The evening times., 1895-11-23

| Newport, Il. l., Nov. 23.-The battleshiT
4 Maine was successfully placed hors du COM
bat, twice in succession by the torpedo
boat Cushing last night and In consequence
Lieut.. K. c. Smith Is receiving congratu
| iat10ns while the officers OF the Maine
are wondering what has happened that a
| boat forty times less her size and manned
| by crew but one eightieth IN number can
knock her out effcctually in q mock affray.
1t was not until yesterday afternoon that
| Capt. CrowDiBshield, knowing that his
crew had had but little scarchlight exper-
| lence, would consent to u searchlight drill
| as tue ship sails from Portland today.
Rules were arranged similar to those
which have governed the drill between
| the torpedo station and the Cushing, ex-
cept that Lieut.. Smith promised not TO
take shelter behind any obstructions with
| IN 1000 yeards, one sea mile, despite the
ract that the Maine has four searclIlights
and should consequently he imprc enable
against torpedo attack il there is such n
possibility with reliance on searchiights
alone without other scouts.
The Officers of the ship considered that
they would be sure winners In such an at
tack in harbor where they had but four
narrow channels to sweep and really o
searchlight to cach.p
BAD AN EASY THING
But they were doomed TO disappointment,
since the torpedo boat had an easy thing of
it. and had it been an actual conflict the
Maine would now BE- lying beneath the
waters of Narragansett Bay.
The arrangements were kept as secret as
possible. and even the Officers on the tor
pedo station were not generally advised OF
tue attack until they SAW long streams of
iivht stnCfipr lac "a nd Sf
the electric lights in their quarters to cast
shadows on the walls
The Gushing left her dock and ran out TO
the ship in mid-lIarbOr under running lights.
After a brief conference these lights were
hidden. and the Gushing sped off toward the
channel. The searchlights were thrown
upon n clouded sky, where the moon only
occasionally showed itself. and when they
again swept the waters the boat was no.
where To be seen.
DOUBLED on HER TRACK.
She had doubled her tracks, passed within
1900 yards OF the ship, and ran out TO sea.
Then, with the beams of light frequently
playing over her, she glided up the chan
mel close under the Fort Adams shore. and
then laid out direct course for the ship.
=. She was discovered only when within
twenty seconds of torpedoing distance. and
before all tie lights could be trained upon
her, to say nothing OF an effective battery,
she had discharged all three of her torpe-
does, rockets serving as such.
when the allotted two minutes had ex-
pired after her discovery she was along
side the ship, having approached under re-
duced speed.
For the ship to have scored a victory
the lights should have been ON the boat for
two minutes prior To her coming within
900 yards. The Cushing again left the ship
lot
soon to be lost to the sight OF those aboard
ship, and then there came another hunt and
q worse defeat.
The Cushing ran up the bay and thence
down past the training station, until she
had clear run of 1000 yards. Her course
was then laid toward the ship, and she had
run well within the 500-yard range, when
torpedo, and On the fractions OF the minute
two more green ones were fired.
,.4a ANOTHER VICTORY.
Up to the firing OF the first rocket she
bad not been discovered, though the light
was constantly upon her. Thus she proved
herself more than a match for the ship.
Her speed exceeded but slightly fifteen
knots during her attacks, and In the last
attack IT did not reach this, since the run
was so short, that, though full speed was
the engineers Could not get down
to work before the orders were RECEIVED
to slow down.
This is the first time within the history
)f the United States navy that 4 tirpdeu
boat has attacked ship with four search
lights, and what makes the defeat all the
more discouraeing for the ships Officers
is the fact that the night was Il good one
for searchlights.
The bow light on the Maine Is probably
the most powerful in the navy, and is of
different build from other lights On ship
board.
Last nights drill is probably the most
raluab!e yet held here, and the official |
report will be anXiously awaited 10y naval |
officers.