The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-01

communication may be Admiral Hig- sinson's first thought in order tO use his marines The first point of attack is looked for at Fort R0dman. manned by volunteer artilierymen, but there may only occur a reconnaissance by the gunboats while the great battleships swing into action to the westward and by skilled manoeuvring theoretically hammer the Qualifications to a mass Of ! ruins with their pOnderous turret rifles.
 Like chess masters fl is Admiral Hig- ginson's turn.
 New London, Aug. 3t.-The great war game is now on. HOstilities opened at midnight tonight between the army and navy, with Major-General MacAF- thur. commanding the Department Of the East, and Admiral Higginson, com- manding the North Atlantic squadron. directing the movements 0f tine oppos- ; ing forces. The navy will be the ene- my, or attacking party, the army acting on the defensive, and the fighting will be betwetn n the ships and the forts with in the New London and Nsrragansett districts. Every fort along the line will be attacked in order to give every de- ] fensive point opportunity to drill to the 1 limit in all the modern artillery appli- ances of warfare and to test all kinds i of communications and to demonstrate the utility of searchlights. The object of the attacking navy is to force an en- trance by the new forts and to the en- trance of Long Island sound at the east ern end. The maneuvers will be carried on on the same scale as if an actual war was raging. except the use of bullets and other deadly and destructive mis- siles from the big guns. Barring acci- dents. 1t will be a bloodless war.
 At intervals all day to-day the big
 guns and m0rtars belched forth fire and smoke, and sent shot several miles and at imaginary targets illustrative of moving ships. The concussiCn was so great that 1t was plainly felt in this city and it seemed by the sound as if the guns were at old Fort Trumbull instead of from seven to thirteen miles dis 1 tant
 The United States ship Panther, with the Connecticut Naval battalion on board. sailed away to the eastward just before noon to-day to join the attacking fleet, leaving the training ship I4ancas- ter in the harbor as the only represent ative of the navy.
 Major General Macarthur and Gener- { al Greedy, chief signal officer will be at i Fort Trumbull until after the enemy is sighted and will then proceed to what ever point that may be considered the most advantageous for the direction of the movements of the army forces. It 1 is believed that the plan of signals is the most complete ever established in the world. and every precaution has been taken to have substitutes for any system that may be destroyed or cap-
 tured by the enemy.
 1 SearchIights will play an important part in the meneuvers at night, and the l efficiency of those of the army was
 demonstrated at midnight, when the waters of the entire New London dis
 trict were completely covered. every searchlight being used at that hour and directed short distance above the sur 1 face of the waters. It was a most mag
 nificent sight and the smallest boat. even the small craft used by the mack erel fishermen at this season. could be
 seen plainly, and with the aid of the marine glass the occupants of the boats could be counted. How the warships
 can get within firing distances of the forts as set forth in the rules governing i the war game. is somewhat mystifying 1 to the uninitiated