The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood.
The u. S. battleship Kansas.

leave cities like New Haven and
Bridgeport on the northern shore at
the mercy of the enemy. Could this
be done?
Admiral Badger representing the
enemy waited for a chance when the
wind was favorable. Then as his
first move in the game he sent ahead
group of destroyers with the
draughts OF their furnaces wide open
and feed OF oil fuel so abundant that
each vessel as she steamed along
threw forth from her tunnels a cloud
Of dense smoke that drifted toward the
forts on the Fishers Island side.
These several clouds from the ad-
vancing line of destroyers blended to-
gether and formed continuous black
curtain half a mile long, which hid
the destroyers themselves except the
first one, and formed barrier
through which no searchlight could
throw its beams
The consequence was that the gun
pointers, range finders, course plotters.
fire commanders and battle comman-
ders on this side Of the passage We're
rendered temporarily bind and power
less, their guns were Of no avail
against this impenetrable curtain.
Then under the protection of this
smoke pail the Admiral sent forward
his battleships. steaming at full speed
in line of battle, and ordered each one
to turn all her searchlights on
the guns and range finding sta
tons Of Fort Niche. Here was the
second half of the trick. The forts on
one side of the channel were blanketed
by black smoke and on the other side
were daZzled'by the concentrated glare
of fourscore searChlights.
1t was impossible for the range
finders to sight their telescopes, for
the gun pointers To aim their guns, for
the fire commanders to see anything
in this universal glare. And, before
the land forces had recovered from
their decentralization, the fleet, steam
ing at high speed, had swept mock
ingly past, and the thing was done.
The double ruse had succeeded. An
enemy's fleet had penetrated Long
Island Sound and now held half a
dozen cities helpless before it.
This brilliant coup of Admiral Badg-
ers has been much discussed in army
and navy circles. and doubtless has its
lesSol anu WdIiliIiS LOT inc iutuit, but
this lesson Is not as serious as would
appear. for two reasons. In the first
place, it Is possible to protect coast de-
fences against the dazzle of search
lights by the use Of ray filters in the
telescopes, these h.ters allowing the
gun pointers and range finders to dc
their work without Inconvenience. just
as a person can look at the sun with
out inconvenience II he uses smoked
glasses.
Also, If one Of those thirteen battle
ships, steaming at fun speed ahead
had been struck by big projectile, as
would doubtless have happened in rea
and unable to stop or turn out in time
would have piled themselves up in q
frightful wreck. Furthermore, in &C
tual war an enemy's fleet would never
have been able to pass through this
channel even with the forts silenced
because the channel would have beer
guarded by mines loaded with deadly
explosives and the touch Of one o
these mines would instantly cripple
or destroy the proudest battleshiI
afioat. AS a matter OF fact un!oadet
mines had been laid between the fort!
during the Fishers Island man9uvre
and a subsequent examination Shove,
by the evidence OF blown out fuse
that several of them were struck b.
Admiral Badgers ships.
One rather serious lesson OF tn