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DEFENSES OF CHARLESTON-Continued.

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 1 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 lighthouse purposes.

An expenditure of about $20,000 will be required to adapt this work to the reception of an armament.

No appropriation was made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887.
No appropriation asked for next fiscal year.

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. During the past year repairs were made to the fort-keeper's house, the casemates were cleaned out, and the slopes mowed.

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.

The chief work during the past fiscal year consisted in repairing a number of permanent barbette platforms for 8-inch or 10-inch Rodman guns on the four channel-fronts of the main work, viz: Three front pintle platforms on the north front; two front pintle and three center pintle platforms on the northeast front; three front pintle and three center pintle platforms on the southeast front, and six front pintle platforms on the south front; total, twenty platforms.

Lamp-closet fixtures were put in the magazines of the demilune. On October 11, 1885, during a heavy storm, the tide rose over the magazine floors to a height of 14 inches. The bridges across the moat were lifted out of position, but have since been replaced. The mud, shells, &c., clogging the flood-gate at the entrance to the moat were removed. The slopes and the parade were kept clear of grass and weeds.

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 SAVANNAH-continued.

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.

The northeast shore of this reservation is protected from the inroads of the sea by three spur-jetties composed of log mattresses overlaid with brush and loaded with stone. One of these spurs, No. 2, has its shore end near the old Spanish tower; No. 1 is 1,000 feet northwest and No. 3 about 1,400 feet southeast of No. 2. These works were built in 1882. During the past fiscal year spur-jetty No. 2 was extended about 290 feet, the work involving the use of 798.86 square yards of log mattress and 455.65 cubic yards of stone.

All the work done for protecting the sea shore of the reservation is in good condition and is accomplishing its purpose. The jetties have sanded over and the rocks where exposed are cemented together by a growth of oyster-shells and barnacles.

No appropriation for their construction has yet been made.
No appropriation asked for next fiscal year.

DEFENSES OF CUMBERLAND SOUND.

Fort Clinch, Amelia Island, Florida, in charge of Col. Q. A. Gillmore, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work, commenced in 1850, 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.

The following work was done during the past fiscal year: The cyclone of August, 1885, having somewhat damaged the shore protection immediately in front of the sea-wall of the fort, between spur-jetties B and C, built some years ago, the necessary repairs were made and two new spur-jetties constructed between the two just named. These new spurs are 54 and 44 feet long, respectively; they have given excellent results, the sand having filled in rapidly, at some points to a depth of over 3 feet.

A new ventilating flue was put in the barracks building inside the fort and a trap-door cut in the roof of the same building.

The weeds and grass have been cut from the fort and from the yard of the Engineer officer's quarters, and both places have been thoroughly policed and put in order during the year.

A new roof was put on the Engineer officer's quarters, a new fence built around the yard, the breakwater in front repaired, and various minor repairs made to cisterns, water-tanks, &c.

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 SAINT AUGUSTINE.

Fort Marion, Saint Augustine, Florida, in charge of Capt. William T. Rossell, Corps of Engineers, until April 26, 1886; since that date in charge of First Lieut. William M. Black, Corps of Engineers.-This work is intended to defend the harbor and city of Saint Augustine. It was essentially completed in 1756, almost one hundred years after its commencement, and under the name of "San Marco" formed the citadel of the elaborate system designed by the Spaniards for the defense of the city. It is built of coquina, a natural shell concrete found on Saint Anastasia Island, opposite Saint Augustine. The fort has never been remodeled. A water battery was constructed along its sea-front in 1842-1843, and this is the only portion of the work which can be readily adapted for use with modern ordnance. For this purpose the platforms should be prepared for modern guns, the parapet raised and strengthened, and traverses arranged for service magazines, and bomb-proofs constructed.

