuilt, new roofs had TO be put on
new floors had to be laid and the arch
ed classmates that had served variously
as barracks for troops chambers for
smooth-bore cannon, cells for prisoners
and living quarters for army officers. had
10 be transformed to suit magazine pur-
poses. In the midst of this work came
the war with Spain Just what would,
have happened had the fleet of the Dons
really attacked New York and had its
commander been aware of the Old forts
contents. can only be conjectured. though
shot dropped into a magazine containing
hundreds of thousands of pounds of pow
der could raise no end of mischief
The days Immediately following the
wars beginning were stirring ones. Hard
~ an hour Of any day passed without the
reception of on invoice of powder. black
brown or smokeless; there was hardly an
hour that a shipment was not sent away
Relays of ordnance men were kept con-
etanuy at work, part of the time by night
as well as by day loading shells ana
cartridges and getting ammunition in or
der for its Journeys across the continent
, 20 California, there to be shipped 10 Dewey
on the Asiatic coast. so Fortress Monroe
Tor Schley's flying squadron, TO TAMPA
Tor SIMPSONS ships that were to block
ade Cuba. and other points where Uncle
Sans sea fighters needed war material
Much of the repairing and rebuilding was
sui undone. and the she'll and cartridge
leaders. the asscmbers of ammunition
the masons the carpenters and che ship