at this post, two detachments of 48 and 29 men being stationed at Plum and Gull Islands, respectively. The officers' quarters and barrack buildings were old, but in fairly good condition.

Plum Island (Fort Terry).-This post is garrisoned by 1 commissioned officer and 48 enlisted men. The armament consists of two 10-inch guns, mounted on the disappearing carriage of the Buffington-Crozier type; one rapid-fire gun, 4.7 inch.

Guns in progress of mounting for which emplacements are being constructed: Sixteen 12-inch mortars, one 5-inch R. F. gun, two 6-inch R. F. guns.

The guns and carriages were only in fair condition. The magazines were damp and wet, and unfit for the storage of powder. The range-finder and fire-commander station were located but not completed. The men of the detachment were only fairly instructed in the drills and exercises at the pieces. The small detachment (48 men) can not properly take care of the guns and carriages now mounted at this post and attend to the various routine garrison duties, and this number should be increased at the earliest practicable date for the proper care of the armament now mounted. The strength of the garrison which will be required to man the armament now mounted, in progress of mounting, and authorized, allowing one relief for each gun, is 293. There is no electrician sergeant at this post, and it is recommended that one be sent as soon as practicable. The officers' quarters, barracks, and other buildings were not properly located. They were built in quadrangular form and for the accommodation of about 65 men, and in their present shape will not admit of enlargement sufficient for the accommodation of the garrison which will be required to man the armament when all of the guns are mounted.

Gull Island (Fort Michie).—Garrisoned by 29 enlisted men under charge of a sergeant. The armament consists of two 10-inch guns, two 12-inch guns mounted on the disappearing carriage of the Buffington-Crozier type, and two 6-inch rapid-fire guns. The guns were found to be in about the same condition as those at Fort Terry, and the same remark applies in this case.

The detachment (29 men) is totally insufficient to properly take care of the guns and carry out the instructions and drill as required. One of the 12-inch guns was not properly mounted, and I am informed was turned over by the Engineer Department in this condition. It could only be traversed with great difficulty. Mechanics and ordnance employees are now at work making the necessary repairs.

The 10-inch battery located on the extreme eastern point or end of the island appeared to be in danger from the encroachment of the tides, and much of the sand and earth in rear of the battery had been washed out. The drainage from the glacis had also shown its injurious effects in washing out the earth and sand from the east or water front, and inroads were being made in the center of the island. This requires attention and should be filled in as soon as practicable, particularly in the immediate front and rear of the 10-inch battery.

The strength of the garrison required to man the armament now mounted and provided for, estimating one relief for each gun, is 188.

Fort Adams (Newport).-This post is garrisoned by batteries H and I, Seventh Artillery, there being 1 commissioned officer and 98 enlisted men with the former and 1 commissioned officer and 105 enlisted men with the latter. Total strength of garrison: 6 commissioned officers and 248 enlisted men. The modern armament consists of one mortar battery complete (sixteen 12-inch steel mortars), two 10-inch B. L. guns mounted on the disappearing carriages of the Buffington-Crozier type, one 8-inch B. L. gun mounted on 15-inch smoothbore carriage, two 4.7-inch R. F. guns, two machine guns (Gatling); old armament: three 15-inch Rodman S. B. and four 8-inch converted rifles M. L. The guns and carriages and emplacements of these batteries were found to be in excellent condition, showing that great care had been exercised in the preservation of the pieces, carriages, machinery, etc. One man could easily traverse or elevate the guns and mortars. The officers and men were well instructed in all the drill and exercises pertaining to the batteries.

It is recommended that some means be devised for the protection of the magazines and storerooms of the 10-inch battery, which is much exposed to the weather during northeasterly storms through the open staircase leading from the gun pits to the magazines. I think a sliding screen might be constructed which would answer this purpose. The magazines were damp and wet and unfit for the storage of powder. Those of the mortar battery were, however, in better condition and perhaps drier than the average modern magazine of this type, which I think was due to better ventilation, and perhaps they have been kept open and aired carefully during dry weather.

