Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-25
Surrounds the Enemy and Pillsbury
Has to Surrender.
cAPITULATlON COMES AT $40 A. NJ.
HigginHOn'S Vigilance and Quick Action
Save Coast"
GLOUCESTER is THE POINT OF ATTACK
Three ships of the white Squadron
Attempt TO Capture HarbOr, but
Are Captives Themselves
within Two Hours.

| ROCKPORT, Mass, Aug. H.-The naval
search problem on the New England coast
was terminated at $40 this morning by
! the signal Surrender; demand uncondl-
tional' from Rear Admiral Higginson's flag
! ship and the reply Accept surrender" Z"
! from the foretruck Of Prairie, Commander
| Pillsbury's flagship.
The battle between the Blue, or defend
ing squadron. and the White, or attacking
squadron, was thus quickly ended, eight
miles south Of Thatcher's island. The
enemy had most signally failed to make
harbor, having for its objective Salem.
| A preponderance of fighting strength, rela-
lively 64 points, represented by the battle-
ships Kearsarge, Alabama and Massachu-
sets. Scorpion and a torpedo boat, had
overwhelmed the 40 points represented by
the auxiliary cruisers, Prairie, Panther and
Supply. To speak from a theoretic stand
point the White squadron was entirely de-
stroyed by the guns Of the defending bat
tleships.
Thus on the fourth night the game Of naval
strategy was brought to an end, Il having
covered a period of unceasing toll Sleep
less nights of anxious and wearing vigil
and grave uncertainty to Its participants.
story of the Test.
The destruction OF Pillsbury's squadron
occurred at a point just within the outer
limit of Gloucester harbor. not over eight
miles southerly from Thatcher's island, of
which 1t had been anchored since wednes-
day. when the war game was declared
opened.
The surrounding and putting out Of ac-
tion" of the squadron in command OF Com
mander Pillsbury was the eliminating in
cident in one of the most interesting chap
ters In the peace history Of the American
navy For the placing In operation Of the
maneuvers Of the war ships of the coast
Of New England the navy had long pre-
pared itself and had looked forward with
keen anticipation. AS planned by the ma
wul ulltilqfl ties ~ EEAshf6sk ko1 tWos a11adl
rons were to be pit into the game, cne
the blue. the defending feet and the other
the white, to be a hostile feet bent upon
effecting an anchorage In some unprotected
harbor in the coast from Cape Elizabeth
to Cape Cod opposed all the time by the
defending fleet The anchorage had to be
maintained against the defenders for a
period Of six hours
Boats Engaged.
Commander Pillsbury's White squadron
consisted Of auxiliary cruisers Prairie
(hagship), Panther and Supply. The two
former boats were each assigned twenty
points Of fighting strength, while Supply
was assumed to represent five points. Ad-
miral Higginson's feet was actually SUI
perior in the number OF its members and
by the same arrangements made as to the
Pillsbury fleet 1t represented a total of
ninety-seven pointsN Of strength. Kear-
sarge, Alabama and Massachusetts, battle
ships were given twenty. the cruisers
Brooklyn and Olympia eight each, Leydon
and Montgomery, Gloucester, Mayhower and
Scorpion three each. while a number OF tor
pedo boats made up the remaining numbers.
To win in the mimic war the Blue squad
ron had to bring against the attacking ves-
sells, as 1t did early today, warships su-
perior In their combined assumed fighting
power Each side had the right to cap
ture individual craft of the other feet by
overcoming them in point Of strength, anS
under the rules of the game the captured
vessels were to retire altogether from the
field of action.
In the defeat of Plllsbury the defense.
with three battleships. Scorpion and with
a single torpedo boat had sixty-four points
so that the balance was against the at
tacking squadron. Throughout the mimic
war there was placed in operation q system
Of coast defense which was admittedly of
credit to those who engaged In 1t.
Experience Profitable.
The problem was so complicated that on
the war vessels here tonight the weeks
work is viewed with satisfaction for the
one reason, II for no other. that the squad
ron has had invaluable practice. The fnal
event OF these war moves was the sequence
ON many complicatlng developments.
The capture came at the end OF a night
filled with rumors as to the location OF the
attacking squadron. At $3.50 o'clock last
night three battleships Of the Blue squadron
got under way in a hurry and sailed to the
eastward. The intention was to move on
to Portland and II that had been carried
out Admiral Higginson. as II later devel-
oped, would have swung the balance OF his
fighting force to that end of the coast line,
as Pillsbury had intended he should. but
which was not done on account OF heavy
seas running outside Cape Elizabeth. Hig-
ginson. however. DETECTED his course back
to Gloucester after a swing seaward. in
response 10 a report that the enemy had
not been sighted when II was believed
he had been. but In the last hours OF the
night, Pillsbury sailed toward Cape Ann
from the outside and. as It proved, right
under the very guns Of the defending squad
TOus Tlilbbuig Mneu bllli out
10 sea- after maneuvering headed straight
for Salem harbor.
Sighted at signal Station.
But the desired vantage point was never
reached. When his boats had arrived on
Magnolia they were sighted by the signal
station on Bakers Island. message
was sent to the station at Rockport here
and the torpedo boat. Barney. was sent to
notify the Blue squadron. The station here
had been Informed before Higginson's bat
tleships had been sighted on Gloucester
and that later they had returDed to their
berths under the lee OF Harpers Island.
Barney's commander was mystihed there
fore when after rounding straightsmouth
he saw no evidence OF the presence OF
Kearsarge. On a hazard Barney was steered
southeriy.
After Higginson's ships had eruissd up