The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-07
To SEND BATTLFSHIP
TO SAVANNAH HARBOR AS SOON AS
COLD WEATHER BEGINS.
NAVY DEPT. INTERESTED
IN GEORGIA NAVAL MILITIA AND
WILL AID 1T.

Mimic Warfare on the Maine
Coast From the IIIinOis-The Sight
Beautiful One and ManeuVers
Unusually Interesting-TvO GeOr-
Eians Were Aboard the Battle
ship.
A United States battleship will be
sent to Savannah harbor just as soon
as cold weather begins a definite
promise to that effect having been
made by the Acting Secretary of the
! Navy. The promise was made to DR..
Henry S. Colding while in Washing
ton, d. c., on his return journey from
the coast of Maine, where he had been
a witness of the maneuvers of the
navy and the mimic warfare between
the land and water forces. DR.. Cold
ing returned to Savannah yesterday
and talked very interestingly of his
visit to Maine and spoke in the high
est terms of the cordially and hospi-
tality extended to him by the navy
| officers while he was with them as
| representative of Georgia. In speak
ing of his trip DR.. Colding said:
The order came to me as Com
mander Henry S. Colding, commanding
| Naval Battalion, Georgia State Troops,
from the Navy Department through
the adjutant general of the state, to
report to Admiral Albert S. Barker,
commanding the North Atlantic squad
ron. to witness or assist in the naval
| maneuVers and the mimic warfare be-
tween the navy and the army. 1 start
ed at once and at Rockland, Me, went
aboard the battleship Illinois, report
ing to Capt. George A. Converse, com
| handing. / had the fortune to be the
| ranking visiting officer aboard ship
and as a result was assigned to the
state room and quarters occupied by
| Admiral CroWninshield during his at
tendance at the coronation.
Georgia Boys Aboard the Illinois.
ION the Illinois were two young men
from Georgia. One of them an appren-
tice is Mr.. w. H. Bordley, Jr., of Sa-
vannah Mr.. Boardley had been as
signed to duty on this ship from New
| port News, having originally been sent
to the training school at Coasters Is
land. 1 also found another Georgia
boy among the midshipmen. This was
Mr.. Hugh Mclean Walker of Augusta,
a grandson of Gen. t. S. Walker
and who is probably well known in Sa-
| Vannah.
1.-The Illinois crew consisted of y Of
ficers and men. The Marine Naval
Militia, numbering 4 officers and so
men, were also on board. Every one
was enthusiastic for the work of war
fare to commence and the interest dis
played could have been little greater
had it been real war for which the
ship were soon to engage.
| Tofi w
composed of four squadrons, each in
command of a rear admiral. There
were five battleships, seven cruisers,
five gunboats, three training ships, five
torpedo destroyers, three tugs, and
eight supply vessels and GOLFERS.
Aboard each vessel with the exception
of the supply vessels and GOLFERS, were
two umpires one representing the
army and the other the navy. These
umpires who were to decide to which
side the victory was awarded. On the
Illinois Capt. Sanford represented the
army and Capt. Dayton the navy. The
Kearsarge, the flagship, and which lead
our squadron throughout, was in
charge of the commander in chief of
the naval forces in that section, Rear
Admiral A. S. Barker. The second
squadron was in command Of Rear
Admiral James d. Coghlan and the
Coast Squadron in command of Rear
squadron, known as the Training
Squadron, was in command of Rear
Admiral William c. Wise.
HOstiIities Commenced at Midnight.
"Hostilities were to commence at mid
night on the 22nd, and at o'clock in
the afternoon of that date we weighed
| anchor and, upon signal from Admiral
Barker, the entire fleet started, single
file, for Portland. We lay off the coast
and out of sighting distance until after
| midnight, and then We began to use
sneaking tactics. Although the power
full searchlights from the forts We're
playing over the harbor, and though
they were supposed to pick us up at
distance of 10000 yards, yet our entire
fleet crept into the harbor unobserved
and lay within 1900 yards of the forts
| from O'Clock in the morning until day
| broke. Then the forts discovered us
and pandemonious broke loose They
began firing at us, and we replied, and
| the din was terrific
THE failure to find us is in great
part due to the weather. There was a
fine rain falling and a heavy haze hung
over the harbor, and though the search
lights were sweeping about, they did
| not seem to be able to pierce the fog
Another great feat on the part of the
navy was that torpedo boat had been
| sent into the harbOr and entirely conn
termined it, rendering all torpedos use
less. The little boat went close up to
| the forts in completing her work and
| left the barrel to show that she had
been there. Yet she was not discov-
cred.
Went to Sea and Captured a Base.
After the firing had ceased the Ala
bama, Kearsarge and the Illinois went
IN shore and remained there untIl
about o'clock. Then we put out to
sea and captured a base. l have for
gotten the name, but it was on two
beautiful Islands with a deep channeI
between. We landed a force of 1900
men in small boats and the night was
one of the prettiest that l have ever
seen. There was a battery of coast
artillery on the island and two signal
stations, guarded by the Maine vOlun
teer militia. The jackies captured the
entire outfit and brought back to the
ship bucketfulS of cartridges, which
they had taken from the militian,en
as souvenirs. We then lay quiet on
the second day but on the third we
steamed into the harbor for range find
ing practice. The ships formed like
the letter S and when the forts onened
fire and the ships began replying the
sight was indeed a beautiful one. The
noise was terrific, the reverberation
shaking the ships, and l know that the
| porcelain ratified. All this was caused
by the heavy firing from the forts the
conclusions being carried through the
water | was aboard ship for ten davs