Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-29

~N the Maryland side of the Poto-
mac. out of gun range and out of
Il earshot of washington, in the
midst of country whose exceed
ing natural ruggedness has been
aggravated by the despoiling agencies of
man. is located the headQuarte rs and scene
of action of one of the most destructive
forces on earth. This place is Indian Head,
where are located the United States naval
ordnance proving grounds. Untold fortunes
in materials and workmanship are swept
Out Of existence here like flash In a pan.
The product of years of mans best thought
and his most ingenious devices are ground
into shapeless worthless fragments in the
twinkling of an eye The surrounding
woods once promising to redeem the will
derness in a measure from its ugliness. is
stripped of it's noblest sentinels while those
that remain standing are barked and dis
torted. and riddled and split. The rock
ribbed hills" have been torn and lacerated
and gaping. cavernous holes have been
pounded into the cliffs.
The visitor. who. through good fortune
and the graces OF the powers. has been
blessed with opportunity to run down
from Washington on a government boat.
lands on a narrow wharf at the foot of
back from the water High rugged cliffs
overlook the Potomac at this point and
fall abruptly to narrow sandy shore. The
vale stretches back between the thanking
hills for nearly a mile before 1t narrows
into a jungle-lke ravine. and farther on is
entirely encompassed and finally complete
Is Obliterated by the highlands. the edge
of a vast plateau which leads to the to-
baccO plantations of southern Maryland.
Near the wharf are heaps of anchors and
chain maritime essentials vrhDSa
orderiiness compares favorably with things
OF like character elsewhere. But a few
yards away begins the scene Of apparent
confusion. Battered tinrbers, which were
evidently not long since part of sub
stantaliy built barriers of some kind; huge
steel fragments indented. cracked. split and
burst asunder in every conceivable fashion
and form; iattened spheres and cones and
cyclnders of hardest metals splintered
boards plarks. rails. all strewn promis-
cuousy save here and there where they
have been gathered In piles they ac-
cUmulated too thickly to permit unin-
terrupted continuance OF the process OF de-
struction. In places the earth Is furrowed
waist deep. The hills are followed and
trees that sought to grace their heights
have been rudely shorn of branch and
bOugh One wonders how IN the midst OF
the merctless frenzies which have wrought
this work the little shanues at the sides
OF the ravlne have been spared: how GER
tain delicate mysterious wooden frames
standing in the center OF the confusion have
escaped: how man himself has suryivH.
Withal this seeming madness rol /ssents
the acme OF method and OF precision. This
destruction has been officially and scien-
ILLEGALLY done and constitutes one OF the
most necessary factors in the realization
OF the United States governments dream of
becoming the greatest OF world powers. The
engines of ruin are the big steel guns singly
and in battery at either side Of the low
lard Here at Indian Head Is their place
OF trial and OF triumph just as surely as