The San Francisco call., 1899-05-12
MORE GUNS
TO PROTECT
THE HARBOR
t he Defenses Nearing
Completion.
PLACING OF BIG M0RTARS
ALL THE ORDNANCE FOR THE
SECOND BATTERY AT HAND.
Work to Be Done at Fort Baker.
Plan to Put Old Fort Scott
to Practical Use by I'm
provements.
ALL THE ORDNANCE FOR THE
SECOND BATTERY AT HAND.

Few people aside from those directly
| connected with the work are aware that
! San Francisco is to-day the second best
| fortified harbor in the United States. In
! deed 1t is doubtful If there are a half
! dozen harbors in the world so invulner-
able to a hostile fleet as is the Golden
! Gate.
New York harbor has more guns mount
ed than there are here, but New York is
much more extensive and difficult to
properly fortify than this For ten years
the building of modern Notifications has
been going on here. and before the year
is ended it is expected that the last of
the modern high-power breech-loading
rifles and mortars contemplated in the
plan of defense, for this side of the en-
trance at least, will be in position ready
to repel invasion. The work on the Ma
rim shore at Fort Baker may not be COM
pleted for another twelve or twenty-four
months.
The work under way now is the mount
ing of the second battery of sixteen NOR
tars on the bluffs above and back of old
| Fort Winfield Scott. Eight of the huge
pieces of ordnance are already in posi-
ton and the others are all in the city and
are being rapidly mounted. Every day or
so one of these pieces is hauled from
| the railroad yards to the reservation,
where 1t IS quickly placed on its carriage
{
These mortars are considerably larger
and more destructive than the battery of
sixteen that was mounted about three
years ago. The new mortars are 12-tnch
steel, breech-loading weapons throwing
a shell weighing 1000 pounds, while the
others carry S00-pound shells.
In addition to the mortars R-lnch
/ rifle and disappearing carriage of the
newest model are ready for shipment
from the East, if they are not already on
the way. There is still another gun and
. ,Fsrirar -iry
ing completion, and as soon as they. are
in position the Pinch battery at Fort
Point viii be completed.
An eight-inch rife and carriage is about
ready for shipment from the East, which
is intended for what is called the ceme-
terry battery that is being placed in the
old cemetery purchased by the Govern
ment for the purpose few years ago.
Another eight-inch gun and carriage is
in course of construction, and as soon as
they are in place the cemetery battery
will be completed, and, in fact, the en-
| tire fortitications as far as planned for
this side will be in position.
At Fort Baker two more twelVe-inch
rifles and disappearing carriages already
ordered are necessary to complete the
water battery that is being constructed
on Grayelly Beach, almost on a level with
the sea, between Point Bonita and Forl
Baker proper. 1t is not generally known
that the guns mounted on the bluff at
Fort Baker form the most elevated for
tifications in the world, being at a greater
height above the sea than even the guns
/ at Gibraltar.
The fortifications at Fort Baker as
planned at present will be completed with
| the placing of a battery of sixteen 12-inch
mOrtars. But no steps have been taken
/ on this part of the work yet.
| Some time-but not for some years prob
! ably-the old brick fort, or a portion of
! it, that stands just al the entrance TO the
/ Golden Gate will be put to- practical use.
! Army engineers have prepared plans and
/ submitted report to the War Depart
| ment recommending that the top story of
the fort be removed, the. brick and ma
/ sonrv walls reinforced with steel plates
/ and a battery of rapid-fire guns, mounted
! in heavily armOred steel turrets, be
placed on top of the structure in such a
! position that they would fairly rain metal
/ iIpon any ship that might possibly run
| the gauntlet of the heavier guns and at
/ TEMPT to force her way through the chan
mel This plan also contemplates using
! part of the fort for torpedo station,
/ from which mines across the channel and
( the approaches to the Gate would be OPP
/ Grated. Congress, however, must provide
for this work before anything can be
! done.
teries of the Third Artillery are coming
/ at Angel Island and Battery Q at the
/ Presidio. Under the reorganization law
/ every artillery regiment Is entitled to
twelve heavy and two light batteries, an
increase of two heavy batteries from the
| old formation.
The casual detachment at the Preside
| is busilv engaged now in target practice
| Orders from the department are that
everv man sent to the Philippines shall
he thoroughly drilled and carefully in.
structed in target practice, for they need
! sharpshooters out there now