New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-01
THE ARMY ALL READY.
EVERY DFTAII, IN IT'S SCHEME OF DE-
FENCE CAREFULLY ATTENDED TO.
No sign of enemy"
TBv TELEGRAPH To TIE TRIBUNE. ]

IBE TELEGRAPH To TIE TKIBUNB-1
NavTondon Conn Aug 31-NIidnfght will
bring war Somewhere behind the thick haze
that has shut down over the Sound tonight the
fleet of admiral HigginsOn is waiting FOR ths
hour when hostilities open. The army is also
waiting For them the next few days will mean
endless waiting and watching. At his head
quarters. in Fort TrumbuIl. connected with
every fort and station in the war district Cen
ers1 Macarthur sits waiting for the first mes
sage of war Day and night one OF the generals
here will take his turn in the ceaseiess waich
and wait for the news of the enemy
But the army already knows when the hrss
b1o,v will fall As was forecasted in The Trib-
11nc this morning Admiral Higginsons nrst ae@
tack VIII be delivered at Block Island TIC meet
the overwhelming landing force the navy can
bring TO bear on this point. the army has only
a handful Of Signal Service men operating a
wireless station there To the superior numbers
of the attacking fire. this body. after brief
but gallant defence. Will surrender. To the
navy. then. will belong the first move IN ths
game But the mere taking of Block Island
gill not count as any great achievement This
tlny force here has but one purpose, 70 sighs
the hostile fleet and fash the news OF It's aD-
nroach to the waiting forts If they do this they
have done all that was expected OF them An
,ndetected dash will then be impossible. To sc-
compIsh this General Greely has scattered his
men over the wide stretch of the island In con-
cea1ed stations They viii not depend merely
OH the wireless Instruments If any one OF tha
men can before he is captured. fire the rocket
that has been given 20 him. the eager watchers
a., Point Judith will catch the signal. and from
the Point aIong the entire coast the news VIII
flash Then the navy may cut the cables and
silence the wireless instruments. but the forts
will be ready for their coming.
RAPID DASH ON NEw-YoRK-
Uben Block Island is captured then rapid
dash NAV follow. Here it is generally believed
that the midnight attack at Block Island will bs
forov-ed bv a daybreak attack upon Fort Terry
and the batteries manned by volunteers which
command Plum Gut. To run past this fort and
the C,ut would permit the feet TO sail un-
rno1ested in the Sound. cut the cables connecting
the island forts with the shore and then pro-
coed to New-York at their leisure In a word,
the success of this dash means complete VIC
tory for the navy.
Fut there are other more potent weapons than
the cannon in the fort to prevent this success.
PIurn Gut is mined. are all channels. and
while it Is comparatively easy TO grapple for the
mines in the wide channel of the race, it will
prove a most difficult manRuvre TO remove
these mines while navigating the narrow chan
mel of Plum Gut. through which the tide pours
at a rapid rate. and which are concentrated
the cannon of the fort
Here then the Navy will meet It's first stff
proposition, and here. perhaps. they will lose
the pick of their feet. For there viii be
question about The working OF the mines. These
mines attached TO cable and anchored in the
stream. carry electrical boxes. and If a ship