The new brick barracks now being built on the parapet of the old fort meet with my approval. The granite walls make excellent foundations, and the casemates can be utilized for store, mess, and bath rooms, etc.

The strength of the garrison required to man the modern armament now mounted and in progress of mounting and authorized, allowing one relief for each gun, is 444. Fort Greble, R. 1.—This post is garrisoned by Battery A, Seventh Artillery, the total strength being 2 commissioned officers and 102 enlisted men. One sergeant, 1 corporal, and 19 privates of this battery were on detached service at Fort Rodman, New Bedford, Mass.

The armament consists of three 10-inch B. L. guns, mounted on the disappearing carriage of the Buffington-Crozier type; two 15-pounder R. F. guns; one 6-inch R. F. gun.

The batteries appeared to be well cared for, and the guns and carriages were in good working order. The men have been well instructed in their drills and duties. The magazines were damp and wet and unfit for the storage of powder.

The water supply of the post is obtained from two artesian wells about 700 feet deep, and during the dry season is not sufficient to supply the demands of the garriIt is recommended that this subject be investigated and that a greater number

son.

of wells be bored.

The strength of the garrison required to man the modern armament now mounted and provided for, estimating one relief for each gun, is 328.

I think a battery should be placed on the eastern end of Cannonicut Island at or near "Beaver Tail."

Fort Rodman, Mass.-This post is garrisoned by a detachment of 20 enlisted men, in command of a sergeant. The modern armament consists of a battery of two 8-inch guns mounted on the disappearing carriages. The guns and carriages were in good condition and the detachment fairly well instructed. The counterpoise weights were not properly adjusted, and the guns on being tripped went in battery with too great a shock. The magazines were wet and damp, and unfit for the storage of powder. The water supply is ample, and obtained from the city of New Bedford.

The detachment is quartered in a small frame building, which included the dormitory, mess room, and kitchen. There was no means of heating the quarters, and the detachment during cold weather moved their bunks into the mess room and kitchen. Stoves should be furnished for these quarters before the winter season commences. The strength of the garrison required to man the modern armament now mounted and authorized, at the rate of one relief for each gun, is 83.

Fort Warren, Mass.-This post is garrisoned by Battery G, Seventh Artillery-1 field officer, 1 captain, and 2 lieutenants, 109 enlisted men.

The modern armament consists of five 10-inch guns mounted on the disappearing carriage of the Buffington-Crozier type. One battery for 2 guns in progress of construction, and expected to be completed by September 30, 1900. Three 15-pounder rapid-fire guns; two 4-inch rapid-fire guns. The guns and carriages were in good condition, and the battery well instructed in all of the drill and exercises at the pieces. The magazines were damp and wet, and unfit for the storage of powder.

It was observed that the gun emplacements in the "Ravelin" battery were not connected from the level of the gun pits, and communication between the guns could only be had by descending to the magazines. It is recommended that this connection be made continuous, as exists in other batteries of the same class.

The strength of the garrison required to man the,modern armament, now mounted and in progress of mounting, at the rate of one relief for each gun, is 295.

The extension of barracks necessary for an increase of the garrison at the fort could well be made by following the plan in the case of Fort Adams, R. I., by placing the barracks on top of the old casements.

Fort Strong, Boston Harbor.-This post is garrisoned by Battery M, Fourth Artillery, the enlisted strength being 101; 1 commissioned officer present with battery. The modern armament consists of one battery of five 10-inch guns, mounted on the disappearing carriage of the Buffington-Crozier type; two 15-pounder R. F. guns, and two 4.7-inch rapid-fire guns.

The guns and carriages were in good condition, and officers and men well instructed in their drills and duties. The magazines were very wet and damp from leakage and condensation, and utterly unfit for storage of powder.

