The Detroit times., 1910-10-13

III the CABINET since
he Is responsible not only for the con-
duct OF the army. the estimates for
appropriations for military expendl-
lures. and for other things directly
connected with the department: bul ne
also must be diplomat and gov
ernor. for he Is the highest officer nav
Ing especial charge OF the Philippine
Islands and the other insular posses
sions Of the United States. and now
he Is the chief captain OF the greatest
engineering enterprise ever under.
taken by mortal mantle Panama
canal
Most. interesting OF the ordinary
duties Of the war department are those
which relate TO It's primary function
or defending the country from poten-
tial foreign foes. Under the direction
OF the ordnance bureau all the NUM-
tons Of war are provided. from the
big fourteen-inch coast defense guns
down TO cartridges for any army rife.
The heaviest guns weigh as much as
railroad engine, and shoot q projectile
as heavy as ten ordinary men. IL sup
plies the army with automatic guns
| which can fire eight rife bullets in a
single second. No battle ship can re-
sist the concentrated fire of modern
coast-defense guns. II has become
only question OF craftsmanship. and
the coast defenders have solved that
problem by becoming the best marks
men In the world. 1ney are now pro-
vided with sixty-foot moving targets
and the troops at Fort Hancock. New
Jersey, some months ago scored four
{ IN Inn n M IN
battery of two guns. All four shots
struck In a rectangle 24x53 feet. The
target was four miles away. travelling
| five and half miles an hour.
With such firing as this 1t would be
run by the Narrows below Governors
Island. New York. In addition to the
big coast defense guns. there IL
liberal supply OF mortars shooting SIX
teen-inch projsctiles. These have
scored as high as 20 hits out of 100.
These mortars are at all times out
Of sight Of the enemy. ana are flred
after the most careful calculations, In
volving tie force OF the winds. tenn
perature. and many other conditions
Their projectiles carry charges OF as
much, as sixty pounds OF high explo-
sives and do great damage.
The manufacture of ordinance for
the army requires a large force of
| skilled mechanics. A number OF gun
factories are operated, the largest for
the army being at Watervleit, New
York. The most powerful and the
most delicate machinery Is required
In the making OF big gun. There
must be giant machines which will
make shavings fly from huge blocks OF
steel as II they were wood ribbons
from a carpenters plane: chrome
graphs SO delicate that they will reg.
lister the smallest part OF a second;
and gauges SO accurate that they will
measure the thousandth part of an
inch.
The war department resorts to some
remarkable methods in providing a
complete coast defense system. At
Honolulu II has made use OF the crater
of an extinct volcano. burrowing out
secret chambers and underground
channels In the mountain In a way
that makes II almost as impregnable
as Gibraltar. In the roadway between
Cape Charles and Cape Henry, where
the Chesapeake Bay finds its outlet in
| to the Atlantic ocean, an artificial ISL.
and Is to be constructed, and one OF
the strongest fortresses In the world
will be erected there. II will largely
supersede Fortress Monroe In It's COM
mand of Chesapeake Bay. and will at
once be the guardian of Norfolk,
Portsmouth, Newport News, Balti-
more, Washington and Richmond.
The engineer corps Of the army is
made ND Of a remarkable set OF men.
All appointees to this corps have been
honor men at West Point. In this
way the very best material turned out
by that institution Is In charge of the
construction work of the army.
Through its work the United States
now has what IL believed to be the
most complete system Of coast de-
fences in the world. From Portland,
Maine. to Puget Sound every harbor
has been SO protected by fortihcationsi
that the danger OF invasion by hostile
forces Is almost NIL In addition to
the coast defences, the corps OF engi-
neers has charge of all other fortifica-
tions In the United States. and Of all
river and harbor work done under the
authority OF congress. II makes all
aurvevs and examinations necessary