The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-06
DEMONSTRATION BY NAVY
MADE AGAINST ARMY DEFENSES
 IN N4RR4GANSETT BAY.

Another VIctOry-AaotheF Night At- tack to Force the Eastern Passage-
 The Game Practically Over.
 Newport, R. l., Sept 5.-Nearly the entire fleet under Rear Admiral Higgin- sons command made a demonstration this afternoon against the army de- fences on Narragansett bay, but did not attempt to come to close quarters with any of the forts. A landing was affected. however. at Prices Neck, where the searchlight and range station on which the mortars at Fort Adams are sighted and fired, were put out of action for an hour. During that time the battleships Kearsarge and Alabama engaged Fort Wetherill, the cruisers Olympia and Brooklyn hammered Fort Creole in the west channel, while the battleships Massachusetts and Indiana and the monitor Puritan destroyed a signal station at the entrance of Sea- konet river. After two hours of fight ing the fleet drew off shore where it as- sembled just before sunset for what at this time looked like a night attack.
 The main point of the afternoon at- tack was at Prices neck, the object be- ing to put that station out of action be- fore the mortar batteries could be fired more than once or twice. This would give the larger vessels a chance to come up and engage the regular batteries. The task was a hard one in any case, but to-day it was doubly so, for the air was like crystal and the movement of the fleet could be watched at great distance off shore. But under the rules Admiral Higginson was obliged to en- gage the Narragansett bay forts just as earnestly as he had done against those in Long Island sound and at New Bedford. He was unfortunate, however, l in choosing the clearest day of the week, still he went at it bravely and the whole affair this afternoon was well planned and carried through with de- l termination.
 The fleet was all the forenoon assemb- ling about eight miles north of Block | Island and when all the vessels had ar rived there was a council of war on board the flagship. About 2 o'clock the ten largest vessels Of the fleet sep arated into four squadrons, and leaving the tugs out to sea, the attack was be- gun. The movement was spectacular and was witnessed by a large number of the social colony of Newport as well as those at Narragansett Pier.
 To the east steamed the battleship Massachusetts, followed by the Indiana and the monitor Puritan; towards the west and the Narragansett shore went the Brooklyn and Olympia, while straight into Prices Neck came the Montgomery, followed by the Mayflower and Scorpion. The Kearsarge and Ala bama held off until the attack develop ed. The Montgomery was within two miles of Prices Neck before she began firing at 2:25 o'clock and she succeeded in getting in thirty or forty shots before the station obtained her range and six teen imaginary shells from the mortar battery at Fort Adams came tumbline down on her ten minutes later. The Mayfower came into action at 2:40, ant five minutes later the mortars were again fired.
 It Is a question for the umpire to de. eide as to whether the fort was not de. molished by the rapid firing guns of tht ships, before the mortars began tc fall. At any event, those on tht ships kept right on and 3:15 after furious cannonade by al three vessels two small boats put of from the Montgomery and started fol
 the shore. When about 100 yards of
 twao gattling guns manned by Massa
 chusetts heavy artillery men sputteret
 few hundred shots, but the jackie
 kept right on and at 335 the station
 was captured. While this fight was go
 ing on the Massachusetts, Indiana an'
 Puritan had gone we'll up the Seakon
 net river and put out of action sigma
 station on the western point Over t.
 the Narragansett shore the Brooklyn
 and Olympia worked along near tn
 beach, keeping up continual fire ol Fort Greble After Prices Neck sta
 ton had been captured the Kearsarg and Alabama came up almost to Bren
 tons reef lightship and sheled Weth
 erill. Forts Adams and Wetherill re
 piled slowly but Fort Creole not at al The bluejackets held Prices Neck fo one hour and then returned on boar the Montgomery. At o'clock the en tire fleet withdrew and assembled abou
 ten miles off shore just at sunset. Tn training ship Newport, with party 0
 congressman on board, was in the thic of the fight but took no part.
 New London, Sept. Safeguarding tn
 attack by the navy in Narragansett ba
 this afternoon the following telegram
 has been received at army headquart
 CTS:
 Fort Adams, R. l., Sept 5. , Chief staff: Attack was made thi afternoon on outside stations. Flee beaten at all points except that tn Puritan, Massachusetts and Indian bombarded from off Easton's Beac - without any possible opposition from u
 These ships could do us no damae
 from that position. All ships put out (
 action by mortar battery at Adams an ', 12-inch battery at Fort Wetherill, es cent Puritan. Hot fire was opened upo a | Prices Neck by three gunboats, follow I cd bv attack by landing party. Nav;
 umpire decided that landing party wa
 successful and that the station was pl Y ! ,,4 oe oo+;on for one hour from effet