Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-09-02
WAR GAME STORIES.
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shore, tired out of breath, out OF patience
and out of-words; the shelter OF hlgn
rock to windward afforded opportunity 10
observe the beam of search light sweep
ing the sea for sign of foe An hour and
a half of this with the shivers playing tag
down the back. with nothing to break the
monotony was quite sufficient, thank you,
so back again to the line outside the
guard tent. Another half hour, seeming
to be Unfortunately long dragged away
drowsiness made Il bid for control, and
consent was gradually being given. when
Crash, Crash, Crash! went the 10 in. gun
battery over the sound at Fort Mckinley,
and from that time on, three days and a
half with the nights between were shat
tered to fragments by the concussion of
her mortars and rifles, to the rafting ac-
compartment of the krags in the hands of
the infantry The bugle sounded ITO
Arms" and there was no more rest unin-
terrupted for the soldiers until the close
of the game.
Guarding camp, pacing beat, or hik
ing here and there in response to alarm
of every kind, strenuous were the days,
more SO the nights! And where they
Went, there too must go the war cor
respondent. Then booms the western
battery on Great Diamond! Out with
launch and dash around Cow Island
to know the reason-some suspicious
looking boats away in shore. A heavy
crash from the mortar battery! Back
through the gut and out to see the rea-
Pow. hi hn hoe to xyiy,
there. A stream of fire and the search
lights pick us up-this means a daZ-
zlins glare in our eyes and everywhere
else except straight out to sea, dence
darkness. How long the light holds
you, until you feel like crying out to it
apparently only 100 yards away, Turn
it OUT" but you remember it is distant
two miles and wait in patience CD for
the men behind that great eye to dis
cover the harmless nature of your
craft. 1t is gone now and as plainly as
day you observe one ship after anoth-
er as Fort Levett and Long Island
:'earchers cause them to spring out of
the gloom in living fire. Over in the
east old Sol is trying to push away his
shrdud to discover the progress of the
battle while battery after battery and
fort after fort goes into action, the
fleet steadily approaches the shore and
finally is wide awake to see the inspir-
ing spectacular entrance of vessels
into harbor, almost hidden by the
smoke of their guns and splitting fire at
the shore battery replying furiously.
Under the very muzZles of those guns
our launch seems at times to leap
and bound with the heavy conclusions.
In the course of time the ships are
theoretically destroyed and quiet
reisns. Frequent trips to the telephone
over mile away has given the paper
the meat of the news and now let us
have a few hours sleep after twenty
four of ceaselesS activity. No-there
goes a gun, another and another,-out
of bed, into any kind of rig and
down the harbor to note behind
Basket Island a torpedo boat and the
nose of a tender, the Scorpion. Are
they about to land party for attack
on Long Island? Watching for fear of
losing good story, so this day passes.
Another night similar to the last, va
ried only by a run to the city six miles
away with a late story, banisheS all
thought of slumber, and so as hours
have passed and 5 A. NJ. Thursday, is
here with no rest or sleep. Two hours
in bed. The eight mortars at Mckinley
speaking in concert sound the death
knell to Peoria and Scorpion who are
towing 1920 marines and jackies in
boats to the east end of the island
through Lucker's Sound and at the
same time bring the correspondent out
nj In1 in 20,
scene of the landing and note the en-
Sagcment through the hours of the
forenoon. Lieut.. Col. Hume and his
men are pushed aside; Capt. Drake and
Co. NJ with 20 regulars hold whole de-
tacllment of marines in the edge of a
swamp. bar to their further progress
until recalled fighting with the cool
ness and precision of veterans; the
camp at the search light is stormed in
the face of washed battery and en-
trenched men: Camp Smith falls after
determined resistance: an armistice de-
clared at the cable station after Nc
Kinley has played a merry tune with
her rapid fires, and there is now time
for the gathering of personal opinions
and other things from eye witnesses,
many of them ladies' who throng the
beach. We believe the landing party
was exterminated or captured regard
less of the opinion of the umpires who
declare Long Island out of it for
twelve hours. At the very least let us
divide the honors. One has to guard
against prejudice, for are they not all
of them oursn
We are now ashore and don't like be-
ing captured even by friends in this
game The Long Island troops rest
not so we: for the bombardment of the
afternoon. all ships in line hammering.
all five forts, calls us three miles out to
sea and after viewing the glorious
spectacle it is 730 before supper is a
reality. Attempted boat landings at
Cow Is. and Diamond with scraps up
the harbor and run around Gorges
makes our retiring hour after A. NJ.
Friday when comes the tidings of the
landing party at Two Lights and
Silver Spring where the 1st Regt. has
a taste of the medicine given the I'd
the day before Another night of