Evening star., 1932-07-31

from the Digges family for the purpose Of
>enlarging the reservation upon which the new
structure was to stand.
strong incentive for the purchase Of the
additional property, it Is recorded. was the
fact that the immediate proximity of the fort
to private property had enabled some enter
prising business man to establish tavern
and grog shop directly under the walls Of the
fort. This circumstance, an old report states,
defeated the most jealous efforts of the Of
ficers to preserve discipline among the men"
The second Fort Washington was completed
between 1915 and 1922 Built Of gray stone
and brick, ard situated higher on the hill, this
is the one which still stands, overlooking the
Potomac. Its cannon have never been used
for q purpose more serious than the firing OF
morning and evening salutes, and 1t now boasts
not a single gun.
dable front, and climbing down long flights
OF stone stairs and exploring deserted guard
rooms 1t Is easy to imagine oneself back In the
early days of the Nation. The fort Is entered
through an arched gateway, which In turn
Is approached by q bridge over q small but
steep gully. This little ravine Is spanned at
the present time by a wooden bridge just wide
enough to accommodate an anachroniStic auto
mobile, but it is recorded that in the early
days Of the building drawbridge afforded
a means of entry and Of protection. A square
brick tower provided with heavy doors OF
ancient design guards the entrance. flight
Of stone steps leads to the platform atop the
tower, which from its height above the main
portion of the fort affords an excellent view
of the river, in both directions. On clear days
it is possible to see the Washington Monument
and other landmarks Of the Capital City, the
new Masonic Memorial in Alexandria and,
looking downstream, Mount Vernon
number of picturesque articles have been
removed from the establishment in recent
years, some by order of the War Department,
others by time and decay. A wooden sun dial,
placed vertically on two sides of q chimney,
marked the hours through many years; but
exposure to the elements has obliterated it.
Ammunition old as the fort and much out
of date repoSed in the magazines long after
improvements in manufacture and methods Of
warfare rendered it useless; but it has been
removed Ancient brass howitzers used to
point out over the river with apparent fierce
ness; they have been relegated to the junk
yard.
"A TTHIN few hundred yards stands the
Wv third Fort Washington. It is q concrete
structure begun in 1891 At the time OF its
erection the plans for this defense undoubtedly
met approved standards OF design and con-
struction, but with the development Of the
use Of steel and of modern artillery 1t has be-
come out Of date and would be Of small use
in military activities Of today It has been
shorn of its guns and now stands idle and
empty, except for a collection of miscellaneous
articles, some Of them quite unconnected with
national defense which are stored In its lower
chambers.
Around and beside the two forts is built q
modern military post. 1t Is garrisoned at pres
ent by the Sd Battalion, 18th United States
Infantry, under command Of Lieut.. Col. Louis
A. Kunzig. specially organized battalion, it
is used for ceremonies in the City of WASH
ington in addition to performing its normal
duties at the fort. The grounds are utilized
for Summer encampments Of the Citizens Mill.
tary Training Camps.
Within the small area covered by the reser-
vation three types Of military establishments
bear witness to progress in the art Of war
and change in military theory stretching over
a period Of lit years. The modern one pre-
sents a not unusual sight. The late nine-
teenth century structure is likely to impress
the visitor as a waste Of money and poor
concrete job. But the gray stone parapets Of
the old fort, overgrown with grass and soft
ened with vines, appeal to the modern imag1-
nation fed on speed and efficiency. They are
impractical, inefficient and beautiful