The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1902-08-15
PLAN A BIG WARGAME
HOW EFFICIENCY OF WARSHlPS AND
FORTS WILL BE TESTED.
North Atlantic Squadron VIII Try to
Run Past the Forts Guarding Long
Island Approaches to Now York

City.
Especial Correspondence
Washington, July 28.-Just whether
President Roosevelt or Secretary Moo
dy is responsible for the tuning up
which the navy is to receive during the
next few months no one seems to know.
Credit has been given to both, and it is
quite likely that the affair was Jointly
planned between them.
However that may be, the persons
who are fortunate enough to be along
the shores of Long Island sound In Au-
gust will see brilliant and interesting
spectacle. Naval maneuvers are usual
ly held in Hampton Roads, off Newport
or out at sea. The coming evolutions
will take place within seeing distance
OF many populous watering places
along the Connecticut and Long Island
shores
The chief feature of the show will be
a grand contest between the war and
navy departments, played with real
forts and real battleships, each burning
real powder, but spilling no blood
The navy department will endeavor
to get its biggest ships by the first line
of eastern defenses of New YOrk-that
is to say, through Long Island sound.
The army, with it's artillery and in
fantry branches, supported by the mill
tia, will try to see to it that the navy is
repulsed and does not get in a position
where if the ships were of hostile
fleet New York could be shelIed.
Of course it will be a sham battle
There will be no prOjectiles fired from
the forts at the great ships of the navy.
and the navy will not unlimber the ter
rlble thirteen inch guns nor start the
rapid fire batteries. There will be plen-
ty of gunpowder burned, plenty of
noise smoke and all that sort of thing,
but the real test will come with the de
cisiOn of experts, who will be stationed
er at certain times an attacking ship
could withstand the fire from the forts.
provided it were real, or whether the
forts would have to succumb from the
raking the ships would give them.
Before the attack on the forts is
made it is the intention of the secretary
of tha navu to hova Soma o,onoroI ,o1oJ
maneuvers. These will probably con.
sumo the first three weeks of August.
The north Atlantic squadron, which
will be assembled, will be divided into
two parts. One will be told off to rep
resent an enemy's feet and one to
guard the coast.
1t will be the duty of the offensive
squadron to try to elude the defensive
squadron between the limits set by
New Bedford on the north and New
York on the south and make a landing
on the coast. The duty of the defend
ing squadron will be to send out scouts,
locate the attacking squadron and in
form the battleships which are held in
reserve so that a naval engagement
may be precipitated off the coast and
the country saved from a ravaging at
tack by the enemy.
The ships taking part in these ma
neuvers will include the battleships
Kearsarge, Alabama and Massachu-
setts, the cruiser Olympia, the Mont
gomery, Scorpion, Marblehead and
probably half a dozen more of the
crack ships of the navy.
Just where the principal mimic fight
will occur has not been decided. 1t will
depend largely upon the opinion of
Rear Admiral Higginson, but the hot
test part of the fight will develop when
the feet tries to force an entrance past
the line of defense formed by the guns
at Fishers, Plum and Gull islands and
through the string of torpedoes and
submarine defenses between them.
This fortificatiOn is the key to the east
ern approach to New York, which is
far easier than the southern approach.
The field on land and water to be
covered during the maneuvers will be
bounded on the west by Fishers island
and on the east by Fort Rodman, New
Bedford Mass. 1t is possible that a
part Of the engagement may occur off
Newport, where Fort Adams would
prove an important point of defense
The line Of defense in this region is
extremely formidable. 1t will be given
what will approach an actual service
test In the approaching maneuvers.
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