Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-02
HUGE WAR FLEET
WILL ATTACK CITY
Twenty BattIeships and Aux
Hilary Craft to Run New
York Forts.
NEW KIND OF WAR GAME
ON A SCIENTIFIC BASIS
Coast Artillerymen Must Find Way
to Checkmate Efforts of
the Navy.

NEW YORK, August 2.-Suppose that
a hostile fleet should try to swarm into
Long Island sound? How far would 1t
get?
The War Department wants that ques-
ton answered. So do-though they may
not know 1.-THE inhabitants of New
York city. So do a lot of millionaires
who own homes full of window glass
and Swiss servants all along Long Island
sound. So do various querulous gentle
men who boss the banks filled with yell
low money. So does the rest of the coun-
try. which is supported in part by selling
things to New York. but gets peevish
when reminded of that fact; and SO do
all foreign admirals who hope that their
duty may some time force them to hold
a regatta in the general neighborhood OF
New Rochelle. So the question is to be
answered, SO far as such a query can
be answered, without actually injuring
any property.
There are two doors to New York har-
bor The front door Is by way of Sandy
forts filled with disappearing guns and
surprises. The back door Is by way OF
Long Island sound.
Forts on War Basis.
Consider an imaginary line drawn from
the Connecticut shore to GARDENERS Is
land, throug Fishers Island. Forts
Terry, Niche and Wright are To-
Gated along this line. right at the
mouth Of the sound. These forts are to
be placed on war basis for the pur-
pose of this test and are to be manned
by twenty-five full companies of the
coast defense artillery.
The lock on the back door to New York
is to be neutrality-suspicious. the full
North Atlantic squadron, also on a wal
basis. 1t consists of twenty battleShips
and twenty-Six torpedo boats and ten
sneaky little submarines and a fiotilla OF
floating ambulanceS and Seagoing black
smith shops and corner stores. War
conditions are to be observed on both
sides.
But this is a new style of war game
1t will begin August ) and close Au-
gust g. In the rude old sort of war game
umpires are appointed and points are
scored, and when it is all over one side
or the other has won >by eight cross
town blocks, and the other side is theo.
retically dead, and actually so sore that
it's members can only be safely fed a,
the end of a pole Nothing Of that sor,
will happen in the army navy war game
at Fishers Island.
Colby Scientific Affair.
This is the new, universal peace cold.
ly scientific. rigidly efficient system The
element of competition has been elimi
mated. That army and navy officials
find, is bad for the morale of the compel
ing forces. is destructive to politeness
and the higher sentiments and makes
the veins of the neck swell. The land
and sea forces will work out certain
military problems presented to them in
spirit of chill inquiry only. No decision
will ever be rendered. About November
1 some conclusions will be printed in q
book. The funny part is that this game
will do both sides more good than If they
| went whooping in and competed al
around the place.
On that imaginary line across the
mouth of Long Island sound imaginary
mines have been planted by the coast
defense people. The waters have beer
mapped by the inch. The big guns
planted in Forts Terry Niche and
Wright have been SO trained that theil
| der fashion. The great searchigh
would. theoretically, make every inch OF
| the channels impracticable even for &
| rowboat IF all the plans work out tt
! 100 per cent efficiency, an invading flee
would be a collection of knotholes anC
scrap iron before it got near enough any
! one of the sound forts to fire a gun. Fol
| it is an axiom of modern war that
given test between fleet and battery
| the battery will always win. That axiom
| has only been tested once in modern
/, times. That test took place at Por
Arthur. The battery won. 1t is pre-
sumed that If a fleet approximating il
| strength the North Atlantic squadron
| were to attack these three forts the fee
would never get by the door to the sound