Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-27
Shows Impotence
of Old-Time Fort


down to us in only a modified form since
the baronial castles defied the puny at
lacks of poorly armed enemies, no longer
offers material resistance to modern gun
merry and an entirely new method of fort
construction had to be evolved to keep
pace with the improvement in gun manu-
facture. The turret fort, with its domed
roof and novel method of handling guns,
is the latest step in this evolution.
The reason for the curvature of the
steel Skin of the fort is to offer the
least possible resistance to the projectiles
of the enemy. To the layman the thought
of a fort conjures up ideas of impregna-
bility by reason of thickness of walls, the
stopping of shells by sheer weight of
protecting armor But modern fortifica-
lions have followed the line of least re-
sistance and the turret fort is designed.
not to stop the enemy's projectiles, but
to defect them SO that they will do little
damage A shell striking the curved
dome of turret fort will be so DETECTED
that it will eXpend but little of it's energy
upon the fort itself, but will fly off at a
tangent, almost without damage to the
Notifications
Then, again. the domed construction al
lows of another revolutionary develop
ment. The modern turret fort is so con-
structed that it can be revolved about its
axis by means of electrical power, thus
making it possible for the muzzles of the
huge rifles to be pointed in any direction.
The rifles themselves are mounted very
much like naval guns and the entire
operation of serving and loading the
pieces appears to have been borrowed
from naval usage. The entire fort be-
comes but an enlarged turret that may
be turned about by the simple device of
throwing switch
The method of aiming such a battery
is as interesting as it is novel. The
dome or bar
Method of Aiming bette of the
Classed as Novel. f ~"p po,ats d0f unt,1
the guns are in line with the target
and then these are elevated or de-
pressed until the proper range is at
tanned. Ordinarily, this would require
a large aperture or slit in the rotunda,
like that which permits of the opera
ton of telescope in an observatory.
But this slit would also permit of the
entrance of shrapnel or fragments of
other shells which would be extremely
dangerous to the gun crews. In order
to obv.ate this danger, the guns are
mounted in close-fitting embrasures
or down as was formerly done, their
breaches are moved forward or back
ward and the desired result is attained
without danger to those inside the tur
ret.
The sighting and loading mechanism
of the big guns, together with the
machinery which rotates the barbette,
occupies the entire dome. The ammu-
milton magazines and hoists, the en-
gines which supply the electrical power
and the quarters of the gun crew are
all situated in concrete vaults beneath
the surface of the ground. In this
manner space is economical and the
fort is therefore made much smaller
and corresponGngly difficult to hit.
Despite the fate of the fortifications
at Liege, Antwerp. Laon and elsewhere,
supposedly impregnable forts falling
into the hands of the enemy in a COM
paratively short time. military experts
still claim that the honors in the duel
between the fort and the artillery be-
long to the former. The French and
Belgian fortifcations. they argue. were
built to Withstand only and inch
siege guns, and. SO long as artillery of
this caliber was used against them,
they gave an excellent account of
themselves. 1t was only when the huge
30.2 and AZ centimeter guns were en-
placed against them that they
crumpled up and failed to withstand a
strain for which they were never de-
signed.