Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-05-21
GREAT GAME OF WAR
Novel ManeuverS In Defense of
Coast Around New York.
FOUR FORTS TO TAKE PART.
Target Practice With Solid Shot and
Shell Will Be Carried on In Lower
Harbor Next June-Over Six Thou
sand Men In Action.


Harbor Next June-over Six Thou
sand Men In Action.
New York will wake up to find itself
in state of siege some morning next
June. Added to the rumble of traffic
will come the boonNAS of great guns
at the forts down the Narrows, the
roar of the twelve inch monsters at
Fort Hamilton and the spatter of the
eight and six inch guns in the big
forts behind their grassy embankments
on the Westchester shore of the sound.
Troops from the armories in Harlem
and the Bronx will be hurrying
through the streets to re-enforce the
artillerymen at the forts, and the
screech of real solid shot and shell
will go ricochetting over the heads of
busy traffic in the lower bay and the
sound.
1t will be nearer TO the real war
condition than the metropolis ever got
before in time of peace. and as New
York was never besieged by a modern
fleet it will be nearer to what might
happen than the civil war or any other
war ever brought the city.
Eight and twelve inch shells will be
shot and exploded, says the New York
World and Mt night the dull roar of
giant mortars and the red stream of
their flight Will illuminate the heavens.
In this novel feature of the coast de-
fense maneuvers around New York
real target practice with solid shot and
she'll will be carried on by the mill
tin coast defense companies of the
city They will be linked with the
regular artillery in manning the guns
of Forts Totten, Schuyler, Hamilton
and Wadsworth.
This will be n distinct departure in
the effort of the war department to in
crease the efficiency of the coast forti-
hcatlons through the development of
an effective auxiliary of state coast de-
fense reserves. The best that has been
done in the past was the subcaliber
forces participated with the regulars
last year. But now the coast artillery
system has perfected plans involving
the use of the genuine article in pro.
iectiles, which are to be fired at fixed
targets at G.0O0 yards range from six,
ten and twelve inch breechloading
rifles of the most modern type; also
from twelve inch brcechloading NOR
tarS
Under this well worked out scheme
state militiamen will be allowed to fire
the guns of all four forts for the first
time. While the reserves will manipu-
late the artillery, the range finding ap-
paratus will be worked by the regu-
lars, the object of this being to develop
team work between the state and fed
era' artillerists.
Plans have been developed in detail
for the New York maneuvers after
voluminous correspondence between
the war department and New York
national guard officials. The defenses
of the metropolis are the most impor-
tant along the coast, and the federal
government is especially solicitous
about the part the militia of New York
may play in the eastern and southern
sets of forts guarding this great port.
The coast defense exercises commence
at Mobile May / and conclude at Bos-
ton June so. Between these dates guns
will boom all along the Atlantic coast,
with the New York maneuvers as the
crowning feature of the great war
game,
The Empire State will contribute
fA ho,
any other state. She will furnish thirty
state coast defense companies, which
are to be supported by two full regi-
ments of state militia. The nearest ap-
proach to this contingent will I've the
fourteen state coast artillery compa-
MES of Connecticut for the New Lon
don maneuvers, which will be held at
New London simultaneous with those
at New York
All of these maneuverS will be in
continuation but one step in advance
Of those undertaken under the direc.
ton of Colonel Murray. chief of artil-
lery, last summer. Their purpose is the
same-the creation Of enough interest
along the seacoast states to induce the
states to form enough state militia
coast artillery companies to furnish 80
per cent of the number of coast artll-
lerymen necessary in time of war for
one manning relief Of all Atlantic de-
fenses.
Sixteen hundred men are necessary
to man the eastern artillery district of
New York at Fort Totten. Willet's
Point and Fort Schuyler. on the West
chester shore. and 1900 are needed for
the southern artillery district, comprls-
ing Fort Hamilton. at Brooklyn. and
Fort Wadsworth at Staten Island. Be
fore last years maneuvers Atlantic
seabolrd states had organized only
twenty-five militia coast artillery com
panies, twelve each in New York and
Massachusetts and one in Maryland
So beneficial We're these maneuvers
that by state legislation New York now
has thirty militia coast artillery com
panies. Connecticut fourteen. Rhode
Island sixteen, District of Columbia
four, Georgia four and Alabama four,
while Maine, North and South Caro-
lima are seeking state legislation for
additional companies.
""he New York maneuvers will ex-
tend from June Is to 20 and take place
simultaneously in both the eastern and
southern artillery districts, but the
problem of each district will be inde-
npn1nOt of fhp other 4 II thirty of tho