New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-03
DOES ARMY OR NAVYWIN?
EACH BRANCH OF SERVICE
CLAIMS VICTORY.
GARDENERS POINT PASSED AND FLEET
IN SOUND. BUT DECISION MUST
BE LEFT To ARBITRA-
TION BOARD
Inv rELEepArH 10 rHr rarsuvE.l

viewed by the navy officers. the United States
Navy, represented by the battleships Kear-
sarge. Massachusetts. Indiana and Alabama
the arnored cruiser Olympia and the monitor
Puritan. has achieved a great victory by siIenc-
ing all the forts at the entrance TO Long Island
Sound in a singularly successful attack on those
defences. covering period Just before and i'm
mediately after daybreak this morning.
The actual engagement. from the time the
first shot was fired. a 6-pounder from the flag
ship Kearsarge. until the last one fired by one
Of the Plum Island forts, lasted only hfty-fve
minutes. In that time the battery on Gar
diners Point captured. Cos 6-pounder shots
and 3i6 1-pounder shots had been fired from the
secondary battery of the Kearsarge. as well as
nearly one hundred shots from her larger guns
From the Massachusetts,. the Indiana the
Alabama and the Brooklyn perhaps third less
shots were fired in the engagement. and fifty OF
more from the monitor Puritan.
The important feature from a strategic
point II view is the fact that the entire at
tacking feet Of six vessels succeeded in passing
to within mile of the most powerful search
lights. and we'll within the zone OF IRE from
the shore batteries without being discovered or
fired upon The Brooklyn and the Massachu-
setts actually slipped through the Race, be
tween Little Gull Island and Race Rock and
into Long Island Sound According to latest
advices in naval circles they passed through
without Delng put out OF action. This In real
war would mean that hostile feet would have
been able not only TO capture Newton
don. but that they could have steamed
right up Long Island Sound and IN a
few hours could have been bombarding the city
of NNw-York, with little opposition at the west
end of the Sound in the way Of shore defences.
With what the satlorman calls "a smoky
souwester'' darkness. closed down last night
on the fleet of sixteen warships anchored on the
new harbor ar Block Island. There was 10 moon
and the stars were obscured by the haze that
envelCped the island, making it difficult to see
more than mile
Just befor1 dark the gunboats Scorpion and
Peoria and the tugs Nina and Leyde1 were
sent into the harbor TO anchor for the night
near the collier Lebanon 1t was learned later
that the Scorpion. sent a scouting expe-
diton early in the day, had been disabled or
Gardeners Island by running afoul Of an i'm
asinery derelict and tad been ordered to lay
up for repairs =
SIGNALS FOR THE START.
Ardois signals began flashing from the mast
head OF Rear Admiral FiiggInzon's flagship. the
Kearsarse. soon after dark. Some were in
cipher. others gave orders to the captains of the
vessels under his command, that had already
been agreed upon at meeting called during
the afternoon. As a result Of these signals all
and soon after O'Clock the cruiser Montgomery
and the gunboat SGaytiower stole quietly away
10 sea. followed an hour later by the cruiser
Brooklyn and the battleship Massachusetts,,
These two We're preceded by the gunbcat Aileen.
which went along TO buoy a dangerous obstruc-
ton near Cerberus ShoaL The Brooklyn and the
Massachusetts steamed quickly toward Fishers
Island. The Mayfower. after reconnoitering 10
the northward for an hour. returned and an
81 he he Mont
waited off shore until Joined at o'clock In the
morning by the gunboat Gloucester, the Panther
and the Supply. representing in the war game
two protected cruisers.
These four were 10 be the hostile feet that
would attack Newport They were Joined there.
il is Understood. by the cruiser Olympia. which
had remained at Menemsha Blight Captain
Lyon having orders TO cut the cables connecting
Martha's Vineyard with Woods Hole This was
done by Lieutenant Goodridge and boats crew
sent f. that ship.
WAITING FOR \ WEATHER CHANGE
1t had been Rear Admiral Higrinson's tnten.
tion 10 start with his fleet OF four vesseIs-tha
Kearsarge. the Indiana. the Ana and ths
Puritan-immediately after the Brooklyn and
the Massachusetts had departed, but Just then
the wind canted more TO the westward and th4
weather cleared. so that the searchlights on
Watch Hill. Napatree Point and Fort H G.
Wright could be plainly seen from the decks
OF the ships. Signals We're made TO hold on. -
with all lights out. except a masked one at the
stern of each vessel. they lay at anchor waiting
for the weather 10 thickeu again. This IL did
shortly after midnight BY > O'Clock in the
morning the sky was overcast and it was begin
ming to rain \ more ideal time 10 steal away
and surprise the enemy could not have been
chosen. 1t was the worst possible weather for
the searchIight contingent on shore 10 discover
passing vessels at such distance.
Steamng AZ half speed the Ksarsarge. the
Alabama the Indiana and the Puritan travelled
like shadowy spectres in the darkness, heading
bout west half south for Gardeners Point
their first point Of attack The anchor of the
press dispatch yacht Avene1 was Up in iiffy.
and under full head of steam she followed the
wfII-o'-th -the-vvisps stern lights of the quartet OF
warships. having first seen the other attacking
fleet disappear TO the eastward
Orders had been given 70 the commanding
officers Of the Brooklyn and the Massachusetts,
~ force their way through the Race. past the
formidable ri. -. Wright fort on Fishers ISL
a nd and Fort Niche, Great Gull Island into
Long Island Sound and there await the coming
of the Kearsarge and the others on The south
side the object being - 2ttack and silence
Fort Terry. on Plum Island by engas sins q on
both sides.
FLEET APPARENTLY SUCCEEDS.
1t was understood that the Brooklyn and the
Massachusetts, succeeded in passing through
the Race at full speed without being hit once
by the forts. OF course, that remains TO %
seen when the Umpires get 70 work. but certain
il is that the attack made on Plum Island
exactly as planned. and Il was 70 all sppear-
ances, short decisive and successful Tor the
hostile fleet Their only surprise was the firing
vr~hfc oh ho6