Some Views Connected with the Question of Coast Defence. 73 



fitted. The huge siege guns of extraordinary length; the enormous 

 and beautiful lathe, in which the steel tubes are so accurately turned; 

 the great cranes by which these tremendous guns are moved and 

 shifted into a vertical position to receive the sections or jackets of 

 hot steel with which they are built up; the numerous new breech- 

 loading field guns, rifled thirteen pounders, polished within and with- 

 out as bright as burnished silver, are all interesting evidences of the 

 active, intelligent and valuable work now being done by the ordnance 

 department of our army. 



I am informed that the board of officers assigned to the duty of 

 selecting the cannon range or proving ground for the heavy ordnance 

 of the army, have arrived at a conclusion and selected a site for the 

 great range. This, together with other information, is given in the 

 following letter: 



"Watervliet Arsenal, ) 

 West Troy, N. Y., December 17, 1888. \ 

 Mr. Verplanck Colvin", etc. : 



Dear Sir — The matter of securing a good proving ground for our 

 cannon was definitely fixed by the commission of which I was a mem- 

 ber. It was decided that the ground now held by the government at 

 Sandy Hook was the best that could be found, and would answer our 

 purposes, providing certain improvements were made. This decision 

 was approved by the Washington authorities and an appropriation has 

 been asked of Congress of $25,000 (to begin the improvements) — and 

 I have no doubt will be granted. The Albany range (sand plains) 

 was found too contracted, necessitating the firing point to be located 

 very near the city of Albany, and terminating in frequented roads 

 near Schenectady, that could not be closed. 



We are now making twenty-five three and two-tenths inch field guns, 

 weighing eight hundred pounds each, and firing a thirteen pound pro- 

 jectile, with three pound charge; also one ten-inch and one eight-inch 

 sea coast gun. These are all steel built up guns, consisting of tube 

 and jacket and numerous hoops assembled by shrinkage. The ten- 

 inch fires a five hundred pound projectile and the eight-inch one of 

 half that weight. 



Other papers, including the general orders of the chief of ordnance, 

 etc., contain ocher interesting details. 



The letters I have read show how I became interested in the ques- 

 tions involved, leading up to the general subject of coast defence. 

 The feature of the question at present important to dwell upon is 

 the need of haste in the preparation of our armaments. For this 

 there are two reasons: 



First The restoration of the naval power of the United States. 



