The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-05
Sixteen J, B Warships VIII
 ''AsSaiI'' Coast DsfenseS
STRUGGLE ID BE BLOODLESS
War Game Will Be for Purpose oi Testing Coast Defenses AIona Chesapeake Bay and the
 Potomac River.

Washington. June 4.-Sxteen warships will attack the defenses of Washington and Baltimore at midnight June Il and continue their offensive operations for six days and nights. Meanwhile the for- tresses along Chesapeake bay and the Potomac river. constituting the artillery districts of the Chesapeake. Washington and Baltimore, will put forth every de- fense of which they are capable. With 1t all the struggle is to be bloodless, practically noiseless devoid of the spec taeular and intensely interesting only to the army and navy experts. who are playing the game. and know the destruc- tive effect of the uploaded mines and tho empty shells
 These exercises are to constitute tho only joint operations of the army and navy during the war They have been designated joint exercses' to distin- guish them from the more elaborate pro- gramme of combined army and navy maneuvers," which was first planned. but which failed of approval for lack of an adequate appropriation from Congress. The operations are to be conducted un- der the rules which have been agreed upon by joint board of army and navy officers. Considerable importance is at tached to the distinction between ma | neuvers and joint exercises. Maneuvers are held to apply 10 operations where actual war conditions are simulated. while exercises mean only that certain prescribed problems are to be attempt- l ed
 Object of Attack.
 In the present instance the object of each of the several forms of attack by the navy will be to demonstrate the strength or weakness of some particular phase of the defense. The results will be known only at the conclusion of the exercises, and then known only to the proper authorities. This precaution is emphasized as important, that the char acter and strength of the various de- lenses may not become known to possi- ble enemies of the country
 None of the ships of the navy will Ina ruled out of the action by either of the umpires' and none of the Qualifications VIII be declared sileneed
 From the information obtainable the programme first contemplates the test of fortress Monroe Expert artillery opln- ion has long held that his fortress Is the 1 principal defense of the Chesapeake and consequently the cities of Washington and Baltimore. Her big guns are said to cover the channel completely, and to- l gether with the mine fields to constitute n barrier that would be mpassable to any hostile fleet This mine field has | been extended for the present exerecises, 1 the garrison has been doubled and extra drills in the manipulation of the artillery have been in daily progress for some time and will be kept up until the date i of the exercises.
 Cickins Commands "Hostile Fleet" l The hostile fleet has been assembled under command of Rear Admiral Fran cis W. Dckins, and with his flagship the l Texas, is lying at Annapolis. On the l tenth of June Admiral DiclSins will hold his last communication with shore He will not divnlge his plans or place of | first attack, but fl is the snpposition that ] he will put 10 sea, having technically l established a base at Norfolk. His squad ron consists of the battleships Texas, un- l der command of Captain Bicknell; the l protected cruisers Newark and Atlanta, ! commanders Badger and Halseg, respec- : lively; the double turret monitor Terror, l commanded by Commander Fulton: the | single turret monitors Florida, Arkansas | and Nevada, commanders Fremont. Gait i ana KeSnOuS, the nlu line cruiser
 hartford, Commander Nedeg; the torpedo boat destroyers Whipple, Worder. Me- Donough and Stewart. under command of Leutenants Chase, Mccormick. Curtin and Sellers; the gnnboats Hornet, Sireen and Silvia, manned by tbe Maryland naval militia and the monitor Puritan by the naval militia of the District of Columbia.
 Anchor is 10 be weighed June and from then on n fascinating game of hide and seek will be indnlged in between the artillery and the navy the where abouts of the ships may be definitely known at midnight June Il.