Under these circumstances, in considering the kind of coast defence we would make, it became necessary to find something that would resist these powerful guns.
It was thought that an embankment of sand, placed in front of the walls of the fort, would lessen the force of the shot, and render it almost harmless before it could reach the wall, so a small fort was built as an experiment.
The result proved to be exactly what the designer had supposed it would be.
Three guns of different power were tried on the bank, and fired at short range.
It was found that the sand-bank was an ideal defence.
The heavy shots ploughed into the bank, and, meeting the great resistance of the sand, were turned out of their course, and forced upward to the top of the sand-pile, without having reached the concrete wall at all.
The test was considered very satisfactory, especially as such fortifications can be very easily made all along the coast, and at a very small expense.
Permission has been granted by the President for General Miles, the commanding general of our army, to go to Greece and study the war there, and on his way back to visit all the other European nations and observe their armies. He will make a report to the War Department on his return.
He expected to sail on May 6th.