DEFENSES OF SAINT AUGUSTINE. Fort Marion, Saint Augustine, Florida, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This work is intended to defend the harbor and city of Saint Augustine. It was built by the Spaniards, and was called by them San Marco. It was essentially completed in the year 1756, its construction having extended through a period of more than one hundred years. It is built of coquina, a natural shell concrete found in the vicinity. No money has been expended by the United States for the maintenance of the work, or in arresting the progress of ordinary deterioration and decay, for the reason, doubtless, that the water battery constructed in front of it in 1842-43 will, if suitably armed, furnish a sufficient defense for this locality. The main work is not suitable for an efficient defense. No work was done here during the past fiscal year. The sum of $5,000 having recently been appropriated " for the pres ervation of Fort Marion, Fla., and for the inclosure and improvement of the grounds attached to the same," it is proposed, during the current fiscal year, to expend a portion of that sum in building a neat and substantial fence, extending from the water's edge north of the fort, around it, inclosing the glacis slopes, to the water south of the fort. A project for expending the balance of the funds to the best advantage is now being studied. Should it be desired to restore old Fort San Marco, both main work and demilune, to the condition substantially in which it was left by the Spaniards, it can be done, so far as it is possible to attain this object, and omitting all preparations for an armament, for an aggregate sum of about $15,000. Appropriation made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885 DEFENSES OF KEY WEST. $5,000 10,000 Fort Taylor and batteries, Key West, Florida, in charge of Capt. W. H. Heuer, Corps of Engineers, until February 1, 1884; and since that date, in charge of Capt. Thomas Turtle, Corps of Engineers.-These works, comprising a main casemated work of brick upon a submarine foundation and earthen battery northeast of the main work and one to southeast of it, with two Martello Towers of brick on the south shore of the island, are for the defense of the important harbor of Key West. The main work was commenced in 1844; the citadel is complete, but the cover-face on the land faces of this is in a very incomplete condition, and only the former portion is at present of any defensive value. The barracks and quarters within the fort are in very bad order and becoming worse through decay and neglect. About $15,000 would be required to put them in good order. The walls are much in need of repointing, or some similar repairs, and upon this work $12,000 could be profitably expended. All the casemate platforms are generally in good condition, and the barbette platforms on the sea-faces, except those for the 15-inch guns, which, being of wood, are decayed so as to be of no use whatever. Nearly one-half the cisterns are found to be leaky and have no water in them, and the water in those remaining is brackish and undrinkable. To overhaul these cisterns and repair them will cost the estimated sum of about $1,000. DEFENSES OF KEY WEST-continued. The exterior earthen batteries are suffering the inevitable deterioration due to their incomplete condition; the platforms, a combination of concrete and wood, are, because of the decay of the wood, utterly useless in their present condition. The estimated cost of these batteries is $240,338, which on account of deterioration should be increased to $250,000. The Martello Towers, in fair condition, were constructed in the early part of the war of secession on private land, the title to which has never been acquired by the United States. No appropriation having been made, no work has been done at these forti- DEFENSES OF THE HARBOR OF DRY TORTUGAS. $9,000 Fort Jefferson, Garden Key, Tortugas, Florida, in charge of Capt. W. H. Heuer, Corps of Engineers, until February 1, 1884; since which date in charge of Capt. Thomas Turtle, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work, commenced in 1846, perfectly commands the admirable harbor lying in the heart of this group of keys. During the past fiscal year operations were restricted to caring for the public property and buildings. The wharf is in a very dilapidated condition and almost useless for the purpose of landing material. The quarters are suffering from neglect, and the unfinished barracks should be completed. Pending the adoption of modifications which the most modern conditions demand, no appropriation is at this time recommended. The lower tier of casemates, in which guns in casemate are alone mounted, are generally in good condition, and the barbette platforms, for the guns of the lesser calibers, are also in good condition generally, though some of them are incomplete. The wooden platforms for 15-inch guns are thoroughly decayed and are of no use. The scarp of the work is, in places, incomplete; the parapet is not wholly embanked, and the traverses, most of which are incomplete, are suffering from deterioration through loss of material; being formed of sand and mostly unprotected, or incompletely so, the winds blow it away. The galleries forming passages between the gun batteries of the barbette tier require renewal of planking throughout, and it is in great part blown away by the hurricanes. No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year except caring for the property and protecting the work and buildings from depredations, and none is contemplated for the ensuing year. No appropriation is asked for next fiscal year. DEFENSES OF PENSACOLA HARBOR AND NAVY-YARD. Fort Pickens, Pensacola Harbor, Florida, in charge of Maj. A. N. Damrell, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work, commenced in 1828, with Fort Barrancas and the proposed new batteries near the site of Fort McRee, constitutes the defenses of the town and harbor of Pensacola DEFENSES OF PENSACOLA HARBOR AND NAVY-YARD-continued. and the navy-yard at Warrington. It is situated near the west end of Santa Rosa Island, and is at present the only work of defense of the entrance and main channel to Pensacola Harbor. Plans for the modification of this work and the construction of exterior sand batteries for heavy guns were prepared by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications when Bastions C and D were modified, but since 1876 no appropriations have been made for this work, and operations have therefore been confined to the preservation and repair of the buildings and works, and to the care of the public property appertaining to the same. The plans of the work and exterior batteries require revision. The condition of the fort and buildings remains the same as reported the previous year. 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 Barrancas and redoubt, Pensacola Harbor, Florida, in charge of Maj. A. N. Damrell, Corps of Engineers.