Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1902-08-25
Pillsbury Failed to Make Har-
Der at Salem, as He Had
Planned.
HICCINSON REFUSED SWORD.
Both Commanding officers Exchanged
Compliments, at the Formal Sur
render.-DetaiIs Of the Battle" OF
the New England Coast.

laval search problem on the New Eng
and coast was terminated at $40
yesterday morning, by the signal,
Surrender, demand and uncondl'
,ional.~ from Rear Admiral Higgin'
sons flagship, and the reply, "Accep!
.urrender," from the fore truck or the
Prairie, Commander Pillsbury's flag
shin. The battle between the blue,
,r defending squadron and the
white" or attacking squadron, was
thus quickly ended eight miles soutn
Of Thatchcr's island The enemy nau
raost signally failed to make harOor'
hr it's objective, Salem. A preponder-
Gnce Of fighting strength, relatively
"a points, represented By the battle
ships Kearsarge, Alabama and MaSsa-
chusetts, Scorpion and a torpedo boat,
had overwhelmed the 45 points repre-
sented by the auxiliary cruisers, Pral-
RE, Panther and Supply. To speak
from theoretic standpoint, the
white" squadron was entirely de-
stroyed by the guns of the defending
battleships. Thus on the fourth night
tie game of naval strategy was
brought to an end, it having covered
a period of unceasing toll, sleepless
nights of anxious and wearing vigil
and of grave uncertainty to its par
Elephants.
Anchored There for Some Days.
The destruction of Pillsbury's
squadron occurred at $40 yesterday
morning at a point just within the
outer limit of Gloucester harbor, not
over eight miles southerly from
Thatcher's island, off which had been
anchored since Wednesday, when the
war game was declared opened, the
three powerful battleships, OF thu
blue" squadron.
The surrounding and Putting out
| OF action" of the squadron in com.
mand of Commander Pillsbury was the
eliminating climax in one of the most
| Interesting chapters in the peace MIS-
tury Of the American navy. For the
piacing in operation Of the manoeuVres
Of the warships off the coast of New
England, the navy had long prepared
| itself and had long looked forward TO
| them with keen anticipation. AS
| ylanned by the naval authorities at
| WASHINGTON, two squadronS were &c
he put into the game, one, the "blue, ,
| he defending fleet, and the other the
white" to be hostile feet bent upon
cffecting an anchorage in some unpr0
! sccted harbOr on the coast from Cape
| Elizabeth to Cape Cod, opposed all
rho time by the first named fleet. This
anchorage had to be maintained
against the defenders for a period or
six hours. Commander Pillsbury's
| white squadron consisted of the aux
iiary cruisers Prairie, (flagship),
PANTHER and Supply. The two former
| boats were each assigned twenty
points of fighting strength while the
Supply was assumed to represent five
| pJintS.
Hiqqinson's Fleet Superior.
Admiral Higginson's feet was &C.
tually superior in the number OF its
members and by the same arrange
ments made as to the Pillsbury ships
it represented grand total of 81
points of strength. The Kearsarge,
J he Alabama and the Massachusetts,
| battleships. were given twenty, the
cruisers Brooklyn and Olympia, eight
each, the Cincinnati and Montgomery,
| Gloucester, Maytiower and Scorpion
| .nree points each, while number OF
torpedo boats made up the remaining
numbers. to win in the mimic war the
"Dlue" squadron had to bring agains'
the attacking vessels, as it did early
| yesterday, warships superior in their
assumed fighting power. Each side
mad 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 10 retire altogether from
| the field of action.
In the defeat of Pillsbury, the de-
fence, with three battleshlps, the
scorpion and with a single torpedo
boat, had "a points, so that the bal
ance was against the attacking squad.
:Cn. Throughout the mimic war there
was placed in operation a system OF
coast defence which was admittedly
| Of credit to those who engaged in it.
The problem was so complicated
TIA, III ,.e war vessels here last night
the weeks work was viewed with sat
isfactiOn for the one reason, II for
no other. that the squadron has had
| Invaluable practice.
! The final event CT these war moves
was the sequence of many complicat'
Ing developments.
Capture Followed Night CT Rumors.
The capture came at the end OF
night filed with rumors as to the 10
cation of the attacking squadron. Al
,. % o'clock last night three battle
ships OF the blue" squadron got under
way in hurry and sailed TO the east
ward. The intention was to move on
to Portland, and if that had been car
ried out Admiral Higginson, as it later
developed, would have unconsciously