The proposed site for the new barracks was not satisfactory, and was so reported by me to the Quartermaster-General. They are too far from the batteries, and a better site can be had on a terrace of the slope in rear of and near the guns. A retaining wall should be constructed in rear of barracks if built upon this site.

The strength of the garrison required to man the armament now mounted and provided for, allowing one relief for each gun, is 190.

Fort Banks, Boston Harbor.-This post is garrisoned by Battery F, Seventh Artillery, the enlisted strength being 95; 2 commissioned officers with battery.

The armament consists of one mortar battery, complete (sixteen 12-inch cast-iron

steel-hooped mortars). One battery of three 12-inch guns in process of construction, and will probably be completed and turned over in a month or six weeks. The mortars and carriages of the mortar battery were in good condition, and the men were thoroughly instructed in all of the drills and exercises pertaining thereto.

I would recommend that sufficient land be purchased near the 12-inch battery now undergoing construction for the location of barracks for the accommodation of a battery of 100 men, which will be required to man these guns. The site for barracks near the mortar battery is too far away-about three-fourths of a mile by road. It appears to me that the proximity of the men's barracks to the batteries they are required to man has not received due consideration at many of our posts where modern batteries have been and are being constructed.

The strength of the garrison required to man the guns now mounted and provided for, allowing one relief for each gun, is 190.

Fort Constitution, N. H.-This fort is located at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor, 3 miles below city, and is garrisoned by a detachment of 20 men of Battery M, Fourth Artillery, under charge of a sergeant.

The armament consists of a battery of two 8-inch guns mounted on the disappearing carriage. The guns and carriages were in fair condition, and the detachment appeared to be well instructed. The magazines were very damp and wet, the floor being covered with water, and totally unfit for the storage of powder.

Strength of garrison required to man the armament now mounted is 54 men. Fort Preble, Me.-This post is garrisoned by Battery E, Seventh Artillery, the enlisted strength being 102; 2 commissioned officers present for duty.

The armament consists of sixteen 12-inch mortars, four of which are serviceable. The remaining twelve were mounted, but the breech blocks have not been furnished and the emplacements had not been completed. The engineers are now at work on them, and it appears to me that they should be completed at the earliest practicable date, for the efficiency of the garrison and the appearance of the post. The four mortars which had been turned over to the battery were in good condition, and officers and men were well instructed in all of their drills and duties.

One new set of officers' quarters is partially built, and when completed four sets will be available for commissioned officers. Work is also progressing on the new barracks, hospital, and guardhouse, and the contract calls for the completion of these buildings by December 20, 1900. They are apparently substantial quarters, built of brick and well located.

The strength of the garrison required to man the armament now mounted and authorized is 350 men. The new barracks are not sufficient for a full garrison. More land must be acquired if it be decided to build barracks contiguous to the site of those now in the process of erection.

Fort Williams, Portland Harbor, Maine.-This post is garrisoned by Battery D, Seventh Artillery, the enlisted strength being 102 men; 1 commissioned officer present for duty.

The armament consists of five 10-inch guns, mounted on the disappearing carriages; one 6-inch rapid-fire gun; two 12-inch guns (disappearing carriages) authorized.

The guns and carriages of this battery were in excellent condition, and the noncommissioned officers and privates executed all of the drills and exercises in a way that showed great pains had been taken in their instruction. The prompt and rapid loading and firing was the best I had seen during my inspection.

The battery is now quartered in temporary frame building which was built in 1898. The officers were also quartered in temporary frame quarters. Officers' quarters, barracks, noncommissioned officers' quarters, hospital, and guardhouse are now being built, and the contract calls for their completion by December 20, 1900. Brick is the material used in their construction and they appeared to be substantial structures and sites properly located.

Two of the five magazines of this battery were fairly dry, but not sufficiently so for the storage of powder. The remaining three were damp and wet.

The strength of the garrison required to man the armament now mounted and authorized is 271 men. The same remarks apply to this fort as in the case of Fort Preble.

