The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-07-21

army officers was one which assumed the posi-
biliy that the Japanese were intending to land on
the Pacific coast. Over at Newport Rhode Island
the naval war college had worked out the prob
lem which would confront the navy if the Japanese
fleet had succeeded in reaching the Pacific coast
OF course there were two answers to the prob
lem and one involved the defeat and the scatter
ing of the Japanese ships. The army officers gave
consideration only to the condition which would
arise if the Japanese navy had overmatched ours.
and the Japanese had succeeded in landing great
army on the Pacific coast.
In working out these games, officers are
detailed to represent the enemy and others to rep
resent the forces of this country. The moves"
in the game are watched and umpires decide
which has the better of the matter When the
game has been finished the various moves If they
are deemed to be successful from the viewpoint Of
America become part of the plans which are
recommended for adoption in case the war game
becomes dire reality.
In the war and navy building there are naval
secrets. Once time magazine contained an
article which said in effect there had been great
mistakes in the building of our battleships and
cruisers. The article met with some approval and
some disapproval at the hands of the naval ex-
perts. One statement in it was to the effect that
when our battleships were not heavily laden the
heavy armor plate above water and that con-
sequently part of the hull, the most vulnerable
part made fair and unprotected target for the
enemys guns.
In making the comparison, the writer Of the ar
ticle said that of the great British warships.
the one most recently launched and considered
the most formidable was protected by her heavy
armorplate no matter whether she heavy La
den or light laden. 1t was stated that this dread
naught's heavy armorplate extended below the wa
ter line at all times and the intmation was that
the statement could not be disproVed.
made at the navy department concerning the truth
of the story that our ships were unprotected at
certain times by their heavy armorplate and that
the reverse was true of one of the British dread
naughts.
From dark recess in a vault there was
brought forth photograph which had been Sc
cured of the British ship which had been used for
the comparison. The photograph took all the
strength out of the written statement
1t is probable that in all the navy departments
of the world there are photographs of the war
ships of other nations These are not hard to OBJ
tain for they are sale everywhere but there are
photographs taken under certain conditions which
are not supposed to be in common circulation
Some of these photographs show ships at dis
advantage, and they are of service to the naval
authorities of countries which one day may en-
gage in warfare. 1t is probable that good supply
of photographs of this kind taken Of foreign yes
sells is in the possession of the United States au
thorities
The state, war and navy building has its Sc
crets, and while the show places in the structure
are not many, there is a sense of interest ant
mystery which appeals to the visitors when they
wander through the corridors. nj time of war this
building is the Of the greatest activity, fol-
the three departments which it houses are those
which have to do with warfare in its very essence
The state department in perilous times has worl
no less important than the work which falls to the
lot of the army and naVy.