Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-08-25
LINE Ut DEFENCE
Around Portland Which Will
Surely Bother Enemy.
Maine Guardsmen Scattered The Re-
serves Join Attacking Fleet.
Look Out for War Any Time After
Midnight, Tonight.

llldneuNIeS nave ueNciopeu nOtnlnS, To-
night, but watching and waiting
game.
Almost all the signals have been
placed in position, to5ay, and, tonight,
and tomorrow evening, every one will
| be in perfect working order A coast
patrol was established, tonight
General Chaffee has made his first
days official inspection, and has visit
| ed most of the important forts and pro-
nounced himself satisfied with their
| condition. He has strengthened by en-
| trercbments at what he considered the
most vulnerable point, that is the ap-
proaches by land in the rear of the
forts and in so doing has rendered
| Fort Preble which is the keystone of
| the defending system almost impreg-
Inable
The defenders. therefore, will rest on
their arms, tonight, with a Courage
| born of confidence"
There has been persistent rumor
| among the defending forces that a sub
marine boat would come into the har-
| Dor within the next 4S hours and at
tempt to explode the mines which the
defending forces will have towed into
| position, barring mishaps by Tuesday
morning. A submarine boat has been
experimenting in New York harbor and
| it was thought this might be the one
coming to Portland.
| In an interview; today, an officer of
| the Maine N. G. S. M. who is stationed
at Long Island, said. Il expect that
we will be captured by the navy "a
hours after hostiities commence if
they make an attempt to do so, for the
| reason that we have only 800 men to
patrol a stretch of coast that should be
guarded by many more times that
number.
| II commenced to build a hide, last
night. and finished it, this morning, but
don't imagine that the precaution will
be of much avail.
| I'VE held a sailor of the United
States training ship Alliance, last
night, whom we found wandering
| about the island, but will proba bly,
parole him, today. His ship has sailed
without him."
| The Maine naval reserves ordinarily
| attached to the Maine n. Co. S. NJ.
turned traitor, this morning, when they
took the o'clock train for Rockland to
join the hostile fleet commanded by
Rear Admiral Barker, The Naval
Reserve force consisted Of 70 men
under command of Lieut.. Harry M.
| BiglCw.
1t is expected that they will be of
great value to the attacking fleet on
account of their intimate knowledge of
the home coast, and preparations for
the defense. They have already given
Imuch information to Admiral Barker.
| outside the regular camp routine the
land forces had a mparatively quiet
time of it today, only those who were
in charge of the laying of the mines
were very busy and they worked like
beavers putting in the treacherOus
dummy explosives, which may cause
the mock doom of more than one fine
battleshp.
The government launches and the
tugs chartered by the defending forces
| We're wholly inadequate to the task of
towing all the mines to their respective
positions, and several private launches,
motor boats and even big lighters were
added to the working force. AS each
of The mines must be connected by
separate cable with an electrical in
dicator on shore, the task of laying
them will be by no means easy, and
although no anxiety has been felt as
to the mines being in readiness in plen-
| ty of time, vet not a second has been
wasted, for should any unforeseen acct
dent happen to retard the work, II
might mean the dashing into the har-
Dor of any big war vessel prepared tc
take advantage of the first second that
the minute hand passes the hour of L.
, tomorrow night.
1t has been rumored that the nava
forces would by strategy try to make
; the big searchlights useless first of all
This could only be done by some one
pretty familiar with the coast line am
, the positions of the lights. The Maine
Naval Reserves are all natives of The
vicinity. and to some of their number
the task of guiding an attacking part!
= | to all the searchlights would be com
narativelv easy. With the searchlight
| out of commission the naval force
| might almost laugh at the attempt o
| the land forces to keep all the Ship
h ! out of harbor.
| Divisional headquarters were reInoN
: cd, today from Fort Preble to For
n Levett on Cushings Island. The head
t quarters are situated on White Head
{ a point of land that will command tn
!. | entire situation during an attack. Bot
: General Chaffee and Col Mills will b
here during the war games
n General Chaffee issued his first of
) fetal orders. today. The entire rea
$ guard of the army must be protecte
!, bv sentries. and outposts will be estab
1 lished from Fort Preble to the Tw
Lights. =
Several companies of the LIST and 2
Maine left regimental Headquarters, TO
: dav. and they will stretch out thei
n,rino. places in long thin line fror
Fort profile to silver Springs, repre-
y senting a line of intrenchments whic
f will guard the forts from the rear
), Fort preble is considered the key to tn
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