The Washington herald., 1908-06-18
MIMIC WAR BEGINS
Conclusions Do Great Dam
age Near New York.
TWELVE INCH SHELLS USED
Huge PrO1ectiIes Go Hurting over
the Big Lusitania as She Picks
Her Way Out TO Sea-Each Shot
Costs Uncle Sam $3.50 for Powder
and shelI-S1OO,OOO Damage Done.

New York, juno F.-For the first time
in the history Of New Yorks coast de-
fense forts a demonstration was made
to-day OF what war is like. when the big
guns hurled Pinch projectiles out into
the bay.
The neighbors Of Forts Hamilton and
Wadsworth did not like it at all when
their windows blew out and their ceilings
and walls came tumbling about their
heads.
Although It was only mimic warfare, it
felt and sounded to Fort Hamilton, Bay
Ridge, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Coney
Island, and Sea Gate as If Satan had
taken the lid of and shot up some Of his
best bombs into the clrcumambiept.
The shooting began at u:3O o'clock and
continued for several hours. by which
time many thousand dwellers had been
stricken with temporary deafness, and
local GLACIERS were figuring up the dam
age with glee and taking orders over the
telephone from hundreds Of homes.
There Will also be ample toll for some
time to come in the pIastering and
plumbing lines.
Fort Hamilton First.
Fort Hamilton was first to open fire.
with several thousand regulars. militia.
and guests on hand for the show and the
din. There were fourteen companies OF
the Thirteenth and Forty-seventh regi-
ments, National Guard Of New York. en-
camped al the fort, who had their first
initiation In actual big-gun fire. Altogeth-
er, there were only ten shots fired from
the Pinch guns. but each shot cost Uncle
Sam $4,000 for the shell and $50 for
the powder.
To the inexperienced the Most startling
feature OF the big-gun fire was the con-
dnued screaming OF the shells after they
had left the muzzles OF the guns and
until they struck the water In the neigh
borhood Of the canvas target that had
been erected south OF Swinburne Island,
some distance below the Narrows. The
war game was continued tonight. when
attacks were made on forts at the en-
trance 10 New York Harbor on the Sound
by mimic fleet to simulate the strength
OF four battle ships and four cruisers.
100000 Damage Done.
Capt Surrat. adjutant at Fort HaniI-
ton. said this afternoon that II the com
plants that had come in were any indi-
cation Of the extent OF damage due TO
the shooting. claims aggregatIng 10000
would be fled against the government.
WhUa the firing xyor O.,
steamship Lusitania was passing out.
feeling her way into the Ambrose Chan
mel TO the east and south OF Fort Ham
fton. While she was in the channel a
big 1O-inch gun IN Gilmore battery.
fully charged with the service charge
Of 10 pounds Of smokeless powder and
a 6o0-pound steel Rrmor-piercing projec-
tile, spoke up from the parapet.
Goes 2,2JO Feet a Second.
The 6oO-pound mass or steel sped over
is trajectory with an initial velocity of
2,25O feet per second. high above the
course Of the big Cunarder, and as the
watchers were counting the seconds of
It's flight It pumped into the bay almost
5000 yards away from the gulf and fully
two miles beyond the Lusitania
A spout OF water jumped high over the
little red canvas target near Swinburne
Island. Then f1uffs OF spray popped
above the surface TO mark the course OF
the ricocheting shot away down to the
blue distance OF the Jersey coast.
Another shot had passed smack over
one Of the Southern Pacific Lines New
Orleans freighters earlier in the day
perhaps the heavy shell was so far
ahead and above the Cunarder thss her
passengers did not even hear the shrek
OF its passage