Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-08-25
LINE OF DEFENCE
Continued from page ~

whole situation. If the enemy can cap
ture Fort Preble or even the knoll jtlsr
to the westward of it, the other forts
might have to capitulate. But # the ere
my capture all the other forts. Fort
Preble cannot be captured except by a
heavy land attack. and Fort Prebe still
holding the key to the situation can drive
an enemy from all other forts, according
to the defenders.
The reason for Preble's commanding
position is this:
The guns no one gun from any of the
other forts can be trained on it, while the
shells from its four mortar batteries can
be dropped into each of the other forts
Forts Williams, Levitt and Mckinley it
could not retain them, for the mortars
from Preble would drive it out. Though
if the forts at the entrance of the chan
mel were captured the forcing of an en-
trance for the ships would be compare
lively easy matter.
But if Fort Preble is captured in an at
tack from the rear, then its n1ortars
could be trained on the other forts and
the moment of capture during these
games they would be held to have been
captured and out of the game. This will
be an important victory foE the navy
But as these games are not r. be a CON
test. but evolutions simply to test the
strength of the Fertilization and work
out searchlisht ideas. etc. no such attack
is likely to take place.
The daylight attack on the Notifications
/
if it is anything like the attack during
the maneuvers 2 year ago. Probably the
entire fleet under Admiral Barker will
participate The ships will approach the
Notifications, and as they come in range
all the guns on the shore batteries will
open fire. After the first round only one
gun of each class will continue the fire
with full blank charges while the others
will use caps. The ships will play first
with Il round from all the guns which
can be brought to bear. After that the
will he continued Inv 5rln
"a, On s a"o,aer aay ,assett VII. make an
attempt at landing a a4rge force of men
made cannot beslthown in advance. sbut az
they must be made between midnight
Tuesday and noon Friday, the latitude is
small.
searchlght signal station which over
looks the whole stretch of coast from
Boon island light to Cape Elizabeth was
established, today, at Biddeford gPuoE
The station was manned by four men
from the Maine Signal Corps who pa {
troll the coast on bicycles for8a radius of
five miles and report frequently to the
other stations to the eastward and to the
government vessels off Cape Elizabeth.
When General ChaffdS had returned to
the city, toright, afteE his inspection of
the forts and the coast.defences. he said,
in an interview: 2 g
so far as | can see. ample prepare
tons have been made to meet any ordina-
ry exigencies and all that is left to do IS
to wait and see what the papysswiH do
If the navy undertakes to- rush matters
it will be up to the army tQrush edliliiys
or even more so. IT, on thssnther; harli.
as some of the conservative bfficerssfh
probable. the naval people. takings tic
loss of the Massachusetts very. muekSto
heart, will not try to play afQeAS(ssfhe
rocks and reefs too closely bAtsAfHkeon-
tent themselves with laying of thu Goa St
shooting their searchligfts aid gEhs, per-
haps, but not coming near ehdtgh to get
into any danger then the work of the.
army Will be greatly simplfied.'
The State militia on Long Island figure
out that this will be tho point for the
land attack by tn" navy. 1t is thought
that this island some six or seven miles
long On the coast side fun of indenta-
lions and all manner of places where 4
landing might b. made. will afford a most
inviting spot to hostile forces.
Coz: Newc' NIB. who has command here.
is doing everything that he can to make.
it impossible for the enemy to get ut him.
He has masked his camps hidden his
searchlights by building up tower of
evergreen outside the Searchght tower
and has don" everything that he can to
make his position secure. It is thought
that the navy will divide its forces. one
section is expected to make a rush int
the front channel. cut the cables and
thus interrupt communication between
the telephone stations and the headquir-
tiers at Cushing'S Island. The main body
could then come In on the ocean side.
landing men In boats from a safe distance
out.
Another opinion that finds general fa
vor among the defenders is that Portland
Head. or rather the Two Lights will be
the place where the main attack is to be
expected. 1t is assumed that this the
main entrance to the harbor and that the
principal searchlight station. II range find
or and the fire control station is located
FERROUS mine field base. Nobody except
Major Murray knows just where ;hs
base is located, but popular suspicion,
points to a place not far from the Two
Lights as the most probable spot
BRIG. Gen. Wallace +. Randolph. chief
of artillery. arrived. today. by train from
Boston and was taken at once by boat Ia
Cushngs Island. which will he his head
quarters during the attack of the hostile
fleet.
There has been good deal of misaprre-
hcnsion as to the Alliance the training
snip which was ordered to leave here,
yesterday. and which was regarded with
suspicion by many of the defenders. \
promino MT army officer said tonight that
the Alliance. the Essex and the other APP
prentice training ships are neutral occu-
plying the position of ships OF foreign
powers that might happen to be in the
vicinity where war was on. They will aid
neither one side nor the other but will re
main passive spectators of the fray foi
the purpose of observing whatever OF
value they may see that will be of bene
fit. 1t is understood that the telegram
which sent the Alliance to sea so abrupt
~. StSltiudS, WdS an ofuti " JON III
hostile feet. but to be sure not to take
part in the fight.
AT sunset tonight the coast patrol sys
tenn of the defending force was put il
operation for the first time since the off
cal notification of the departure of tn,
naval forces for Portland. The patro
- consists of attachments from the variou:
companies of the LIST and md Regiments
Maine n. G. S. NJ. and stretches from
Fort Preble to Bowery Beach. distanc,
of some or 10 miles. Without this pre-
caution the naval forces could land small
boats without number in the many small
and thickly wooded coves along this very
vulnerable part of the coast
heavy artillery company has been as.
signed the wireless telegraph station tax
en-. yesterday, by Major WEIGH near the
Two Lights.
ATTACKING FLEET SAILS