The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-16
SENATOR'S SEE A SHAM BATTLE
They Also See That We Are Building Forts
and Guns without Sien 10 Care for Them.

WASHINGTON, June 15.-Three United
States Senators learned a thing or two last
night about how modern warfare is con-
Quoted, and incidentally found out that
enlisted men who are getting from sl3 to
sis a month are Obliged to nave considerable
scientific and mechanical ability to do the
work which present day methods Of fighting
require. The Senators were Francis f.
Warren of Wyoming. Lee s, Overman Of
North Carolina and William Warner Of
Missouri. All Of them are member Of the
Senate Committee on Military Affairs.
Senator Warren is the committee's chair
man.
The three Senators we're treated to a sham
battle, in which Fort Washington, Md,
and Fort Hunt, Va, down the Pot omac,
near Mount Vernon, showed how they would
repel an attempt Of the torped o boats Of
an enemy to run past the forts and capture
Washington and Alexandria. The enemy
Armistead. in which the Senators and their
party made the trip to the forts. Others in
the party were Gen. Randolph. forme
chief of artillery; Col. Harrison, acting
chief Of artillery, and Capts. Hagood and
Embick Of the Artillery Corps.
The Senators were landed at Fort Wash
ington and taken in vehicles drswnb by army
mules to the Notifications. With Capt.
Stevens, Fort Washington's commandant,
as q guide, they were shown just what would
be lone by the forts II an enemy's flotilla
attempted to get past. Capt. Stevens
directed the operations OF both forts by
means of a telephone. At a word OF COM
mand from him searchlights were thrown on
the Armistead, and when her position had
been ascertained with complicated instru.
ments and through mathematical calcula.
tions, this work taking only a few seconds,
the big guns of the forts opened fire. For a
few minutes it seemed like actual battle.
Senators Warren and Warner had served
in the Union Army in the civil war, and Sen
ator Overman was old enough TO remember
the stirring days of the conflict when he was
a boy in North Carolina.
This seems like old times" said one OF
them, but all admitted tina the mechanical
appliances necessary to the operation Of the
guns were a great mystery to them. After.
ward the Senators stood on the concerted
platform from which one Of the concealed
mortar batteries was fired M while the
experience wasn't the ple~asantest, for the
mortars were hard on eardrums, it was valu-
able in many ways. 1t was after midnight
before the Senatorial party got back TO
Washington.
One thing was impressed on the Senators,
and that was the i~nadequaCy of the force OF
enlisted men provided to man the valuable
ordnance at Forts Washington and Hunt, a
condition that is general throughout the
Coast Artillery service. SO small ia the gar
rison at Fort Washington that it was neces-
sary to withdraw the men from one battery
in order to fire the guns of another battery.
In a short speech made in the Senate yes
terday, in reporting a bill to increase the
efficiency of the artillery arm of the army,
Senator Warren pointed out the danger and
without providing enough aytillerymen and
others TO man the gums and care for them.