Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-07-31
TO BE WORLDS BEST FORT.
unions q" Tie spent In Extending
aud Improving old Fort
Monroe, Va.

ny lhc government at Fort Monroe
are carried out, the fort as military
establishment will he in class by
Itself. IL will be this country's model
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) special
To the New York sun.
The million-dollar Improvements
not one but many of them are plan
ned FOR the fort-will all 20 complete,
1t is expected. by 1907. when the great
tercentehnial exposition
close by will open its gates to all the
world, and the fort and the expositi )n
are likely to vie with each other in
interest. To any foreign visitors who
may have been inclined to belittlc
Uncle Sam as military gentleman
the fort may even be expected 10 be
the more interesting and instructive
Of the two exhibits.
News Of the extent Of the war de-
partments plans for developing tho
fort and its military establishment
has reached Virginia from a source
regarded as unimpescahble. and its
publication has spread rejoicing all
over the state. Not only will con-
gress vote the 5000 900 which Vir-
ginia will ask for the exposition, but
in addition the government will spend
something like $40 900 more be
tween now and exposition time 10
ma lfa hA 10 a.. .
ment thinks IL should be, that is, a
military establishment which the
United States can present 20 the
world az being without an equal.
Fort Monroe IS an ideal ste for
such u display IA " il proposed 20
offer. II stands on 4 strip Of land
which is almost completely surround
cd by water, and overl,oks the fine
stretch Of harbor forming Hampton's
Roads. commanding view 20 the
north beyond the Chesapeske's
mouth, 20 the south rs far rs Nor
folk, as far oceanward as the Vir-
ginia capes and as far west as New
port News.
According 10 the news which has
pleased Virginia so much, the fort is
now 10 he made n model fotrification,
and also the site OF such new enter
priscs as schools for heavy and light
artillery, and for other branches 81
the service. II IL intended further,
that tho navy shall have its share OF
the benefit ultimately, and that for
both the army and navy Fort Monroe
shall be model rendezvous
II was made known some time ngo
that the government contemplated |
the immediate expenditure Of S4o0, 900 !
for an artillery school, OF 500 900 for !
building n mammoth breakwater at |
Cape Henry To insure the better har'
boring and coaling OF its vessels. |
The projected Improvements will also |
include IL is now understood here, |
. library and something like $500. 900 |
for a seawall-a mi'..on dollars in /
ALL
when this work II under way the |
war department will then turn IT'S
attention To is more elaborate plans. |
These, il is believed, include n project |
for a light artillery park, new quar-
ters for officers and new barracks for
the men and general enlargement
NJ the fortifcations and their batter
les on a great scale.
The whole plan is 20 be accom-.
plished by early summer FIVE years
hence, so that when foreign visitors
come 10 the jamestown exposition
hey can see this military display at
he same time.
There will he plenty Of these Wis
tors, for IL is planned To have the
other great powers OF the world rep
resented here as they never have
oecn. and 20 show them Americas
progress since the colonies began the
rebellion which ended in the writing
md enforcement Of the declaration
u independence.
II is a particularly appropriate
,lace for the exposition and for such
! military show. All around is his
oric colonial ground. At James
own, little way up the James river,
he first settlement on the American
was made in 1907. The rev.
'lution made its greatest early pro-
-ress in the adjacent country and in
he civil war later, when the United
itates had become a nation, IL figur-
d fully rs prominently.
Visiting Englishmen especially,
therefore,, will have an opportunity to
hink OF what we were when we whip
ed the mother country and compare
with what we can achieve now in Q
Military sense.