The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1902-08-26
THE MIMIC WAR ENDED
White Squadron Defeated By the
Blue Squadron.
An Incident in One of the Most Inter
esting Chapters in the Peace
History of the United
States Navy.

Rockport, Mass, Aug. 25.-The ma
val search problem on the New Eng
land coast was terminated at $40
Sunday morning by the signal Sur
render; demand an unconditional
from RI. Adm. Higginson's flagship,
and the reply Accept surrender" from
the fore truck of the Prairie, Com
mander Pillsbury's flagship. The bat
tie between the blue, or defending
squadron, and the white, or attacking
squadron, was thus quickly ended
eight miles south of Thatcner's is
land. The enemy had most signally
failed to make a harbOr, having for
its object Salem. A prepOnderance of
fighting strength, relatively Ga points,
represented by the battleships Kear-
sarge, Alabama and Massachusetts,
Scorpion and torpedo boat, had over
whelmed the As points represented by
the auxiliary cruisers Prairie, Pan
Their and Supply. To speak from a
theOretic standpoint the white squad
ron was entirely destroyed by the
guns of the defending battleships.
Thus on the fourth night the game of
naval strategy was brought to an end,
it having covered a period Of unceas-
ingly and sleepless nights of anxious
and wearing vigil and Of grave uncer-
tainty to its participants.
The destruction of PiIlsbury's squad
ron occurred at a point just within the
cutter 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 the blue
squadron.
2 The surrounding and putting out of
action" Of the squadron in command
of Commander Pillsbury was the cul-
minating incident in one of the most
interesting chapters in the peace his
tory Of the American navy. For the
placing in operation of the maneuvers
of the warships off the coast of New
England the navy had long prepared
itself and had long looked forward
with keen anticipation. AS planned
by the naval authorities at Washing
ton, two squadrons were to be put into
the game, one the blue, the defending
fleet, and the other the white, to be a
hostile fleet, bent upon effecting an an
chorage in some unprotected harbOr
on the coast from Cape Elizabeth to
Cape Cod, opposed all+he time by the
first named fleet. This anchorage had
to be maintained against the defend
ers for a period of six hours. Com
mander Pillsbury's white squadron
consisted of the auxiliary cruisers
Prairie Flagship, Panther and Sup
ply. The two former boats were each
assigned 20 points of fighting strength,
while the Supply was assumed to rep
resent five points. Adm. Higginson's
fleet was actually superior in the num-
Der Of its members and by the same
arrangements made as to the Pills
bury ships it represented a grand to-
tai Of 81 points of strength.
The Kearsarge, the Alabama and
the Massachusetts battlesnips were
given 20, the cruisers Brooklyn and
Olympia eight each, the Cincinnati
and Montgomery, Gloucester, May
flower and Scorpion three points each,
while number of torpedo boats made
up the remaining numbers. To win in
the mimic war the blue squadron had
to bring against the attacking vessels.
as it did early Sunday, warships SUI
periOr in their combined assumed
fighting power. Each side had 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
to retire altogether from the field of
action.
In the defeat of Pillsbury, the de-
tense, with three battleships, the
Scorpion and with a single torpedo
boat, had GA points, so that the bal
ance was against the attacking squad
ron. Throughout the mimic war there
was placed in operation a system of
coast defense which was admittedly
of credit to those who were engaged
in it.