Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-08-06
SECOND TO KRUPP's
British Arsenal at WooF"lch is
Immense Plant.
Munitions Of War Being Turned o''
In Enormous Quantities to supply
Forces Engaged in France
and Turkey.

When Good Queen Bess,' IN 1900
decided To establish a store OF arms
and armor at the old Tower mousse I"
mansion in Woolwich Warren ad1oih.
ing the then Doggy and unhealtny
marshes of Plumstead, she l'''o
thought that by so doing she was
founding Britains greatest arsei,al y
which $40 years later would be giving
employment to 10000 men. earnins
moro than $4,000 week for making
munitions of war for the greatest con-
hict the world has ever SEEN
That small armory at the rover
bouse however. was the origin or the
Woolwich arsenal of today, which GOV.
ers 600 acres, and where guns OF all
sizes, every form of military wagon
shot, she'll torpedoes, cartridges oui'
let's, war signals, life-saving rocke's'
and high explosives are manufacturers
Even in the bygone days, however,
Woolwich figured largely in military
history. 1t was Prince Rupert VINO
protected the Warren with batteries
in Charles ll's reign. and other fortl'
f1cations. which have now Disappeared
were added by that kings successor
The Dutch several times threatened
tho backwards at Woolwich and al
Chatam. while at the end of the sew
enteenth century two French prlVa-
teers were captured off Woolwich.
It is obvious that the secrets OF the
arsenal are most jealousy guarded
particularly at the present time. In
deed, the government. since the war
broke out, has adopted the precautlon
of recalling all textbooks about the
arsenal, although in peace times, when
the average number of men employed
there is about $4,000, visitors of Brit
ish nationality, DESTROYS OF seeing
the arsenal, may do so by obtaining
an order from the war office.
1t might be mentioned. however
that among the most effective guns
manufactured at Woolwich are the
famous six-inch howitzers Of which
the French speak so highly, while one
of the latest time-saving ideas Is to
dip military wagons bodily in huge
>anks of paint and hang them up to
ary.
Woolwich arsenal is really divided
into three great departments, called
respectively the Royal Gun factories
the Royal Carriage department and
the Royal laboratory. 1t Is in the lat
ter that every kind OF experiment Is
made with explosives, and where Of
f1cers and soldiers learn their use ant
effectiveness, while in the gun fac
tories, which are filled with machinery
of the best and most modern kind
guns of all sizes are manufactured fol
the army and tested over the exten
siye practice ranges, which We're for
merly the Plumstead marshes
Apart from the actual workshops
there are various important military
establishments at Woolwich There
Is the Artillery college. for instance
which gives special training to Off
GERS of the Royal Artillery in order
to fit them for appointments in the
manufacturing departments of the
arsenal. Then there is the Royal
Military academy, the Oldest military
school in the kingdom, where men
destined for the Royal Artillery or
Royal Engineers begin their training
The Royal dockyards at Woolwich
was closed nearly, fifty years ago, but
it continues to be used as a military
store depot, and it is interesting to
note that 1t was the first. and for very
long the principal, dockyard in the
kingdom. The Great Harry was built
there in, 1862, the Royal George in
1851, the Galatea in 1859. and more
than 200 other ships And the curious
may spend many an interesting hour
in the Rotunda museum, which con-
tains the finest collection of military
antiquities and models in tho world