The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-18
Enemy's Fleet Ia Target Is
Blown to Pieces and Its Army
100 Mem AnnihiIated.
WINDOWS, CROCKERY, ETC,
SUFFER AWFUL LOSS
But 1t Was All Very Realistic
and Good Training for Guards
men-Lusitania Aground.
Especial to the Evening start

NEW YORK. June 1S.-The roar of
heavy artillery. the boom of six and
eight-inch guns, the screaming of shells
and the sweeping flare of searchlights
across the waters of New York Bay
and Long Island Sound thrilled thou
sands yesterday, and gave a vivid rep
resentation of actual warfare that sent
the blood quickening through the veins
of veterans and militia alike.
Target practise was carried on all
DAY with tho big guns of Fort Hamil-
ton and Fort Wadsworth alternately
by regulars and national guardsmen.
When darkness set in and the firing
ceased, it was estimated that Uncle
sam would ave to pay 5000 or more
damages for broken windows, crockery,
ceilings and a long list of other ar
ticles shattered by conclusion caused
by the big guns.
To add to the spectacular repulse,
in theory, of an invading fleet, the
crack Cunarder Lusitania, outward
bound, was help up in the Narrows by
the target practise. Just as the guns
of the forts were trained upon the tar
get representing the invading fleet the
White Star liner Adriatic hove into
view, almost directly in the line of fire
and dangerously close to the target.
The nj had been secured and the
guns were unlimbered. The vessel was
warned to hurry past and the firing
was delayed. The Lusitania went
ashore, but was off again with a rising
tide, in half an hour.
The big shooting began at Fort Ham
ilton just before noon. Fourteen COM
panies of the Thirteenth and Forty
seventh Regiments, N. G. N. Y. were
encamped at the fort with the regulars
and worked with the latter at the big
guns. Colonel Henry II. Ludlow, fort
commander, gave the orders.
Fort Wadsworth, on Staten Island
shore, opened up with a half dozen
shots, almost simultaneously. shortly
after a twelve-inch shell had been sent
screaming from a gun at Fort Hamil-
ton toward the target.
The first shots from Fort Hamilton
set Bath Beach by the ears. Windows
were smashed on every hand, ceilings
fell in half a dozen houses. injuring a
woman in one, and crockery was broken
into fine bits. A big painting. valued at
SO, 900, was whipped from the wall in
lIlt &dSlllO dlE II / dNCiAhS oiio III
Shore road.
The inhabitants within a mile of For
Wadsworth, however, had been warned
to have their windows open. and tbs
results of the bombardment in property
loss were insignificant compared &c
those due to the Fort Hamilton guns.
A land force, in reality 100 loyal follow
ers of Old Glory, but theoretically 2.0OC
of the enemy, was dispatched by the
invaders to capture the forts, and was
theoretically annihilated by the Sew
enty-first Regiment, after a half-hour
of vigorous firing.
Finally, when the smoke had cleared
away and the nightfall had put an end
to the days encounter. Old Glory was
still fying over the forts. according to
the computations of the umpires, who
declared hat the invading fleet had
been blown so high they wouldn't come
down init the Fourth of July.