Evening star., 1902-08-02

NEai.r'I I'E Inc i-N'lilllE SUR Nv IENltH FAlllS-
Nole. in the history of the United States
have there been joint naval and military ma
nsuvers on a scale even distantIy approach
ing those scheduled for this moath. And for
the nrst time in the history of the world
there will he recognized a new and impor
tant factor in war-the newspaper world.
The newspapers VIII be considered as enc
mics: The fleets must beat them if they can.
The government does not desire that the
newspapers shall not try to get the news.
Indeed. the authorities want them to try
in every way possible. But they want their
ships and men 10 prevent them from geI-
ting it.
So in one way, this mimic war will be
real. II Will be a mimic war for the pos
session Of the coast. and an actual war
against the reporters. whose dispatch boats
will he treated as enemies scouts TO be
avoided or captured. Secretary Moody re-
CARDS this as very important part of the
n.ansuvers. He desires to find out just how
secret the movements of a fleet may be
kept in time of actual war. and he realizes
that if the movements of a fleet can he con-
Ceaed from newspaper men bent on finding
them out they can he concealed from any
body. just what plan has been adopted to
prevent the newspapers from getting in
formation meant 10 De secret tLe SECRETARY
won't tell. but it is known that a careful
and elaborate scheme has been prepared,
and the experiences Of the Spanish war
have been drawn on in formulating it.
If any information meant to be secret is
obtained by the newspaper men the meth
ods by which it was obtained Will be care
fully and fully reported to the department
and after the maneuVers are over such IN
stances will be studied with view of de-
vising a satisfactory preventive of similar
. 1D-r n
Newspapers as Enemies.
1t was proved in the little affair with
Spain that newspapers were not only fac
tors of civilization. but factors Of war For
the first time in the history of the world
great fleets went out to make history, ac-
conpanied by great fleet bearing the men
who were TO write il. 1t was realized sud
denly that the future naval commander
could not regard the newspaper dispatch
boat as a negligible quantity. So in these
most up-to-date maneuvers planned by the
Navy Department the newspapers nave had
a place assigned to them.
The strategy of each of the two opposing
commanders will be directed to out-maneu-
vering the hostile fleet and the newspaper
forces, and the strategy OF the newspaper
forces will aim at OutmaneuVerlng bOtn
fleets IL will be pretty and most inter-
esting contest, entirely new to warfare. The
dtrIT-rlFnt mas refused " SLNt Jul HtIi q
general sketch of the maneuVers. but the
first part of the maneuvers, which will be
purely naval. will consist of the attempt
of fleet. supposedly hostile, to elude
feet watching TO intercept it and effect a
landing on the coast, in all probability at
some point bstween Martha's Vineyard and
the eastern entrance TO Long Island sound
The opposing commanders will not know,
except in a general way. just what vessels
compose the fleet against which they are
operating. and some very startling sur
prises may be sprung upon them by the
managers of the maneuverS. Some naval
officers would not be surprised if the Euro
pean squadron the South Atlantic fleet,
or both. should suddenly appear on the
coast. For all anybody knows. ships from
one or both of these SqUadrOnS may now be
on their way TO New England waters.
All the available ships of the North At
lantic squadron will be employed-battle-
ships. cruisers and GTnboats, as well as a
feet Of fifteen torpedo boats and twelve tor
pedO boat destrOyers. All along the coast
piercing searchlights, some of 100000 candle
power. have been established TO search
with their fiery eyes at night for the COM
ing of the hostile fleet. Wireless telegra-
ply will be thoroughly tested during the
InaueuVerS as to the praCticability of using
IT under war conditions for communicating
between the fleets and the shore and be-
tween the different vessels. Many novel
and modern appliances will be experiment.
ed with and in all respects the present
maneuvers will be the most up-to-date af-
fairs of the kind ever attempted.
Expense Not Considered.
The question of cost is not to enter into
the matter. The object Is to have the
maneuvers comprehensive and thorough.
no matter what it costs. for 1t is believed
that the results will justify the expendi-
ture. however great it may be.
Coal will be an important item of ex-
pense. A battIeship of the Oregon class
burns seventy-five tons OF coal at a speed
of eleven or twelve knots and the amount
burned rises rapidly for every knot above
100 tons day ordinarily, and twice that at
high speed. and coal costs the government
about So ton. Though good deal of the
target practice will be done with the eco
nOmical sub-caliber, considerable portion
OF it will be done with fun service charges
and service projectiles. To fire one of the
big turret guns on a battleship with full
service charge and regular projectile costs
from $500 to $500 each time.
Torpedo boats. owing to their forced
draught are great eaters up of coal. and
the cost of firing ships guns, even though
they may not be the great turret guns, is
considerable. So 1t will be seen that the
cost of the maneuvers viii mount up. 1t is
generally believed by naval officers that the
objective point Of the ships detailed to rep
resent the hostile fleet Is Newport That
port Is a great strategic point in Mr.
Moodys war, just as 1t was in the revolu-
tionary war.
Sandy Hook Unlikely.
OF course, it is entirely possible that a
feet may appear of New York suddenly by
way of Sandy Hook. But that is not like
ly- For attack on Sandy Hook could
not be anything except a bombardment.
and there would be no opportunity for
much naval maneuvering. although ii
would possibly be good war for the hos
tile fleet to attempt to draw the defending
feet by making at least a demonstration
Off the Hook
But ii Is generally conceded by naval as
well as army men that the Sandy Hook ap-
proach to New York is practically impreg-
nable. The works might conceivably be
demolished by a steady. concentrated, over
whelming fire Of long duration from a
mighty fleet. But that would not be man.
euyering; 1t would simply be pounding And
even II Sandy Hook were demolished and
taken, there would be the same fight to