The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-04-20
HUERTA DEFIANT
Continued From Page One.

Continued From Page One.
secretary of the board. The board was
engaged N going over the latest dis
patches received by wireless from
Rear Admiral Badger, on the Arkansas,
then in the Florida straits: Rear Ad-
mtral Fletcher at Vera Cruz. and Rear
Admiral Mayo, at Tampico.
|. Never was there a more vivid illus
tration of the march of, scientific in
vention as applied to warfare than the
facility with which these ranking ad-
mirals and captains, engaged in plot
ting out The strategy Of a possible war,
were able to keep in touch with the
developments at every point where an
American Warship is lying. Some Of
the men engaged in this task had fresh
in mind the painful experiences Of the
old naval strategy board, which in the
spring of 1898, sixteen years ago, were
despairingly trying to get in touch
with the commanders of the two fleets
which, excepting DeWey's own Philip
pine squadron, represented all of the
American naval strength of that day.
The cable still is being much used
in these days, but after all the main
reliance Of the navy department for
communication between Its shore sta-s
tons and the men of war now scatter
ed along both coasts Of Mexico are the
tall towers at Key West and Guanta-
namo and Arlington and the a%ntennae
strung like spider webs between the
masts Of the great ships.
|: So perfect were the plans that had
been laid out and reduced to form
months ago by the student officers of
the naval war college, covering pos
sible operations Of the navy against
Mexico, that there was very little for
the general board to do beyond keep
ing them up to the moment in mat
ters Of detail to correspond to each
| IAxJr I@Ty1I@~r1@~{ ~4o 30 Aha
almost non-existence of a Mexican
navy, the conditions which the Ameri-
can sailors may meet are quite unlike
those covered in the plans of cam
paign prepared for other countries.
Generally the Mexican plan covers
elementary problems such as the sim
ultaneous establishment of an effici-
Iency blockade which the rather ex-
tensive coast line of Mexico would
make no small task. Next in order
comes the seizure OF certain ports and
this Is where the painstaking n eX-
haustive drills Of the marine regi-
ments las fall n winter are ex-
pected to find their application. The
whole modern American theory of adj
vance base operations with the ma
rines as an active force was planned to
meet just such emergencies as the
rapid seizure of a port in a hostile
country to form a base to be held for
the arrival of an army of occupation.
About the only other feature Of
naval activity in the beginning Of hos
tile operations at least would be the
dispatch inland of expeditionarY force
to hold some of the important: stra-
tegic points such as the great trestle
on the Vera. Cruz-Mexico City rail-
road. supposed. to be the key to the
possession of that road.
And with the $4,000 men or more in
~. aoo+ kIroiraI po1Uar could cno ro
q. force ample for that purpose.
After the adjournment Of the gen.
eral board meeting, Rear AdmiralS
Blue and Fiske went to the navy de-
partment building and awaited the re-
turn of Secretary Daniels who had
time in awaiting some official dis
patches from the fleet and the only
order that issuer from the department
during the fol enoon was that sent to
Pensacola i~nstructing Commander
Sims to fall in line behind the fleet
stroyers. fourteen in number. and the
flagship cruiser Birmingham and
tender Dixie. >.
+ The little vessels. had been held in
leash since Tuesday last under orders
to stand by. and It was explained
that yesterdays order which was Is
sued by Admiral Blue on his own au-
thority, was. simply in execution Of
original design to have the destroyers
accompany the ,battleships on the
cruise. 1t is thought that they may be
of great use in case 1t becomes neces-
sary to establish a blockade. but aside
from that the naval strategists are not
averse to Selling the opportunity af-
forded by the sudden mobilization
movement to test the soundness of
their theories of the proper balances
and extent of cooperation between the
battleships and the torpedo craft
which are designed to protect them as
Well as 20 act extensively.
Besides the Birmingham and Dixie.
the aotilla comprises the following de-
stroyers
Third division = Lieutenant Com
mander Little1eld: Henly, Lieut-Com.
William l.. Littlefield; Drayton, Lieut..
William d. PuOleston; Mccall, Lieut..
George p. Brown; Warrington, Lieut..
Com. Daniel p. Mannix.
Fourth d.vision--Lieut,-Com star
ford III. .R. Doyle: n Paulding, Doyle;:
Ammen, Lieut.. Charles Belknap: Bur-
rows, Lieut.. Josephus Daniels; Patter-
SON, Lieut. Harold S. Stark; Trippes
Lieut.. Com. Frank ID. Berryn.
Fifth division-Lieut.- Com. William
IN. letters; Fanning, letters; Beale,
Lieut.. Charles T.. Huchins; jenkins,
Lieut.. Com. John ID. jackson; Jarvis
Lieut.. William #. III. Flash.
Crazed and Nude; Caught.