St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-08-30
TO BE WORLDS BEST FORT
Millions to De Spent In Extending
and Improving Old Fort
Monroe, Va.

When the Improvements projected
ny the government at Fort Monroe
are carried out, the fort as military
establishment will be in class by
itself. 1t will be this country's mode
army post, and it will be, as far a.
money and skill can make it, the fin
est military station in the world
says Newport News (Va.) specia
to the New York Sun.
The million-dollar improvements
not one but many of them are plan
ned for the fort-will all re complete
it is expected, by 1907, when the grea,
tercentennial exposition jamestown
close by will open its gates to all the
world, and the fort and the exposition
are likely to vie with each other in
interest. To any foreign visitors w,lo
may have been inclined to belittle
Uncle Sam as . military gentleman
the fort may even be expected to- he
the more interesting and instructive
of the two exhibits.
News Of the extent of the war de.
partment's plans for developing the
fort and it's military establishment
has reached Virginia from a source
regarded as unimpeacahble, and its
publication has spread rejoicing all
over the state. Not only will con-
gress vote the $5,000,00O which Vir-
ginia will ask for the exposition, but
in addition the government will spend
something like $1o,ooo,0oo more be-
tween now and exposition time to
make the fort what the war depart
ment thinks it should be, that is, a
military establishment which the
United States can present to the
world as being without an equal.
Fort Monroe is an ideal ste for
such q display as it is proposed to
offer. It stands on i strip of land
which is almost completely surround
ed by water, and overlooks the fine
stretch of harbor forming Hampton's
Roads, commanding . view to the
north beyond the Chesapeake's
mouth, to the south as far as Nor
folk, as far oceanward as the Vir-
ginia capes and as far west as New
port News.
According to the news which has
pleased Virginia so much, the fort is
now to be made a model fotrifcation,
and also the site of such new enter
prises as schools for heavy and light
artillery, and for other branches Of
the service. It is intended further,
that the navy shall have its share of
the benefit ultimately, and that for
both the army and navy Fort Monroe
shall be q model rendezvous.
It was made known some time ago
that the government contemplated
the immediate expenditure of 100000
for an artillery school, of 100000 for
building a mammoth breakwater at
Cape Henry to insure the better har'
boring and coaling of it's vessels.
The projected improvements will also
include, it is now understood here,
a library and something like $5oo,ooo
for a seawail-a mi'.ion dollars in
all.
When this work Is under way the
war department will then turn its
attention to is more elaborate plans.
These, it is believed, include a project
for light artillery park, new quar-
tiers for officers and new barracks for
the men and general enlargement
of the Notifications and their batter
les on a great scale.
The whole plan IS to be accom-
plished by early summer five years
hence, so that when foreign visitors
come to the jamestown exposition
they can see this military display at
the same time.
There will be plenty Of these Wis
itors, for it is planned to have the
other great powers of the world rep
resented here as they never have
been, and to show them Americas
since the colonies began the
rebellion which ended in the writing
and enforcement of the declaration
Of independence.
It is particularly appropriate
place for the exposition and for such
q military show. All around is his
toric colonial ground. At James
town, little way up the James river,
the first settlement on the American
continent was made in 1907. The rev.
olution made it's greatest early pro-
yress in the adjacent country and in
the civil war later, when the United
States had become nation, it tigur-
I'd fully as prominently.
Visiting Englishmen especially,
will have an opportunity to
;hink of what we were when we whip
bed the mother country and compare
t with what we can achieve now in a
military sense.
ShiDbufldfng i'm Virginia..