RARE Civil War USN Wooden Rifled Musket Cartridge Chest. This 

chest is marked: Naval Laboratory. R.M. Cartd’gs, Washington. It

features a screw-type latch requiring a double-prong key to open it. The 2

bronze hinges look just like the ones used on the 12 pdr Dahlgren landing gun

carriage ammo box. The top of the chest has a lip that the lid closes over for

water resistance. I believe these boxes held the reserve ammunition during

naval landings.