New-York tribune., 1903-08-09
COAST DEFENDERS WIN.
OLYMPIA FINDS ENEMf I .
Mimic U1ar Game Shoes the palue
of the WTeless Telegraph.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. ]


! naval war game came 10 a close about fifty
miles from here this morning. when Admiral
Sands on the Texas ran up his signal yes
in reply to Admiral Barker's question, will
you surrender Then. after being commanded
to follow the defenders into the harbor. the
enemy entered port
For the second time in three sham wars the
defence has come out ahead. Last summer
Admiral Hgginson won for the defence. but
at the winter games in Cuba the attacking
forces won.
This afternoon. after the officers had all taken
a little sleep the formal calls of the captains
and admirals were made, and several vessels
went to Lamoine to coal before making the run
to Oyster Bay where President Roosevelt Will
review the fleet Some time Wednesday Ad-
miral Barker will leisurey start down the coast
All the boats have not yet come in from the
outer line but they expected during the
night All day long the boats of the defence
came struggling in.
The war game did not take all the time alot-
ted by the War Department. In fact, only hve
hours more than half the time was used by the
enemy The time limit of five days would not
have expired until Monday noon.
1t is generally thought among the oflcers Oh
the fleet that Admiral Sands had hard problem
and handled it extremely well. To begin with,
he was not given the commanders with whom he
hotilla. with which he has been exploring the
neighboring harbors was taken from him and
given to the defenders and three other destroy
ers were turned over to him. To the command
ers assigned to Admiral Sands the Maine coast
was not particularly we'll known
It was about o'clock when the Olympia
sighted the enemy and at APO o'clock she sent
a wireless message to the flagship Kearsarge.
The enemy was then twenty-five miles south Oy
east one-half east from Mount Desert Rock, or
from fifty to sixty miles from Bar Harbor. The
point upon which the enemy had designs was
Winter Harbor good little port, about eight
miles from here over on the mainland. just in
side Frenchman's Bay. The Olympia, which was
communicating between the outer and the inner
lines was sighted by the Texas fully an hour
before she discovered the enemy, which says
she was technically captured, while the Olympia
Admiral Dewey's flagship at Manila, claims she
was out Of range, and could have made a clear
run and escaped.
After the enemy had been reported to the flag
ship the spectacular part of the manoeuvres took
place The signal was at once given to proceed
at full speed. The Illinois the first to re-
spond, and when the signal was given to start
under forced draught the Illinois was again the
first to Jump forward She went so fast. in fact,
that she had to be commanded by the flagship
Ito slow up"
ENEMY SURROUNDED.
The first division of the defence. in which
were the battleships Kearsarge Illinois and
Alabama, circled round the enemy on one side,
while the second division, consisting of the
Olympia, Scorpion, Vixen and Topeka fanked
the other The destroyers Worden and Stuart
also closed in, while the Newport and the Hart
ford got there a little late. When the enemy was
surrounded and number of six-pound guns
were fred the enemy was asked if it would
surrender, and upon the reply "yes" the game
was over and The defenders victorious
BY o'clock nearly all of the big vessels were
back in the harbor The Olympia was the first
to come in, and she went up the bay at full
speed ploughing the water from her bow to
the deck.
Admiral Barker said this morning " We have
met the enemy as Perry said. and they are
ours That tells the whole story The admiral
spoke of the much improved facilities of commu-
niCation since last year, and called attention 10
the fact that all the communications between
the ships had been done without the aid of the
land stations Wireless telegraphy had proved
a success, but the admiral said 1t may be inter
cepted by the enemy at any time
Admiral Sands said he left Bar HarbOr. and.
according to orders steamed to longitude 81,
distance of go miles out. AFTER ntteen @ nm
utes' conference among the captains prepara-
tions were made for the return trip. At noon on
. Monday the return trip was begun, headed
straight for Winter Harbor Early yesterday
they encountered the fog. and had to lower
speed They had fog all day and until they were
ready to make a bold dash into the harbOr.
Then the fog lifted and few hours later they
were caught.
VALUE OF THE WIRELESS
The problem worked out during these manGu-
vres has demonstrated many valuable things to
naval officers It is believed II has shown the
efficiency of the wireless telegraph system. and
as a result the whole scheme of coast signal
stations and methods of the interchange of in
formation at sea will be revolutiOnized.
Under ordinary conditions 1t would have been
several hours before the Olympia could have
communicated her discovery of the enemy to
any other ships OF the squadron. cven though
she could have made a for it, which the
rules prohibited.
Bv aid of the wireless service not only was
she able to inform the Admiral of the ap-
proach of the enemy, but Admiral Barkers
flagship, the Kearsarge. transmitted the
sage sent by the Olympia from ship to ship
along the whole length of the coast. from
Mount Desert Rock to Cape Ann, that in
short time all of the defending squadron was
informed of the fact that the enemy was in
sight and reinforcements TO Admiral Barker
were coming from miles along the coast