Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-09-02
WAR GAME STORIES,
Memories Of the Recent Strug-
gle Around Portland.
The Inside Account Of the Defense
Of the Forts.
The Significance and Importance Of the
Mock Warfare.

Portland, Me-, Sept. 1.-(Special)-
The subject of all consuming interest
for young and old, these many weeks.
has been the war game. Since the first
announcement of the intention of the
government to make Portland and it's
Notifications, the point of attacks in
the part of the fleet, that city has been
the mecca for many proposed pill
grimage for all who could leave home
whether residents of Maine or foreign
lands" Thousands of pairs of eyes
were daily strained seward through
out the manoeuvers, the islands and
main land black with people by day
ana night. and hundreds of crafts of
every description were kept eternally
on the so by those who could afford the
luxury Everything else dwndled into
insignificance when Mckinley, Levett
Preble or William paid their respects
to the always assiduous attentions of
Admiral Barkcrs squadron which new
er seemed to weary in the arduous task
Of haraSSing the army. Incidentally
people knew that trouble in Turkey
caused the sudden departure on a scri-
Gus errand, of the European squadron,
but the all absorbing question was;
"What's next here" When one has
considered this apparent enthusiasm
ON the part of observers present. If he
will turn to the accounts of the news
stands and remember the heavily load
ed paper teams, he can guess the meas
ure of interest the world at large in
the graphic accounts written by men
whose experiences while obtaining
those stories would form most enter
tanning reading if they could be COM
piled. Ordinary news gathering is
doubtless difficult at times but in the
main there are usually found men on
the inside of great events who can and
will talk over details and plans. Here
however was a very different propo
sition. There We're some newspaper
men who by some kind Of free man
sonry succeeded in securing passes for
their writer's, but even then, with ac-
cess to the camps, batteries etc, he
must use his eyes, ears and every
sense as no officer would talk and no
regular dared to do so, while the rank
and file of the army knew nothing to
tell.
What shall we say of the man who had
no pass and yet was expected to DIS
cover the truth of the present and fore
tell what was to come? lie must be both
scribe and prophet-scribe to tell what he
knew. prophet (at least to himselD in
order to be on the gound when the next
event took place. Verify he must be Ar
gus eyed ard centipede legged! He must
sleep with both eyes open and walks
about as though awake. The writer was
never considered a weak pedestrian. so
on land there was no difficulty, but as he
was not web-footed, some means must be
at his disposal for progressing far in wa
ter. so staunch gasoline boat with en-
sineer was placed at his disposal day and
night, a most wise provision. for at no
stage of the game could we say when he
must be land-lubbcr or tar.
Wednesday morning, shortly after mid
night, proved about as forbidding and
disa srceable an opening for the period of
hostlitics as could well be conceived. A
drcnching rain in the afternoon of Tues
day finally settling down to drizZling
rain and heavy fog demanded for apparel,
heavy undertaking, rubber boots, oil
skins and sou-wester and thus clad
pushing forward from the guard lines
around Camp Smith where Co M was
quartered the writer plunged into the
heavy woods shoreward, leaving the same
after time to stumble through rough
pastureland In the darkness, mounds
and hollows looked alike and were dis
tinguishcd only when ones shins were
bruised on the one or he was ignominious-
iy brought to terra firma in a tange by the
other Finally reaching the rock bound
Continued on page 81