Five thousand dollars were appropriated for the preservation of the fort and inclosure of its grounds in the act approved July 5, 1884. In accordance therewith a picket fence has been built along a portion of the reservation boundary line, the sea-wall and covered-way breast-height walls repaired, the bastion towers renewed, the interior walls refaced where necessary, the ramp rebuilt, and a portion of the terre-plein covered with a water-proof pavement for the protection of the casemates. In aN of the repairs the original designs were followed as closely as possible.

Under an allotment from the general appropriation for the preservation and repair of fortifications, 1886, the materials for the repair of six gun platforms of the water battery were purchased.

If it is intended to fully restore the fort to its condition when left by the Spaniards, and to inclose and beautify its ground, extending the sea-wall to the north end of the reservation, an additional appropriation of $15,000 will be required.

In January, February, and March, 1886, 7,731 persons visited this fort.

Appropriation asked for next fiscal year

DEFENSES OF KEY WEST.

$10,000 00

Fort Taylor and batteries, Key West, Florida, in charge of Capt. William T. Rossell, Corps of Engineers, until November 17, 1885; since that date in charge of Maj. W. H. Heuer, Corps of Engineers.-These works, comprising a main casemated work of brick upon a submarine founda tion, 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. The walls are much in need of repointing, or some similar repairs. 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.

DEFENSES OF KEY WEST-continued.

During the past fiscal year all the scaffolding used in connection with stuccoing the walls was taken down and stored.

Five brick ventilators to magazines were built. The cistern to temporary buildings was repaired; 11,800 old brick on hand were cleaned and used for this purpose. The fences around temporary buildings were also repaired. Two quarters, two store-houses, stables, carpenter-shop, smith-shop, engine-houses, car-sheds, &c., were whitewashed and repaired.

The drains through the reservation have been thoroughly cleaned out, so that the tide now ebbs and flows through them and the ponds connected with them.

Three new bridges were built over the road crossings. The main bridge was repaired, 96 embrasures on fort, 1 locomotive and engine, 17 railroad cars, 1 hoisting engine, and 140 tons embrasure irons were scraped, cleaned of rust, and coal-tarred.

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 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 fortifications during the fiscal year beyond the guarding of the property and the protection of the works from depredation, and none is contemplated for the ensuing fiscal year, because of lack of funds, other than such work of protection, preservation, and repair as the general appropriation will permit.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year: For acquisition of sites of the two martello towers, by purchase or condemnation....

DEFENSES OF THE HARBOR OF DRY TORTUGAS.

$9,000 00

Fort Jefferson, Garden Key, Tortugas, Florida, in charge of Capt. William T. Rossell, Corps of Engineers, until November 17, 1885; since that date in charge of Maj. W. H. Heuer, Corps of Engineers.-This casemated work, commenced in 1846, perfectly commands the admirable harbor lying in the heart of this group of keys.

The wharf is utterly decayed, and is so far gone that it would be unsafe to roll a barrel of powder over it. To rebuild this wharf, which is absolutely necessary, will cost about $3,500.

During the past fiscal year the following work was done at this fort: Laid 16 walks around the barbette magazines; repaired and painted 10 walks around the magazines in barbette tier; painted 6 magazines; repaired 3 store-rooms in casemates; repaired magazine doors; scraped and tarred the rails in barbette tiers; tore down old machine shop and stored the lumber; repaired and painted house occupied by ordnancesergeant; whitewashed storehouse, and painted 18 doors of powdermagazines and all windows and shutters; scraped and painted the water doors of lower casemates; cleaned and coal-tarred 290 pieces of embrasure iron.

The quarters are suffering from neglect, and the unfinished barracks should be completed.. Pending the adoption of modifications which the

DEFENSES OF THE HARBOR OF DRY TORTUGAS—Continued.

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 plat· forms, 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.

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 Capt. R. L. Hoxie, 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 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.

No appropriation having been made, no work was done at this fortification during the last fiscal year, and no 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 Capt. R. L. Hoxie, Corps of Engineers.-These works, commenced in 1839, are situated on the north bank of the entrance to Pensacola Harbor, opposite Fort 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