Great Diamond Island.-I visited and looked over the fort being constructed on Great Diamond Island. It has not been completed and is still in the hands of the engineers.

The proposed armament is two 12-inch and three 8-inch guns mounted on disappearing carriages; eight 12-inch mortars; two 6-inch rapid-fire guns; four 15-pounder rapid-fire guns; two 6-pounder rapid-fire guns.

The strength of the garrison which will be required to man this armament when mounted, allowing one relief for each gun, is 594 men.

The Government owns no land on this island except the sites for the fortifications, and I would recommend that sufficient ground be purchased and properly located for barracks and quarters for the accommodation of the garrison which will be required to man these guns. The same remarks with respect to the purchase of additional land for the accommodation required to man the authorized armament apply with equal force to Fort Cushing.

The strength of the garrison required to man the authorized armament for this post is 201.

Fort Ethan Allen, Vt.-This large post, built for the accommodation of regimental headquarters and 6 troops of cavalry, is garrisoned by 1 company of the Eleventh Infantry, about 80 men, 2 commissioned officers present for duty. This company, which has recently arrived at the post from Porto Rico, made a creditable appearance and seemed to be well instructed in all of its drills, duties, etc. There are not men enough, however, in this organization to properly look after and keep the great number of officers' quarters, barracks, stables, etc., in proper state of repair. It would be well for the Quartermaster Department to furnish mechanics for this purpose.

In conclusion I will state that I was much gratified to find that the officers and men took an active interest in their work and that they appeared to be well instructed in their drills and exercises. I consider the greatest credit is due them for what they have accomplished, and the state of efficiency to which they have been brought, taking into account the small number of men available for drills and care and preservation of the armament.

The existing conditions at the two or three posts where the number somewhat approximated the strength required for one relief for each gun mounted, convinced me of the urgent necessity for having at least this number for all fortifications where the modern armament is used, not only for efficiency in the drills and exercises at the guns, but for the proper care and preservation of the expensive plants and machinery pertaining to these batteries, which require constant and careful attention. Very respectfully,

JOHN R. BROOKE, Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE EAST,
Governors Island, New York City, April 29, 1901.

The ADJUTANT-GENERAL UNITED STATES ARMY,

Washington, D. C.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of my inspection of the southern posts of this department, made March 6 to April 18, 1901, under army regulation 193:

Fort McPherson, Ga.-The post is in good condition and the buildings are ample and well suited to the needs of the garrison for which the post is intended. A number of buildings, erected on the parade grounds during the Spanish war for use as temporary hospitals, have been moved to other sites and made into storehouses and offices. They are well suited for such uses. The roadway leading up a small valley near the stables is a temporary one, and, being on a slope, is constantly gullied. This should be remedied by putting in a properly constructed permanent road.

Jackson Barracks, La.-This post is in good condition, and, while the barracks and quarters are old, they are habitable. The barracks, four in number, now need some repairs, but they can easily be fixed up to accommodate about 150 men.

Fort St. Philip, La.-At this fort there has been no change since my inspection_of last year, reported under date of April 16, 1900, except that the buildings then under construction have been completed. The recommendations that I made in that report have not as yet been carried out, and I now renew them.

The same applies to Fort Jackson, La.

Fort Morgan, Ala.-This post, except for the construction of quarters, is as reported last year. The sand drifts very badly, and efforts should be made to prevent it. The sand dunes should be leveled and some means adopted for causing grass to grow. The additional officers' quarters and barracks have not been completed, and were apparently at a standstill.

