The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-22
TO Be in
WAR GAME PERIL
Spring Maneuvers Of Army and
Navy to Test Defensess
II: by Attack. Il,
ny w. w. Jermane.

Washington, May 22.-The United
States will play it's spring war game in
the neighborhood Of Washington and
Baltimore, beginning June 10. The ex-'
treme care that is being taken to guard
the plans Of the Campaign" might
lead to the impression that there is
to be a touch Of the real thing: News
papers applying for the privilege of
putting representatives aboard the
ships that win participate in the sea
attack are informed that the maneuvres
are not any part Of the public's bust
ness.
The "battle scheme as it appears
on paper, assumes that the cities Of Bal
timore and Washington are to be at
tackled by a foreign foe. This imagin-
E1Hro 9e,I IS to o come up thru ru' the he0t oarib-
bean sea by stealth, escape the scouts
of Uncle Sam on duty between Cuba
and Porto Rico, and entering Chesa-
tpeake bay, menace the national capital
and the great commercial city of Bal
timore.
Huge Sums for Land Defense.
Since the Spanish-American war,
when the ~timid-hearted feared Spain
might lombard any one Of a half a
dozen great cities on the Atlantic coast,
the United States has been spending
annually enormous sums of money in
land defenses for these cities. Within
the last five years most the defenses
on which Baltimore, Washington, Phil
adelphia, New York and Boston would
depend in case of actual war have bee i
greatly strengthened, and this spring
game is to afford the coast artillery
arm Of the army opportunity to prove
that it can prevent a hostile fleet from
approaching either Baltimore or Wash.
1ngton and doing great damage.
Inc prospective game warns the
blood of officers and men in both army
and navy. Neither side knows except
in a general way what the other side is
planning to do. It is known that there
may be a naval attack on both cities
The approach to Baltimore is to be de.
fended by 1900 men of the coast artil.
Iery stationed at the forts guarding the
city, and almost an equal number are
to man the land defenses of the ma,
tiona1 capital, scattered along the Pc
on hand to see how the ssforeign foe,'
composed Of many Of the best fighting
ships Of the navy, acquits itself, and The
officers Of the general staff Of the army
Will keep careful watch over the sol
!: d1ers who are expected to save the two
cities.
Navy May Help Army. .
u. If the navy can demonstrate that tn,
, land .defenses are Inefficient the arm
Will be IN a position to appeal to con
gress tor more money with which t.
: equip Notifications that can block tn,
passage Of a hostile fleet.
, be brought into play. In order that n,
ship of war may sneak up the Potoma
. or the Chesapeake under cover Of night
powerful searchlights will stand as sen
tinels over the two streams ever,
night while the "game" is on.
. Wireless telegraphy will do its part
toe: Only recently a complete wireless
system has been installed along tn
!, coast, and the experts are anxious t.
: the approaching hostile fleet.
I IN fighting circles'' the talk is tina
the4.army will have the difficult. en-
of the "problem." It will not hav
!, any foreknowledge Of the plan of can
! paign of the "hostile feet" It vii
not know, unless it ascertains it thr
enc at it's W command, whethe
< the foreign foe plans to attack bot
baltimore and Washington, or whethe
the other. .a--. ~
. Blow Fleet Out of Water.
The general instructions to the officer
the other cities while moving agains
~ PAoho w iudhe d IeiNC against one O
; in command Of the coast defenses wi
: be to detect the approach Of the enem
and then elbow it out of the water.
: The general staff is very confident tina
the enemy cannot pass the defense
on either river or bay undetected, an
is just as confident that with the ne
guns in place it will be possible to sen
to the bottom every ship that unde,
takes to run the Notifications.
1t Is no haphazard game Of war. TIL
general staff of the army has been E
y work on the plans for the campaign {
defense for months, and no detail he
on paper. Likewise the navy has bee
using It's ablest strategists in plannin
to attack the two cities.