DEFENSES OF HAMPTON ROADS AND GOSPORT NAVY-YARD-continued. The work of construction was resumed in 1858, and when it was suspended 52 casemates of the lower tier, with iron-throated embrasures, were finished and ready for the guns. On the second tier the scarpwall and piers of those portions of the work bearing on the channel had reached nearly to the height of the embrasure lintels, the embrasure irons had been set, and the floors of most of the casemates paved. On the gorge faces very little work had been done. During the past fiscal year the iron-work of the embrasures and the traverse rails in the lower tier of casemates were painted and lacquered. It is designed to modify this important work so that it may receive the heaviest modern rifled guns, protected by impenetrable iron armor. The work to be done, which will require several years for its execution, cannot be left until the near approach of war. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. DEFENSES OF BEAUFORT HARBOR, NORTH CAROLINA. Fort Macon, Beaufort Harbor, North Carolina, in charge of Capt. James Mercur, Corps of Engineers, until March 31, 1884; since that date in charge of Capt. F. A. Hinman, Corps of Engineers.-This barbette work, commenced in 1826, is situated on the south side of the entrance to the harbor, and defends it from the sea. The general condition of the work on June 30, 1884, was good, with the following exceptions: The cracks which have existed for some years just behind the scarp-wall in the casemate and communicating arches had not materially changed since the date of the last Annual Report. Plaster continues to fall from the rotten furring in some of the casemates. A number of the stone window-sills were cracked. The doors, windows, and their frames were not in very good condition, and there were three leaks in the water-pipes inside the walls. The platforms and armament were in an unserviceable condition. The buildings, which are of a temporary character, require extensive repairs, if they are to be used. Nothing was done to the main work during the year, except to cut the grass, make minor repairs to the fences, and clean up the plaster that fell in the casemates. The jetties and sand fences for the protection of the site of the work have continued to serve admirably the purpose for which they were intended. Jetty No. 1 was leveled up with stone and crowned its entire length, 292 feet, with a concrete wall, laid in place, 6 feet wide and 3 feet high. Above high water cross joints every 20 feet were made, to prevent cracks in settling, and between high and low water marks, at the outer end, advantage was taken of the tides to make, on the spot, in cheap wooden caissons, five blocks 6 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, and one 6 feet by 3 feet by 14 feet. The whole was thoroughly riprapped where exposed. Two of the other three jetties were leveled up, and thus prepared for similar crowning walls, a portion of the materials for which is on hand. These jetties are of the same nature and bearing as those at Shackleford Point opposite, and serve admirably to protect the site of the fort and harbor from the action of the ocean. DEFENSES OF BEAUFORT HARBOR, NORTH CAROLINA-continued. To thoroughly protect the site inside of Jetty No. 1, one or two more jetties will be required. A dam is also required south of the fort to keep the sea from breaking through into the harbor. The present wharf is in poor condition and should be replaced by a new one extending out to deeper water-18 feet at low tide. A project for adapting this work to the requirements of modern defense is under consideration. No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885. DEFENSES OF WILMINGTON. Fort Caswell, mouth of Cape Fear River, North Carolina, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This barbette work, commenced in 1826, covers the entrance into Cape Fear River, and hence the water approach to the city of Wilmington, and constitutes the only defense of that locality. Upon its evacuation by the Confederate forces in January, 1865, immediately after the fall of Fort Fisher, an attempt was made to blow it up. All the scarp-wall of the southeast face was overturned by a mine exploded in the scarp gallery of that face; a portion of the scarp-wall of the north and west fronts was so badly shattered by the explosion of a magazine on the covered way near northwest salient that it will have to be rebuilt, and the citadel on the parade of the work was burned. There is now neither armament nor quarters for a garrison at the place. The subject of its modification is now under consideration. No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885. DEFENSES OF CHARLESTON. Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This work is located on Sullivan's Island, and co-operates with Fort Sumter in defending the water approach from the sea to the city and harbor of Charleston. It is an earthen barbette work, and was commenced in 1841. The completion of the work comprises the construction of eleven permanent gun-platforms and breast-height walls, bonnets on the trav erses, a portion of the masonry and all the earth covering of the bombproof shelter, the postern gallery, a part of the earth covering of the magazines, and an earthen cover-face on the channel front. During the past fiscal year the slopes of the principal magazine were thoroughly repaired, brought up to grade, and sodded. A temporary door to the magazine of the channel front was put in order. The fort-keeper's house was repaired, and its site protected by a breakwater. The fence around the parade in rear of the fort was repaired at several places, the out-buildings and fences whitewashed, and the parade cleaned. Every one of the nine wooden platforms for 15-inch guns in the fort contains some more or less rotten members, which should be removed and replaced by sound timbers to render the platforms fit for service. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. DEFENSES OF CHARLESTON-Continued. Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work is located on a shoal on the south side of the entrance into the harbor, and is guns, crossing their fire with those of Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan'st Island, command the only channel of approach thereto practicable for vessels of war. Its construction was begun in 1829, and was nearly finished, although still wanting most of its armament, when, in April, 1861, it was captured by the Confederate forces. It was held by them until February 18, 1865. The reconstruction of the work, with the view of adapting it to the conditions of modern defense, was begun in 1870, and is now well advanced. Of the barbette gun-platforms required eight have been laid. Three of these eight are permanent and five are of timber. By replacing two platforms on the southeast face, now occupied by light guns with heavy platforms, timber for which has already been provided, the work would be ready for its barbette armament. Eight casemates on the northwest face are ready for the guns, except the traverse rails, and the nine casemates on the northeast face, one in the pan coupé between the northeast and north faces, and one adjacent thereto on the north face (eleven in all) are armed. The completion of this work comprises the construction of seven permanent gun platforms and their breast-height walls, placing bonnets on the traverses, most of the earthwork on the gorge face and the parados and magazines adjacent thereto, the arrangement of a room for torpedo defense, and the repair and extension of the wharf and other matters of detail. The following work was done during the past fiscal year. The timber breast-height walls for guns Nos. 9 and 10, southeast face, were repaired. Coping has been placed for all the entrances of covered passages of the northwest face. The two chimneys of this front, from casemates on either side of the sallyport, have been raised to the proper height required by the bonnet over the sallyport. The cisterns each side of the sallyport were cleaned and repaired, but are not yet water-tight. The slopes of the parados of guns Nos. 1 and 2, northwest face, and of the sallyport cover have been repaired, brought up to the proper grade, and sodded. Some portions of the masonry were pointed. Minor repairs were made to the fort-keeper's quarters, and to the frame building on the parade, once used as quarters for laborers. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the present fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. Fort Johnson, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This old work, situated on James. Island, a little more than 14 miles west of Fort Sumter, should constitute one of the inner works in the system of defense for this locality. It is a fort only in name, having neither armament nor magazines, but only some irreglar mounds of earth, representing what remains of the battery found there at the close of the civil war. DEFENSES OF CHARLESTON-continued. The project for reconstructing this old work contemplates making it a battery for heavy guns and sea-coast mortars. Timber platforms for the mortars have been procured. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. Castle Pinckney, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers. This work, situated on Shute's Folly Island, about one mile east of the city of Charleston, is one of the interior works in the system of defense of the harbor. The work was commenced in 1829. In its present condition it is useless for defensive purposes, and is now in charge of the Light-House Board for light-house purposes. An expenditure of about $10,000 will be required to adapt this work to the reception of an armament. No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885. DEFENSES OF SAVANNAH. Fort Oglethorpe, Savannah River, Georgia, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This work, commenced in 1842, is situated about 4 miles from the city of Savannah, and forms the inner line of defense for that city. Modifications of this work, approved January 11, 1870, so as to fit it for the reception of heavy guns, were commenced in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1873, but they were suspended some years since for want of appropriations. The plans of the work require revision. The work done during the past fiscal year consisted in fitting up two casemates as storage rooms for Engineer property. New floors were laid in them, and a door put up. The grass was cut on the parapet and slopes of traverse magazine. The four wooden platforms for 15-inch guns at this fort are rotten and unserviceable. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. Fort Pulaski, mouth of Savannah River, Georgia, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work, commenced in 1829, is located on Cockspur Island, covers the ship-channel leading from Tybee Roads into the Savannah River, and constitutes the principal defense of the city of Savannah against naval attack. From 1872 to 1875 the work of remodeling the demilune was carried on at intervals and nearly completed. Its gun-platforms were built of timber, and two 15-inch guns were mounted on the north face. All these platforms are more or less decayed. In No work was done at the main work during the last fiscal year. the demilune the concrete masonry of the traverse magazine built for DEFENSES OF SAVANNAH-continued. the service of guns Nos. 3 and 4, south face, was covered with sand up to grade, and the slopes sodded. This completes all the slopes of the demilune. The dikes which were constructed to protect a part of the site of the fort were repaired, and now afford sufficient protection against ordinary storm-tides. The seven wooden platforms for 15-inch guns in the demilune are practically unserviceable. Each of them contains a large proportion of rotten timbers; the oaken pintle-blocks are nearly all thoroughly decayed. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. New fort on Tybee Island, mouth of Savannah River, Georgia, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-Plans have been prepared for defensive earthen works to be constructed on the north point of Tybee Island, for the double purpose of preventing the occupation of Tybee Roads by hostile vessels and defending the channel of approach to the Savannah River. The land necessary for the work was acquired by the United States in 1875. Some work was done during the past fiscal year on the three spurjetties built in 1882 for protecting the shore line of the Government reservation. Some gaps and bare places of the jetties were closed and covered, and they were raised to a somewhat higher and more uniform level by depositing 920 cubic yards of riprap stone upon them. Considerable filling has taken place between the jetties, and the site seems to be secure. No appropriation for their construction has yet been made. DEFENSES OF CUMBERLAND SOUND. Fort Clinch, Amelia Island, Florida, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work, commenced in 1847, defends the entrance into Cumberland Sound, and is in an unfinished condition. A plan for modifying the work has been prepared by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications, which contemplates an armament of rifled guns and the construction of an exterior earthen battery for 12-inch rifled guns. During the past fiscal year, a breakwater or protection of wood was built, to preserve the lot on which stand the Engineer officers' quarters at Old Fernandina. Its length is about 200 feet, and it has so far answered its purpose well. The iron roof of the blacksmith shop inside the fort was patched, and the drain leading from it cleaned. Slight repairs were made to the Engineer officers' quarters. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year beyond its protection, preservation, and repair, as far as was possible with the general appropriation made for this purpose, and no other work is contemplated during the current fiscal year for the same reason. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. |