Fort Gaines, Ala.-I have already written to the Quartermaster-General that I disapprove of the location of some of the buildings as made by the board appointed for that purpose. The wharf should be built inside the harbor, and while this would require the wharf to be quite long the advantages are such as to make up for the additional expense,

Fort Pickens, Fla.-The emplacement for the mortar battery at this point leaks badly, and it was reported to me that the creeks in it are enlarging. The filling and grading recommended after my inspection of last year have not been done, and I now renew those recommendations. Nothing has been done toward the erection of a new wharf near the present new barracks. This should receive attention. The engineers' wharf is very much dilapidated, the piling being in such a condition that the wharf will soon have to be rebuilt. If it should be rebuilt and turned over to the Quartermaster's Department, it might in a way supply the needs of this post, but its location is not so desirable as the other point mentioned.

Fort McRee, Fla.-I found at this place that certain dredging was being done, which will make it impracticable to carry out my suggestion of last year about placing the barracks, quarters, and buildings for the use of the garrison on a small island near by, and connecting this island with that on which the fortifications are placed by a viaduct. If possible, this dredging should be stopped. In the event that this can not be done, barracks should be built where the engineer buildings now stand. These buildings are old and dilapidated. The site for the wharf at this point, which last year was considered the best one for the purpose, has, upon further examination, been found not so well suited for the purpose, and the present wharf should, therefore, be rebuilt on the old site. The connecting trestle work, over which the men now have to pass in going to the fortifications, and which is nothing but a railway trestle, should be covered over and made available and safe for the use of the garrison.

Fort Dade, Fla.-There has been no change in the barracks and officers' quarters at this point. A year ago I recommended that steps be taken to construct macadam roads and artificial stone walks. Owing to the deep sand, such roads and walks are imperatively necessary, and, while the commanding officer has exerted himself to improve the conditions existing here, he has had no materials with which he could do the work properly. A new wharf should be constructed at a point nearly opposite the barracks, which site, from all I can learn, would be a great improvement over the one where the wharf now is, in the channel between Egmont and Mullet keys. On my recent visit to Fort Dade it was impossible to land at that wharf, owing to its exposure to the high sea that was then running, though there was no difficulty in landing at Mullet Key, nor at the little wharf on Egmont Key, used by the pilots. At this pilot wharf, however, there is not sufficient water for anything larger than a small launch. At the site near the barracks, I am informed, deep water may be reached within a reasonable distance.

Fort De Soto, Mullet Key, Florida.-At this point the mortar battery has been completed, but the guns have not been received. Barracks and quarters have been built. These buildings are located too close to the water on the shore fronting the main channel. This location is, in my opinion, an exceedingly objectionable one. A well is being bored, but it is questionable whether water of a good quality will be obtained. Key West, Fla.-The barracks are now entirely too far from the batteries, being located on the opposite side of the town. Old Fort Taylor is connected with the main part of the island of Key West by a bridge about a hundred yards long. If the low land on each side of this bridge were filled in above high tide, it would form a good site for the barracks and would allow of their being so placed that they would be swept by the prevailing winds, a thing very necessary in this locality. This fill would have to be made by constructing a sea wall around the exterior limits of the place to be filled in, and then pumping the sand from the sea or carrying in earth from a distance. The land to the east of the present fortifications, the purchase of which has been under consideration, should be acquired. This is one of the hottest and most uncomfortable posts in summer in this department, and every effort should be made to guard the health and increase the comfort of the garrison. Two 12-inch guns are being mounted on barbette carriages on a low site, and disappearing mounts are used on a higher site. The completion of the emplacements now under construction should be hastened.

Fort Marion, St. Augustine, Fla.-It was learned that an effort is being made to open a road over the Fort Marion Reservation from the main road to Jacksonville, to the Matanzas River. Inquiry developed the fact that there is no necessity for opening such a road. The question of the boundary of the Government property at St. Augustine should be definitely and finally determined upon. Directions to this end have been frequently given by the Attorney-General, but seemingly have received no attention from the United States district attorney at Florida.

St. Francis Barracks needs some repairs, for which an estimate was directed to be forwarded.

Fort Screven, Ga.-The location selected by the engineer officer for the dock to be built here has filled in to some extent, and the site of the old dock is now a better

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