The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-22

IziS commanded unique poSitten III MS
tory since the year 1877. and throughout
a century has served IN more capacities
than any other military station in the
country. Now. as the pest Of the United
States engineers and the site for the great
war college, It is attracting universal at
tention.
This old. arsenal has had a curious biog-
raphy. It was born fort and It's earliest
associations were with earthworks, rife
pits and cannon balls. However, this was
all nothing more or less than play
der game, for the enemy never came but
once, and then the old guns didn't work.
So at length. after it tired of the bayonet
charge attitude. it settled down to fatigue
duty. It became a depot of supplies. a
worIzaday place. and, passing under the
mastership of the United States ordnance
department, began to make shot and shell
for forts that could get somewhere near
the firing line. its own ambition in that
direction being thwarted.
In the thirtieth year of its existence it
became the United States penitentiary,
and carried on the twofold duty of man
ufacturing guns and ammunition and
guarding and hanging prisoners. The lat
ter vocation, after nearly forty years
being found to conflict somewhat with the
former, the arsenal again passed under
the entire jurisdiction of the war depart
ment, and batteries of light artillery were
garrisoned there new uniform was
cut out for 1t, and it took to dress parade
at middle age with all the vim of West
Point pleb, but even to this day it has
not completely hidden the grimy evidences
of its penitentiary past. Later develop
ing epicurean habits. It gave itself up To
the quartermaster's department OF the
army, dropped its name Of the Arsenal
for just plain Washington barracks, lald
down its guns and took to commissary
brown sugar. 1t nibbled and drifted along
in this state until the Spanish war. when
1t reused to action, helped to equip and
recruit regiments, and, becoming philan-
thropic, took unto itself hospital Its
mood was changed again, and now al
though It has by no means dropped the
hospital or the commissaries, IT mas
adopted in its old age the profession OF
teacher and "shoudering its crutch, tells
how fields are won" 1t Is now the
School of instruction for Engineers,
1.-THE Hospital Corps of instruction, the
General Hospital" and 1.-The Depot Com
missary." Its title Is Washington Bar
racks, but to the city it is ana always
will be 1.-The Old Arsenal"
The whole place, to reach, seems Just
about the other end of nowhere Inc
route, on the Four-and-a-half street car
line, Is direct enough however, ana the
street runs up straight against the AIsen-
al gates. which are always open from
sunrise until shutdown
The main supports of these gates are
fashioned out of old cannon " anu "a
FOUNDERS, placed column-like bolt upright,
their muzzles turned up to the SKY ou1
from their trunnions stretch the cross
bars which uphold slender iron sha1ts' on
rnQr
blems of the bursting shells
On the central gate the huge letters u
s." are woven in bronze, while on the
side gates are placed crossguns ana again
bursting shells. The engineers casties
are soon to mount up oyer these artillery
symbols The gates open into the one
broad traffic road, or 1.-The extension,
. as 1T is termed, which runs in line
straight as a die from the entrance to the
circle. This is patrolled all along on
both sides by double line of trees
On the left hand just beyond the walt
Inc or puardroom is the new guardhouse.
The space clear down to the centrai
grounds la the old artillery field, now a.
drill ground bounded in its turn by .he
James Creek canal, which posons tle
place Here are a small arm rlne range
and two magazines for hxed ammunition
and small arm cartridges.
To the right of the extension on the
wide space of green are located the gen
eraI hospital and post hospital. the tram
ing school for nurses. the steward mousse
and the hospital corps barracks. fhere az .
bi1t two other general hospitals IN inc
United states. one at Hot Springs, Ark,
the other at the Presidio Cal. The river
runs close alongside here. in the rear OF
these arsenal hospitals Willow trees ana
naples droop over the sea wall, ana at one
point there rises up from the stone lohg
fence made of bayonets used in the Mex
tn
from the little village of shelter tents I'M
dor the trees is the site of the well In
which gunpowder was stored when the
british entered Washington and stormeo
the arsenal.
tradition relates that this exploded and
killed 800 British officers and soldiers. one
of the old trophy guns, big ten-ton Par
rott was removed last week from this
section of the grounds to be placed nearer
the quadrangle. All this upper portion OIL
the Arsenal has been added ground since
+he civil war. and has increased the IN
closure from twenty-nlne acres lts ofis
inal limit to full sixty-nine.
The circle, on each side OF which are
located on the right, the quarters OF the
commanding officer, and, on the LETT, the
quarters Of the surgeon. marks the cehtr a.
point of the grounds, These two Dig puiiu-
hines were formerly the wings of the pen
ttentiary and, according to the old maps
In the construction office at the war de-
nartment. were Joined by a double wall
termed THE Jail wall" which inclosed a
ward The very yard where the galloWs
was erected where the prisoners were
hung. Here was Mrs. Surratt executed
and dozens of others. Here in this yard
were brought the remains OF Booth anu
Inferred in one of the low ground Gems
Now a fountain plays on the grim site
IN the midst of scarlet Gamma and cola
beds. Trees, little Towering bushes green
and manles are planted round the grass
eodden circle. and at their base are pyra-
mids of shining black cannon balls ana
several squat. smooth-bore mortars paint
ed red.
The penitentiary was designed after an
old Ttalian model by Bullfinch, in 1926. and
oa,s+r,cted on a belt of ground 400 feet
hroad II contained 100 cells, and was oc-
euniad until 1862. when President Lincoln,
acting unon a petition from the secretary
~ var ordered the removal of the pris-
onars To Albany, owing to the large accu-
,o,,,a alton Of arms and ammunition in the
arsenal proper 1t was useo LOT eAecu-
ton and burial purposes for several years
afterward. - ora
Later under the direction OF the ORD
nance department. the two wings Were
converted into officers quarters ana tne
tai1 ward demolished facade OF dick,
coated with mastic and designed IN mar
monv with the remainder of the structure.
was added, so that now the quarters Oh
the commanding officer resemble an ltai-
ian villa rather than the wing OF a penn
Tertiary columned portco has Deen
erected in the rear, and a beautiful gar
den leads down to the water. Massive