The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-26
BLUE SQUADRON ovERwHELM.
ED ATTACKING VESSELS.
ENEMY's SHIPS CAPTURED
War Game Of the Navy Ends in Com
pIete Victory Of Defending Fleet
Under Admiral Hiesinson.

Rockport, Mass, Aug 24.-The
naval search problem on the New
England coast was terminated at $40
O'Clock this mording by the signel
Surrender, demand unconditional" I"
from Admiral. Higginson's flagship
and the reply Accept surrender
from the foretuck Of the Prairie, Com.
mander Pillsbury's flagship.
The battle between the blue, or the
defending squadron, and the white,
or the attacking squadron, was thus
quickly ended eight miles south Of
Thatcher's island. The enemy had
most signally failed to make a harv
Dor while making for Its objective
point, Salem
preponderance Of fighting
strength, relatively 81 points, repre-
sented by the battleships Kearsarge,
Alabama and Massachusetts, Scor-
pion and torpedo boat, overwhelm-
ed the As points, represented by the
auxiliary cruisers Prairie, Panther
and Supply.
Entirely Destroyed.
To speak from theoretic stand
point, the white squadron was entire
ly destroyed by the guns of the de-
Tending battleships. Thus, on the
fourth night, the game of naval
strategy was brought to an end, it
having covered period of unceasing,
toll, sleepless nights and Of anxious
and wearying vigil and of grave un.
certainty to it's participants.
The destruction of Pillsbury's
squadron, occurred at a point lust
within the outer limit of Gloucester
harbor, not over seven miles south
OF Thatcher's island, off which had
been anchored since Wednesday,
when the war game was declared
open, the three powerful battleships
OF the blue squadron. The surround.
ing and putting out of action of the
squadron in command of Commander
Plllsbury was the eliminating Incl.
dent in one of the most exacting
chapters in the peace history of the
American navy.
For placing in operation the ma
neuvers of the warships off the coast
Of New England the navy had long
itself and looked forward
with keen anxiety.
Plan Of the Game.
AS planned by the naval officers at
two squadrons were to
be put into the game, cne, the blue,
defending fleet, and the other, the
white, to be the hostile fleet, bent
lpon effecting an anchorage in some
unprotected harbor on the coast from
Cape Elizabeth to Cape Cod, oppcs-
I'd all the time by the first fleet. This
anchorage had to be maintained
against the defenders for a period of
IT six hours. Commander Pillsbury's
White squadron consisted of the aux
lliary cruisers Prairie, Panther and
supply. The two former boats were
Zach assigned 20 points of fighting
strength, while the supply boat was
assumed to represent five points. Ad-
niral Higginson's fleet was actually
superior in the number of its mem.
,ers, and by the same arrangements
made as to the Pifisbury ships, it
represented grand total Of 81 points
IT strength. The Kearsarge, the Ala
'ama and the Massachusetts battle
hips were given 20, the cruisers
brooklyn and Olympia eight each, the
Montgomery, Gouchester,
dayfower and Scorpion three points
'ach and a number of torpedo boats {
made up the remaining number.
Victor in Mimic War.
To win the mimic war the blue '
quadron had to bring against the at. {
acking vessels, as it did early today,
superior in their combined t
ssumed fighting power Each side {
ad the right to capture individual
essels of the opposing feet by over
vhelming them with superior
trength, and by the rules of the game /
he captured vessels were to retire +
together from the field of action. =