Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-08-26

campments, the CLINT of the polished
bayonets, officers with. their side arms
and tents dotting the cape and the is
lands, scores of small craft sailing
about the harbor, lighters and tow
boats busily engaged laying mines, il
was possible for one to believe, Tues
day, that imaginary war had been de-
clared against the United States anC
that Portland was about to be the
scene of the greatest system of wal
maneuvres ever planned in this
country. The preparations for the pas
six months have been vigorously made
and the army is now in a state of pre-
paredness which would make it diff
cult for q foreign fleet to make an en-
trance or even landing.
There has been a stupendous amount
of work done about the Notifications
this summer, and the men of the Coast
artillery will be happy when it is over
The hard and constant work has de-
stroyed much of the romance of the
games for them, but they will be- en-
thusiastic enough when the smoke from
the first ship makes it's appearance or
the horizon. Then the old feeling be-
tween the landsman and sailor will be
rellindled and each will freshen up with
the feeling that the real sport of the
game is about to begin.
The forts in this vicinity have been
placed practically on a war footing and
the men behind the guns, mortars
searchlights and at the various signal
stations, Tuesday, We're ready for war
imaginary though it may be, and every
one is strong in the belief that Nhe
training will make the country safer
when the real contest arrives, if il
ever does come.
Late Monday night, general alarm
was sounded at Fort Preble and the
men were sent tumbling into the NOR
tar pits. Also for the first time the en-
trenchments on the line represented by
the line of stakes, were occupied from
Fort Preble to Bowery beach. The
men will stand sentry duty for two
hours with a lay off of four hours, and
this will continue during the time of the
maneuvres.
Some time Wednesday morning, Ad-
miral Barker's fleet, or a portion of it
probably will arrive off Portland har-
Dor.
The 4S-hour period of preparation al
lowed the defenders will come to a
close at midnight, Tuesday night. The
war will then be on in theory and the
land forces will keep a sharp lookout
for approaching vessels. At midnight
Tuesday night, the many searchlights
will be in operation and the narrow
beams of light will sweep the ocean
from land to land.
Admiral Barker may come directly to
the attack of this port, but it is prob
able he will first capture Il base of sup
plies for this is also a part of the game.
1t is also probable that this base of
supplies will be harbor near Rock
land, the port from which he sailed
Sunday night. 1t may be Boothbay
Harbor, though his movements could
not be so secret from base so near his
active operations.
General Chaffee Tuesday morning.
visited Fort Preble, Fort Williams, the
camps at Silver Springs and at Two
Lights. Gen. Chaffee expressed satiis-
faction at the arrangements of the
camps. Whistlers system of fire con-
troll is an elaborate duplicating sys-
tenn for sending and receiving mes.
sages to the gunners in the batteries.
Besides the automatic recorder, du-
plicate message is sent by telephone
and there are no chances for errors.
1t is possible for the man at the station
to fire the big rifles by merely moving
a switch.
Eight warships were sighted from the
observatory off Seguin, Tuesday morn
ing. There were three battleships,
three destroyers and two tenders in the
feet which We're riding at anchor when
the thick weather set in.
Gen. Chaffee stated, Tuesday, that
the maneuvres were not contest be-
TWEEN the army and navy and that no
decision would be rendered by the UNI
pires. They would simply file reports
of their findings and make recommen-
dations.
Asked if these maneuvres were held
with the expectation that Portland
would ever be attacked by hostile
fleet he replied: mo, an enemy would
hardly select a strongly fortified port
to attack when there were so many un-
fortified harbors along the coast. An
enemy would do what in all probable |
ity Admiral Barker will do as soon asl
possible after midnight, seize an un-
fortified harbor to the eastward for a |
base and operate from that.
1.-THE maneuvres probably will re-
semble more the attack of the monitor
on CharIestown during the Civil war. If
an enemy thought it necessary to take
Portland it would make landing at
The nearest available place and fight
It's way overland to the rear of the for
.ifications while the fleet attacked from