Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-22
JACK TARS WORK HARD
NAVAL MILITIAMEN MANEU.
YER IN CHESAPEAKE BAY.

NORFOLK, Va, July 21-FoLloWing
! five days of practice work for the naval
| militia, including the Naval Battalion OF
the National Guard of the District Of Co.
| lumbia. in the interstate naval maneu-
vers and mimic warfare in Chesapeake
| bay, real hostilities are scheduled to open
| tonight with the third hotilla. composed
| of the Thornton. De Long. Tingey and
Barney, under Lieut.. Mitchell. as the
attacking fleet and the practice boats
Yankee Prairie Isle de Cuba, Vixen and
Sylvia as the defenders. 1t will be the
| work of the trained sailors Of the regular
| navy on the torpedo boats to try to es-
cape the searchlights and break the line
of the practice fleet manned by the vol
unteer reserves from Maryland. Penn
sylvan!a. New Jersey. the District of
Columbia and the Carolinas. All the
boats are today in Tangier sound. with
Crisfield. Md, the nearest point of base.
Most OF the work now being done by
the naval militia is Of a drill nature.
This course has been pursued by Com
mander Marsh as a preliminary practice
for the reserves of the various ships pre-
paratory for the work to be done on the
Atlantic ocean the latter part of the
week.
Since Saturday last no boat parties
have been ashore. for the fleet is sta
toned on an anchorage twenty-five miles
from land.
Probably the most important feature
of the maneuverS thus far was drill
and exhibition work held on board the
torpedo boat De Long. Under direction
of Commander Marsh, the De Long,
| commanded by Capt. A. G. Sadtler. took
aboard officers from the Cuba, Sylvia
and Yankee and proceeded to the mid
die of the bay for torpedo firing prac-
tice.
Disappears From Sight.
With a trailing cloud of black smoke
| the De Long swung from its station
among the vessels of the fleet and was
soon only speck on the horizon. A
few minutes later she DISAPPEARED from
view. Capt. Sadtler and Lieut.. Bartlett
escorted the officers through all parts
of the speeding vessel while going at a
rate of seventeen knots an hour. The
engineers and lieutenants were given
thorough understanding of the work
ing machinery of the boat. The torpedo
tubes amidships and on the quarter
deck were examined by the party.
When at a speed of twenty knots a
regulation Whitehead torpedo of the
latest type was tripped in action and
fired. The pressing of a lever forced the
| torpedo from the tube. Kissing as it
left the tube. the machine dived at an
angle of 30 degrees. and few seconds
later the bubbles on the surface indi-
Gated it's velocity and course. The tor
pedo was fired at a small boat at a dis
lance of 1000 yards, and it struck true.
The torpedo boat was speeding at
nearly twenty knots when the machine
was fred The torpedo was recovered
and replaced on board the boat.
The navigating officers Of the ships
of the fleet reported yesterday on board
the Yankee and Prairie for compass
practice in swinging of ships and other
evolutions. Practice of swinging ships
on all quarters was held. Bag inspec-
ton was held. and the entire ships
crew turned to and scrubbed clothes.
Many boat drills have been held.