The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-22
DEFENDING
NEW ENGLAND u
Commander Pillsbury's Hos
tile Fleet Makes No At
tempt to Land.
Scout Boats Sighted Off Port
land Harbor-Not a
Gun Fired.

IN the COnOlLloaS pTeVdlilhS OIL suole eAAo
morning and those Of yesttrlay were most
marked, and those participating In or
watching the manoeuvers Of the fleets IN
their game Of war found conditions favor
able to the squadron under Commander
Pillsbury, which Is trying to make land
ing on the New Haven coast between
Portland, Me-, and Provincetown, Mass,
while Rear Admiral Higginson and his
vessels defend the seaboard. This morn
ing a fog so thick that the water Of the
harbor could not be seen from naval
| headquarters shrouded Cape Ann and the
! adjacent coast. Three miles out the at
mosphere was clear.
| When the sun came up extended obser-
vations were made from all signal and
look-ou stations. Each reported that all
was we'll and that there was no sign Of
the enemy" The receipt Of these early
messages interrupted the quiet which had
| prevailed at naval headquarters here
since a. NJ, unbroken save by one re-
port received from Portland at 3:45 a. NJ,
that scout boats were sighted outside the
harbor.
1t was not long after sunrise that the
fog set in. 1t was a. dense cloud and at
| first impenetrable to the eye beyond a
distance Of ten or dozen feet. Just be-
fore o'clock there were indications that
the sun was burning through the fog.
Aside from the fact that the Kear-
sarge, at least, was still at anchor, little
was known here of the various ships of
Admiral Higginson's squadron.
! The cruiser Brooklyn skirted the end
| Of Cape Cod early in the forenoon and
went across to Plymouth. Thus both ends
| of the line of defense were said to be
we'll guarded, and as the naval experts
here felt reasonably sure that the Ala
bama and Massachusetts were with the
Kearsarge off Straitsmouth Point, the
center was thought to be safe. The sta
ton keepers here have been advised that
the lookout line has been extended to
sankaty Head on Nantucket, where the
wireless telegraph station is located.
From there all incoming ships will be
queried as to whether or not they have
seen any of Commander Pillsburys ships,
and the results of these investigations
will be signalled to the scout boats or the
land stations. ~.-.-
| rain last night. Most of the population
sat up on it's porches and at it's windows
waiting for the thrilling sound OF cannon
aiding. Several hundred people, including
many women, clad in mackintoshes and
slickers, were out on Norwood head, an6
the more convenient granite road that
goes by the name Of "the fish wharf
where years, ago the fishing fleet that was
Rockport's pride, came in to discharge
it's catch of cod, hake and mackerel
Rockport hasn't had so much excitement
in years.
All Quiet at Noon.
BY II O'Clock the fog had lifted and the
battleships were seen in their usual po-
sitions. Observation in the distance
however, was impossible, owing to haze
which hung low over the water. All
the signal and lookout stations reported
during the forenoon showing that the
message system was intact. All the
scout boats were heard from before II
. o'clock either at the station here or on
, board the Kearsarge.
1t is learned that the rules of the man
, oevers in which the vessels are engaged
. permit the destruction of the ships of the
opposing squadron and it appears that
, , the fear that Pillsbury may dash in ant
"disable' one of his vessels is one rea.
+ son why the defending fleet is kept sc
compact by Admiral Higginson.
. On Board the Flagship.
r On board the flagship Kearsarge Fri
day, Aug. %, IL a. m.-Admira1 Higgins
has his three battleships at anchor in tn,
same position that they occupied at sun
o down last night. With steam up the!
= are ready to start for any point at a mo
ments notice.
q Fogs Obscured the look -outs on the ship
s this forenoon and more uncertainty wa
e apparent on board than has been see1
e at any previous time since the manoever
/ began, as 1T was the opinion that it wa
an opportune time for Commander Pills
| To DO n 1oc1o do
It cover Of the fog and land at some con
l. venent point selected during the previou
st clear weather. ~
n The possibilities were fully discusse
h on board to-day: 1t was learned tina
If Commander Pillsburys authority enable
h him to take possession of certain stear
J. craft such as tug of yacht that cam
f. in his way, to be used in connection wit
his plan Of attack. It is figured that If h
= should do so he might place aboard sue
1T craft a force from his ships and unde
l. this guise land them near some light
% house or signal station used by the de
n tenders and thereby interrupt the syste1
W Of communication maintained by Admire
If Higgins and cause any amount of trouble
IS A False Alarm. -
:? Yesterday afternoon drill was dispense
1T with and officers and men alike stored u
,e plenty of good sleep in anticipation of th
enemy being located during the night. =.
at| Once during the night there was an e.
ID citing moment. At II o'clock flash sis
8 nal came from shore When the messae
at was completed, there was tumult, for
10 stated that the enemy was entering ,Sale1
harbor. In a short time, however, 1T We
lie shown to have been false alarm.
Of I.
n, n: GATES WAS HIT ... :.
of The Break in Colorado Fuel &. Iro