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APPROPRIATE BUILDINGS

In September, 1803, Major C. P. Kingsbury, the first commandant, began the erecton of a storehouse near the lower or western end of the island, topped with a tower and clock which continues to be a landmark for the surrounding country. When General Rodman was put in charge in 1865, he drew up plans which were carried out by his successor, General D. \V. Flagler, The main shops, which are located almost in the center of the island, comprise ten stone buildings sixty feet wide, each constructed around three sides of a rectangular central court, with fronts, 210 feet, and wings, 300 feet long; eight of the shops being four stories in height, and the other two, one story.

Seven of the buildings are equipped with ma chinery and the other three are used for storage of finished product and stores. The buildings are of similar design and floor plan and are designated by letters. Looking from west to east, the shops on the south side of the main avenue are A, C, E, G and I, while those on the north side are B, D, F, H and K.

As a typical example of the massiveness of the arsenal shop buildings a few figures relative to material used in the construction of one of them can be given. Records show that in the building of shop A, cited as an example, the following was used: 30,115,800 pounds of rock. 3,132,800 pounds of brick, 2,199,646 pounds of iron, 1,331,500 pounds of lumber, 362,500 pounds of slate, 200,000 pounds of plaster, and 26,000 pounds of copper. All told the floor space of the shops reaches a total of 422,800 square feet. When we consider such figures we get an idea of an institution which has been planted upon a solid foundation.

Shops B, D and F are armory shops, and are devoted exclusively to the manufacture of small arms. Here army rifles are turned out at the rate of 100 every working day. On the south side of the main avenue are the old arsenal shops. At present shop C is used as a carpenter, metal equipment, polishing and tin shop. In shop E are the black smithing department and foundry in which many of tlie cast iron and alloy castings used in the process of manufacture are turned out. Light aud medium forging is done in the black smithing department, and there are here also large presses for pressed steel work.

In fact the small arms plant and the shops of the southern row contain more than 2.400 machines of various kinds used in the work of the arsenal. General machine and field artillery work is done in shop G. These departments overflow into the basement of shop I. The drafting rooms are located in this building, as are also the leather and cloth departments, harness for field artillery Sun covers, tarpaulins, knapsacks and other equipment. In this department also is the saddlery school already mentioned.

Shops H and K are used as storehouses aud one of the most imposing of all the arsenal buildings is the storehouse building with the tower aud clock, at the town end of the island near the great government bridge joining the island to the Iowa shore in Davenport. This was the first of the buildings erected and at that time it was intended that the other ones would be at the same part of the island, but the present site was later adopted. At first the commandant's quarters were used in connection with three other stone buildings, but early in the present century, a frame and later a lirick and stone structure have been built along and at the eastern end of Terrace road. These being of more modern design, provide good housing for the officers and men.

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois

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