The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-25

ahead.
At $40 o'clock the three battleships. aided
by the converted yacht Scorpion, which
had chased in from the south in time
10 be in at the finish, and the Barney
which had overrun the fleet, formed
horseshoe about the white squadron. The
citation among the men on board the blue
squadron ran high
SWORD REFUSED.
There was something pathetic in the pic
ture when Commander Pillsbury, after he
had signaled his surrender. passed in his
barge from the Prairie. walked up the star
board gangway OF the Kearsarge and Of
fered his sword to Admiral Higginson.
Keep your sword sir" said the senior
officer. his voice quavering a bit in spite Of
himself. Il would not accept the sword
from so gallant foe"
And 1. sir" responded Pilsbury. with
dignity, could not surrender to a nobler
or better officer, sir"
This exchange of words ended the actual
surrender and at the invitation OF Admiral
Higginson, Commander Pillsbury stepped
down TO the cabin of the Kearsarge and
here the two officers discussed in privacy
the incidents OF the days since the ''declara-
ton of hostilities'' on Wednesday.
At the conclusion of the conference Com
mander Pillsbury returned TO his flag
ship and il was not long after that the
Prairie headed down the coast A little
later signals were given for the blue squad
ron 10 return to RockpOrt. Later, by the
same system Of communication, established
and maintained so successfully since
Wednesday, messages were dispatched to
all points from Portland to ProvincetOwn
ordering all the warships of the defending
squadron to return to Rockport for fur
Their instructions and at the same time TO
collect on the way to this harbor all signal
men who had been detailed at both island
and mainland stations along the coast
In an interview on board his flagship
Admiral HigginsOn expressed his pleasure
at the real work which had been done
during the week He commended Staehle.
the apprentice boy, who was the first TO
report the presence of Commander Pills
bury's squadron. He said he believed that
TO some extent the maneuvers had taught
the navy its points of weakness and
strength during a time of real action, and
he believed that much good would come
from the war game
The naval experts are discussing the rea-
son for Commander Pillsbury's maneuver
in steaming finally to the northward and
coming to anchor as he did at a point off
Magnolia and near to Gloucester harbor,
especially in the light of the announcement
that he had determined TO anchor in Salem
harbor, and the theory was advanced that
the acting admiral of the white squadron
either had observed that he had been
sighted and decided to surrender hopeless
ly, or try at the last moment to run unseen
by Admiral Higginson into Gloucester har-
Dor.
The main theme Of discussion in Rockport
tonight among the seafaring people, who
know the Massachusetts coast as well as
they know their own houses, was the APP
parent rejection of all Strategetic move
ments by Commander Pillsbury. He had
not tried to land officers marines ashore
TO learn of the enemys movement, and he
had sailed almost to the base of the de-
Tense just before daylight when capture
seemed inevitable.
WORK OF SIGNAL MEN.
To the Associated Press correspondent
Admiral Higgnson spoke very freely of
the signal service. He laid special en-
phasis upon the effective work of the men
detailed to signal duty, and said he in
tended to issue a commendatory letter to
all the men of his command. He scored
the telephone service and said it appeared
very Anticipated. He emphasized the
necessity of the wireless telegraphy and
illustrated the benefits, if ships of the navy
were fitted with new invention.
There would have been no need of the
torpedo scouts he said, for ] would have
known at all times the exact location of
my ships. We need this service badly. We
are three years behind our foreign friends
in this respect and / hope the system will
'be installed on the ships of the navy very
SOON
Commander Pillsbury was asked regard
ing his movements and stated that when
he left Provincetown last Tuesday his fleet
steamed directly to sea, running off some
400 miles about southeast of Cape Cod His
plan to lay off there until Saturday
night and then to try for Salem harbor.
Coming on the coast last night, he had
first thought of making a feint with one
of his ships in the direction of Portland,
hoping to draw off Admiral Higginson and
the big ships of his command in that di-
rection, but heavy sea running
and his ships were slow of speed and their
bottoms foul. he decided not to do this and
made his run direct for Salem harbor. The
only ship of Admiral Higginson's fleet he
saw during the entire period was the tor
pedo boat Barney, which he sighted just
about the same time he found he was dis
covered by the sharp-eyed Stehle of the
KearSarge.