Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-25
ATTACK FAILS.
Continued from page -


tunity of engaging in practice, IN
tactics and in strategy, in brlef WITH
all conditions of state of war.
| AS planned by the naval authorizes
at Washington. two squadrons were 10
be put into the game, one the Blue, the
defending fleet; and the other the
| White. to be hostile fleet bent on Ell
| feoting an anchorage into some unpro-
tected harbor on the coast from cape
Elizabeth to Cape Cod, opposed all the
time by the first named fleet. This an
chorage had to be maintained against
the defenders for a period of six hours.
Commander Pillsbury's White squad
ron consisted of auxiliary cruisers
Prairie. Panther and Supply. The TWO
| former boats were each assigned ~
| points of fighting strength, Whlle the
Supply was assumed to represent nVe
points. Admiral Higginsons fleet was
| actually superior in the number OF us
| members and by the same arrangement
made as to the Pillsbury ships, II rep
resented a grand total of 81 points OF
strength. The Kearsarge, the Ala
bama and the Massachusetts,, battle
ships. were given 20, the cruisers
Brooklyn and Olympia each, the en-
cinnati and Montgomery, Gloucester
Mayfiower and Scorpion points each,
while a number of torpedo boats made
up the remaining numbers.
To win in the mimic war the Blue
squadron had to bring against the at
lacking vessels, as it did, today, war
| ships superior in their combined as
sumed fighting power. Each side had
the right to capture individual craft
of the other fleet by overcoming them
| in point of strength and under the rules
| of the game the captured vessels were
| to retire altogether from the field. In
| the defeat of Pillsbury, this morning,
| the defence with three battleShips,
| with the Scorpion and with single
| torpedo boat was valued at "a points,
| so that the balance was against the at
| lacking squadron. Throughout the
| mimic war there was placed in opera
| ton Il system of coast defence which
was admittedly of credit to those who
| engaged in it.
| The final event of these war moves
which took place early this morning,
was the sequence of many complicating
developments.
| The defeat of Pillsbury came at the
end of night filled with rumors as to
| the location of the attacking squadron.
At $50 o'clock, the three battleships of
Higginson got under way in a hurry
and sailed to the eastward. The in
| tention was to move on to Portland,
and if this had been carried out Adj
miral Higginson as it later developed
| would have unconsciously swung the
balance of his fighting force to that
do cf limo Heb, bod
| intended he should, but which was not
done on account of the heavy seas
running outside Cape Elizabeth.
Higginson, however, DETECTED his
course back to Gloucester after a swing
seaward in response to a report that
| the enemy had not been sighted when
it was believed she had been. but in
| the last hours of the night PilIsbury
sailed toward Cape Ann from the out
side. and as it proved ran under the
guns of the defending squadron.
Commander Pillsbury had stood well
out to sea. disappointed at the failure
OF the long planned ruse to draw the
blockading ships away from the des-
tined seat of engagement, and then
after maneuvering headed straight for
| Salem harbor.
! When Pillsbury'S boats had arrived
off Magnolia they We're sighted by the
signal station on Bakers island. A
message was sent to the station at
Rockport here, and the torpedo boat
| barhey was sent out to notify the Blue
| squadron. The station here had be-
lore TINS been informed that Higgin-
son pattleships had been sighted off
gloucester and that later they had re-
turned to their berths under the lee
Of Thatcher's island. The Barney's
| commander was mystifed. therefore
when, after rounding Straitsmouths
ne saw no evidence of the presence of
the kearsarge and others, and, on a
| hazard the Barney was steered
southerly. After Fiigginson's ships had
| crulsed up and down the coast they
went to their anchorage off Thatcher's
At this time the officer of the decl,
on the Kearsarge was Lieut. Ray Stone
with Midshipmen William Dilworth
Puleston as the junior officer in COM
| mand.
On the bridge a dozen jackies stood
upon the lookout One of these was
Daniel Staehle, an apprentice of the
| first class. He stood well forward
peerlns out to the lee side. The flag
snip was just falling down into a
trough when he notified the ensign
at his side that he could see the
enemy" General quarters were
| sounded. There was a quick rush of
many feet, the manning of a hundred
posts, the clank of the anchor chain.
the ringing of bells, the giving of or
ders and a general clearing for action.
Not many moments passed before
| the flagship was under way, steaming
| at IA knots, with the Alabama and
Massachusetts many boats lengths in
the rear. Some distance back was the
| Barney, rapidly overhauling the ships
| ahead. Something of the realization
| OF his prodigious problem came to
| Commander Pillsbury. so he himself
confessed as he sailed at an 11-knot
| speed into the final place of engage
ment. The truth came home to him
that the odds We're vastly against the
| attacking squadron. when one con-
sidered that the coast held to be in
peril from the enemy extended only
winch had chased in from the south
| m time to be in at the finish, and the
Barney. which had overtaken the fleet,
formed q horseshoe around the White