Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-30

navy department Recently pidycu i'S
second war game" this time for the
purpose of testing the efficiency OF the
telephone and telegraph systems OF
the country in case Of war. The DEM
onstration lasted for two days in
which the United States was supposed
to be on the eve Of mobilization.
Word was received that an imagin-
airy enemy had been sighted of the
Atlantic coast and Secretary Daniels
ordered the U. s. battleship New
Hampshire on scouting duty by wire
less telephone. The naval officials
communicated with the various navy
yards by long distance telephone, and
the telegraph wire were kept busy
sending and receiving war messages.
Among other things. word was re-
ceived from the Brooklyn navy yard
that the Brooklyn bridge had been
blown up by the enemy. several new
ships had been damaged, and they
were waiting for orders. This par
ticular message was so much In keep
ing with anonymous threats recently
addressed to the navy department that
1t came near being accepted at face
value. AS a result OF these threats,
Brooklyn bridge. as well as the other
bridges. is patrolled by detective
force which looks askance at every
pedestrian with bullying pockets or
packages. After the first startled mo-
ment the navy yards got its orders
right back over the telephone.
Since the oficials were compelled
to give up their Sunday holiday to
the war game, they determined to get
as much fun out Of it as possible.
They asked the hardest questions Of
the navy yards and the navy yards
retaliated by doing the same thing.
This was all very good for the cause,
since ii for any reason a man was un-
able to answer a fair question dealing
with his special line of work, 1t was
referred to a sort Of umpire who made
1t his business to find out why. Any
apparent lack Of efficiency was imme-
diately investigated, for under actual
war conditions the work Of each man
/ Is tremendously important and the
slightest mistake may cause the great
est blunder.
Communication was established by
long distance telephone over thou.
sands of miles Of wire with naval sta
tons at New York. Chicago, Norfolk.
Pensacola, San Diego and Puget
sound. Secretary Daniels sat at his
desk and called up the U. s. battleship
New Hampshire which was stationed
at Hampton Roads. The telephone
operator at the navy department
transmitted the communication to the
Arlington wireless stations where the
secretary's voice was projected into
the ether by wireless and carried to
the battleship where the wireless op-
orator received it and transmitted it
through the telephone to the captain.
Thus the voice of Secretary Daniels
in Washington was clearly heard by
Captain Chandler on board the New
Hampshire lying of Hampton Roads.
The secretary of the navy told Cap.
tain Chandler that the enemy had
been sighted of the coast and that he
was to get the New Hampshire under
way Immediately in the role of scout.
Captain Chandler replied that the
New Hampshire could not get under
way until 10 o'clock the next morning,
to which the secretary replied that 10
O'Clock would be satisfactory and for
the ship to report her position every
hour thereafter to the government sta
tons at Arlington. Such report was
made by telephone for the first time
in the history Of the world.
During the two days in which the
war game lasted all telephone and