The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-05

McD0n61gh ana stewart. under com mand of Lieutenants Chase, McCor- mick, Curtin and Sellers; the gunboats Hornet, Siren and Silvia, manned by the Maryland naval militia, and the monitor Puritan, manned by the naval militia of the District of Columbia.
 Anchor is to be weighed on June 5, and from then on a fascinating game of hide and seek will be indulged in be- tween the artillery and the navy, that the whereabouts of the ships may be definitely known at midnight of June Il.
 It is expected that the night attacks are to ascertain the efficiency of the searchlights of the Notifications and also to give the navy exercises in con- structively making these lights dark. Actual experience has demonstrated that it is most difficult to hit search light, and, incidentally, most difficult to navigate ship on which a search light has been turned, the effect of the light being to blind the navigators as we'll as the gunners. To render this exercise the more effective the ships of the squadron have been painted four colors; the Texas, Newark, Atlanta, Terror. Puritan. Hornet, Siren and Sil- via are white, the Florida, Arkansas and Nevada war color, the Hartford black and the torpedo-boat destroyers dark green. Artillery fire will be di- rected on the ships as they are picked up by the lights, but for this exercise the mines are not regarded as in exist ence. ........< Tabulated observations of what has been accomplished on each side are to be made by the umpires and observers. On each ship will be a naval umpire and an artillery observer, and in each fortress will be an artillery umpire and naval observer.
 No decision will be rendered, how ever, as the sole duty of these officers will be to make records of ranges talk en' and shots fired. None of the big guns of the navy will be fired, neither will the big guns of the Notifications be heard. These guns of both sides, how ever, will be trained on the target the same as in actual warfare and their fire will be indicated by the discharge of blank cartridge in a one-pounder' This is in the interest of economy, as the cost of a blank cartridge for a l. pounder is much less than for 12-inch disappearing or naval gun. However, disadvantage 0 the navy will result in degree from this, as it will be impos- sible for the officers of a ship to know that they are being fired at. Conse- ouently it will be impossible for them to ascertain what are the locations of dead angles in which they might lie iunharmed, while they dropped con structive shells into the notifications.
 To locate and destroy the mine fields constitutes another problem. For some weeks the artillery has had four boats planting mines. These mines are not loaded, but constructively they will be just as dangerous to the navy unless located and destroyed through counter mining operations. Then, with the minees disiregarded, the naval ships will demurely sail by the Qualifications in broad daylight while again, con strustiYely they will be hammered by the huge guns of the defense. '
 This portion of the exercise is to de- velop the accuracy of the range finders and the gun trainers. For this fire the channel area is divided into plots, each about the size of battleship and each with a distinctive number. The range finders are located apart from each other, that a given object on the chart may be considered as one point in an angle. When a ship is located in a certain plat, it's course and speed is observed as it moves to another. Then the gunner is communicated to by tele- phone to train his gun for a certain plat and fire at a given second. Dur ing this activity on land, the guns of the navy are also to be put into active operation, and broadside after broad side technically, will be hurled at the defenses. ..,.
 When these exercises have been con cluded before one set of defenses the actors will move to another. Forts Washington and Hunt constitute what lis termed the Potomac artillery dis trict. Here, too, the garrisons have been doubled and here too, will the game be played The Baltimore artil- lery division comprises the defenses of
 Forts Howard, Smallwood, Carroll, and ArInistead. b .s
 The operations of the defenses are
 under the general supervision of Major General James F. Wade, commanding
 the department of the Atlantic. The
 men and officers under him for the ex- |