Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-07-19
PLANS Of THE WAR GAME
Army and Navy to Engage In
( a Mimic Conflict.
ALL WILL BE IN FIGHTING TRIM

Forts About Newport without
Warnins-searchliEh and Watch
ers Will Be Employed.
A condition approximating actual
war will exist along the New England
coast on land and sea for the period
Of a week about the middle of August,
writes a Washington correspondent of
the Philadelphia Press. Every fort
along Long Island sound and the Con.
hecticut and Rhode Island coasts will
be manned by trained artilleries.
Every war vessel along the eastern
seaboard will be called to form part
Of squadron that will attack these
forts.
The fall maneuvers is what this
movement is designated. The navy is
to attack and the artillery Is to defend
against the invasion. 1t will be the
greatest thing Of its kind that this
country has ever seen. Never before
has there been anything approaching
the proposed maneuvers on this side
Of the Atlantic.
Some idea Of the magnitude of this
undertaking can be obtained from the
number and character Of the warships
that will participate. Rear Admiral
Higginson will be In charge OF the
evolutions, with Rear Admiral Cogh.
Ian as second in command. The flag
ship Of the squadron will be the Kear.
sarge. The other battleships and
cruisers will include the Alabama.
Massachusetts. Brooklyn, Olympia,
Montgomery, Panther and Prairie.
The general plan of the maneuvers
indicates that this array Of warsh1ps
is to constitute hostile feet approach.
ing from Europe and having in view
the subjugation and reduction Of all
the forts contiguous to Newport and
that portion Of Long Island shore
south.
The attacking squadron will be IN
fighting trim, with all temporary or
movable gear sent below and the decks
cleared for action. All the concomi-
tants of war conditions, including the
play Of searchlights and the eternal
vigilance Of officers and men. will be
employed.
1T will be as nearly condition Of
war as 1t is possible to secure" said
naval official the other day "There
will be no child's play about it. The
movement Of the vessels will be pro
tected by as much secrecy as thor gh
fbau hnYf II ltnn ii. 10 host n
mission. Newspapers will he given no
information. They will be left to shift
for themselves. The same will b. true
Of the army. 1t will be an artillery
duel, and beyond mere general idea
as to the character of the maneuvers
the two branches OF the service will
act entirely independent of each 9th
err"
General Randolph, chief of the artil-
lery arm, will not be acquainted with
the day and hour when this hostile
feet will appear above the horizon.
Its coming must be detected by his
own officers stationed in the various
forts along the sound.
The forts that will play conspicuous
parts along Long Island and the ada.
cent mainland are Fort Adams at
Newport, Forts Wright, Mansfield,
Niche, Terry. Trumbull, Slocum,
Schuyler and Totten. Watchers by
day and by night will wait for the ap-
proach Of this feet and signal its ap-
pearance to the other artillery stations
along the coast.
Particular efforts will be made to
keep the newspapers Of the country
from obtaining any facts whatever
about the maneuvers of the squadron
or the defensive preparations and op-
erations Of the artillery establishments
on the mainland. Newspapers will be
compelled to hire their own boats and
gather their information under the
same difficult conditions that prevailed
during the Spanish war. Officers who
are detected il giving away informa-
ton or furnishing anything concerning
the maneuvers to newspaper CORE
spondents will be dealt with by their
commanding officers in summary fash
ion.
OuIluS INC wa
the press associations were permitted
to have a correspondent on the flag
ship of each fleet This will not be per-
mitted during the maneuvers. At the
forts the greatest efforts will be taken
to prevent any civilians from obtaining
information of any kind whatever.
Two ideas prevail as to the move
ment of the hostile fleet under Adj
miral Higginson. One is that it will
rendezvous off Portsmouth and proceed
SOUTH making its appearance off New
port from the north. Another is that IT
will rendezvous off the southern coast
of Long Island and make the Invasion
from there. sweeping down the sound
under cover OF darkness. No one, I'M
less it be Admiral Taylor Of the bureau
of navigation. the secretary of the navy
and the commanding officers of the
fleet. is in possession of this secret,
and it will remain Il secret until the
fleet meets in rendezvous.
The maneuvers will be the spectacle