-These works, commenced in 1839, are situated on the north bank of the entrance to Pensacola Harbor, opposite to Fork Pickens, and are intended for defense of this entrance and protection from land attacks. For many years operations at this work were confined to necessary repairs to masonry, slopes, and wood-work, until 1874, when the construction of four front pintle platforms for mounting new ordnance was commenced; but work was suspended before much progress was made, none of the platforms having been completed. Since that time operations have again been confined to ordinary repairs. Plans and estimates for the construction of an exterior battery on the bluff west of the fort have been prepared by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications, but so far no appropriations have been made and no work has been done. The plans require revision. 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 McRee, Pensacola Harbor, Florida, in charge of Maj. A. N. Damrell, Corps of Engineers.-This fort, situated on the west side of the main ship-channel to Pensacola Harbor, commenced in 1836, has been a ruin since the late war, and the greater portion has been washed away by the encroachment of the sea upon its site. Plans for the construction of batteries for the heaviest modern guns and mortars near the site of the old fort, to co-operate with Fort Pickens and the works at Barrancas in the defense of this important harbor, have been prepared by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications, but as no appropriation has been made for them no work was done upon them. The plans require revision. 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 MOBILE. Fort Morgan, eastern entrance to Mobile Bay, Alabama, in charge of Maj. A. N. Damrell, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated fort, commenced in 1819 and completed in 1833, is situated at Mobile Point, on the east side of the main ship-channel to Mobile Bay, and as it commands this channel from the outer bar to the lower anchorage, and forms, with Fort Gaines on the west side of the channel, the outer line of defenses to the harbor and port of Mobile, its site is of great importance, but will not be of much value as a defensive work until the contemplated water batteries for heavy ordnance along the western and southern shores are completed. As stated in former reports, the construction of these batteries was commenced in September, 1875, but work had to be suspended in April, 1876, the amount appropriated being exhausted; and as no appropriations have been made since, this work has not been resumed. The plaus of the batteries require revision. 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 Gaines, Dauphin Island, Alabama, in charge of Maj. A. N. Damrell, Corps of Engineers.-This work, commenced in 1848, is, with Fort Morgan, on the opposite side of the main entrance to Mobile Harbor, designed to command that entrance and the lower fleet-anchorage. It needs complete modification to adapt it to the use of modern heavy guns, and plans therefor have been prepared by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications; but no appropriations having been made for this work, the fort remains in the condition as reported in former reports. The plans require revision. Operations during the year were confined to the preservation and repair of buildings, rebuilding bridge across the main ditch, cleaning and repairing drains, and to the care and preservation of the public property. 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 MISSISSIPPI SOUND. Fort on Ship Island, in charge of Maj. A. N. Damrell, Corps of Engineers. This casemated fort, commenced in 1862, is located at the west end of Ship Island, on the east side of Ship Island Channel, and is designed for a fortified maritime depot of coal, provisions, &c., and for the defense of the navigation of Mississippi Sound and the approaches to New Orleans from the eastward. Operations during the year consisted in the construction of a fourth jetty to the eastward of the fort, in a southwesterly direction, 485 feet long, to slight repairs to the buildings and to the care of public property. No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885. No appropriation asked for next fiscal year. DEFENSES OF NEW ORLEANS. Fort Pike, Rigolets Pass, Louisiana, in charge of Maj. Amos Stickney, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work, commenced in 1819, is located on the south side of the Rigolets, a pass connecting Lake Pontchartrain with Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. It was designed to guard the extreme eastern approach to New Orleans available for vessels drawing 7 feet or less. During the late civil war, while in the possession of the Confederates, with the aid of obstructions in channel, it served to prevent predatory incursions of light-draught steam gunboats of the United States Navy into Lake Pontchartrain, which, no doubt, but for it, would have cut off direct communication by the lake and by rail between New Orleans and the country east of the Mississippi River. Since 1862 the work has been kept in about the same condition it was then, except as to armament and garrison, both of which have since been removed. During the past fiscal year some small repairs were made to bridges, and grass, weeds, &c., were cut from around the walls and inclosures, and some whitewashing was done to walls, casemates, buildings, &c., and fresh shells were put on walks. A project for the modification of this work, to adapt it for the reception of modern ordnance, was prepared by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications in 1870, but no appropriation has been made therefor. The plans require revision. 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 Macomb, Chef Menteur Pass, Louisiana, in charge of Maj. Amos Stickney, Corps of Engineers.-This work, commenced in 1822, is located on the south side of the "Chef Menteur," a pass connecting Lake Pontchartrain with Lake Borgne and the Gulf of Mexico. It covers the approach to New Orleans of vessels drawing 4 feet or less via the pass and Lake Pontchartrain, and also the practicable approach of a land force from the pass via the "Gentilly Ridge" and the line of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, which crosses the pass but a few hundred yards from the fort. A project for the modification of this work, to adapt it for the reception of modern ordnance, was prepared by the Board of Engineers for Fortifications in 1870, but no appropriation has been made therefor. The project requires revision. 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. Tower Dupré, Lake Borgne, Louisiana, in charge of Maj. Amos Stickney, Corps of Engineers.-This tower, commenced in 1830, is located at the mouth of Bayou Dupré, a bayou connected with Lake Borgne, and heading near the Mississippi River about 12 miles below the city of New Orleans. It is one of the system of works designed to command the approaches to New Orleans from Mississippi Sound. 5908 EN-4 |