The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1902-09-04
Army AGAINST THE NAVY
THE MIC WAR STARTED

~.-8oeA
Made sudden Attack ana CAPTURED
IslanA asa All TslsgrapA Lines-
Array Was ReutsA-TAe Olympia
In the Aetion.
Rock Island. Sept. a-Ths Beacon Hill
signal and wireless telegraph station, -
tablishsd BY the army In connection with
the extensive war maneuvsrs. was CAP
tured by the nset representing the enemy
under command Of Rear Admiral Hs.
sinson just after o'clock Monday morn
lns. The station was abandoned after q
bombardmsnt ok two hours and . guar
ter by the battlsships, ana the guard -
capped before . superior force Of marines.
which had landed under cover Of the mr.
Ing vessels At Great Salt Pond harbor.
Eight hundred marines are now holding
the station ana guarding the approaches,
while the neet u anchored on shore.
It was scarcely midnight when the p.
troll <of the Block Island life saving Sta
ton discovered the Meet OF the eastern
side Of the island. The signal station
was 1T once warned and the men consiA-
cred An attack Imminent. They had feur
hours leeway. At AIS the battlsships
ran in and opened Ars on the island TIE
range raked the great salt pond and ~
Beacon Hin station The roverbseations
shook the Island 70 it, hasa The nring
was continued until 81. when collier
and dispatch boat catered the barber ana
landed . fsros Of men. 1slere The ~
tack Of this Astaehnent having besa ~
Avesd By the previous bombardmsnt, the
men 1t the station made their escape.
The landing force 81 90 was divided ana
squads were stationed On each side ct
the brsakwatsr ana 1t other points aleng
the shore. while an ample doree was sent
= occupy the Beacon Eth station. A.
the nsst lay Oh shore II vessels could %
counted. including the colliers.
Surprised ~ the Olympia.
Woods Hole. Mass. Sept A-Ths Unit-
"a States cruiser Olympia dashed Into
this port Monday forenoon. landed .
force and ssissd all telegraph. telephone
and cable stations. thereby cutting ~
all communication with NarthAs Vine
yard and Elisabeth island.
OF course the ssisurs and the dsstruc-
ton Of telesraphic and cable facilities
were nsurative. ana Il required the T.
cision Of IN umpire TO make plain wheth-
sr or not the point attempted BY Admiral
Hlgginson had been won. A. the land
Ing was made the telegraph and tsls-
phone ofaces were entered by suMcient
force to have destroyed the property. Or
at least the instrumental, 1t the same
time boats crew had located the cable
with graphing hooks and held It . suf-
outing Of them, there seemed to have
been no question but that the move had
been entirely successful The Olympia
aDpeared OF this port suddenly Mon
day morning and Immediately two boats
put on toward shore. One was launch
and the other = whalsboat. and in then
was . detachment under Lieutenant L.
n. Everhardt The launch landed here
wiiie the waaleboat lay Oh shore and at
once began graphing for the cable. Tns
men under Lieutenant Everhardt rushed
to the once OF the Aarthas Vineyard
Telegraph company and then to the tele-
phone station and carried out their or
ders to make the seisure. Having &C.
complished this work. they returned to
their launches. Joined the whalsboat and
to their ship. This move cut
oR the only Communication with the Isl
lnds Of Nantucket and Narthas Vine
gard. which are vsry important ohsseva-
lion stations.