New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-09
FORTY VAR VESSELS.
VIII Bear Dozen ON a HarbOr De
Tended 5cith Mines and Cannon.
IFRoM THE TRIBUNE BUREAU.l


Washington. Aug. S.-Since the United States
became world power it has fallen into line
with the practices of other world powers in it's
endeavor to keep up its muscle both offensive
and defensive. For this purpose it puts it's joint
fighting fOrces-the army and navy-thrOugh d
series of manGuvres in which one will be pitted
against the other. Although the other powers
have trained annually in this way for years. the
United States has had such practice only once
before. Yet the beneficial results of the joint
man@uvres of last year at Newport, together
with the interest which is being manifested in
the forthcoming event at Portland, Me-, insure
the hope that the practice will become an an
nual feature in the profession of arms in the
United States
At midnight on August % a two-day period
of preparation will begin. The defensive works
at Portland, which include group of fortifca-
tions protecting the entrance to the harbor and
extending for a considerable distance along
Casco Bay, will give the army it's field of action
The task of developing the weaknesses of these
defences has been assigned to the navy. The
forty-eght hours of preparation will be occu-
pied by the army in mining the harbor, placing
distractions at it's entrance, and arranging all
the necessary details for a vigorous defence
against a powerful enemy lurking on the dark
ened waters outside the harbor.
The navy. in the mean time, will be laying
plans for attack on the defences. The OBJ
ject of the manRuvres is to develop the weak
nesses of the Notifications and although the
preparations sound of thunder and the smell Of
powder the actual operations will be devoid Of
exciting or spectacular situations Few shots
will be heard. the guns Of the navy are all
constructed to use smokeless powder and
smokeless powder makes practically no noise
when discharged from a blank cartridge. a few
Sl1.,
the smaller guns just to show what might be
done to the defences with the battleshps in a
particular position. Credit will also be given 10
the forts when a batteship or cruiser bumps
into one Of the dummy mines, and is iguratively
blown TO atoms, although in reality it is simply
put out Of action on paper
Although to the non-professional mind a view
OF the manRuVres may be declared decidedly
tame and prOftless. every minute of the period
from August % to August % will be one of in
tense interest to the forces on sea and land
Every movement made by either side is to be
carefully charted. and on this record depends
the success or failure of each particular incident
in the battle and Of the battle itself
The forts will be manned by companies of
artillery to be concentrated at Portland from
places along the coast. Many officers will be
present. besides large detachment Of engi-
neers. who will busy themselves in placing the
mines and other Instructions to navigation. The
naval forces will consist Of at least forty ships.
Including batteships and cruisers gunboats
torpedo boat destroyers. Golfers and other supply
vessels. The battleships so far as be ascer-
tanned at the present time. will be the Kear-
sarge which has just completed her record
breaking run across the Atlantic; the Alabama,
the Illinois, the Massachusetts, the Indiana and
the Texas. The Olympia and the Baltimore will
be the only cruisers to participate In the gun
boat class will be the Mayfiower, the Dolphin,
the Chesapeake, the Newport and the Scorpion.