The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-25
THE WAR ROOM.
A Unique Apartment at the White
House.

House.
On the walls of the war room are all
the latest maps of the coast and geodetic
survey, the photographic office and the
land office, and some that were made es-
peciany for the presidents convenience.
There are military maps of Cuba the Phil
ippines, Porto Rico and all other points,
arranged in sections on the wall in such
a manner as to place before the eyes of
E9e president at one glance the entire ex-
panse of the globe. On these maps are
marked the distances from one point to
another; the cable lines, the sailing routes,
the time needed to cover them, the places
where the ships of the enemy and the
blockading squadron are located from
time to time and every possible informa>
ton that could be needed during a con-
sultation on the war problem. The most
unique of the series of charts are those
showing the location of the Spanish and
American warships, so arranged that they
can be changed every hour or minute of
the day as the telegraph may report the
movements the chess board of the war.
Among other conveniences designed for
the president there are two boards COW
cred with sheets of paper which are
written alphabetically the name of every
ship in both navies. Stuck into a little
hole in the space containing the name
there is a pin, which there is a flag
bearing the corresponding name of the
ship. These flag pins are used for indi-
eating on the map the places where the
ships may be from time to time, the
American flags being blue and those of
Spain red. There is an interesting little
corner on one of the boards separated by
a broad black line inside of which there
is a group of red flags huddled together.
This corner is labeled 1.-The dead line" and
the flags are those that before the LIST of
May represented the Spanish ships which
on that day were destroyed by the fleet
of Admiral Dewey, and those that, before
July 3, represented Cervera's fleet, de-
stroyed off Santiago.
In the Ieft-hand corner of the room, near
the entrance from the corridor. is Secre-
tary Porter's desk, where he is at work
during many hours of the day and night;
and beyond him, nearer the middle of the
ROOM is the desk of Captain Benjamin F.
Montgomery of the signal corps, United
States army, who for several years has
acted as Geographic manager at the
White House. At the left of his desk, in
a corner. there is a wooden case through
which pass fifteen special long distance
telephone wires, and in the opposite cor
ner a cable containing twenty special tel
egraphic wires, all of which come together
al the desk and make it possible for him,
without moving outside a radius of ten
Ieel, TO nave QlrecJ comm unlcaIOn through
the telephone with every department of
the government at Washington, including
the capitol, on wires which are connected
with the White House alone, and over tel
graph and cable lines with every point in
the United States and elsewhere that it
may be important for the president or
the members of the cabinet to reach at
any time in order to give or receive in
formation with regard to the war move
ments.
Into this war room, over these special
telegraph and telephone wires. comes,
every hour and every minute of the day
and night, information from great many