The evening Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1902-1902, 1902-09-06
MIMIC WAR ENDED.
Admiral Higginson's Fleet
Ran Newport Defenses.
PRICES NECK STATION CAPTURED
Final Operations of the War CANT
Took Place Along Rhode Is.
land COast-TwO Hours Of
Hard FixhtinG.

| Final Operations of the War CANT
Took Place Along Rhode Is
land Coast-Two Hours Of
i, Hard Fighting.
NEWPORT, r. l., Sept. 6.-Admiral
Higginson's fleet of battleships ran the
forts defending Newport harbor at 10
o'clock last night and now lies at an.
Choir off the torpedo station, and the
mimic war is practically at an end.
The secondary feet of smaller vessels
followed about half an hour later after
the fight was over.
Nearly the entire feet under Rear
Admiral Higginson made a demon
stration yesterday afternoon against
the army defsnses on Nara ansett
bay, but did not attempt to come in to
close quarters with any of the forts. A
landing was effected, however, at
Prices neck, where the searchlight
and range station, on which the NOR
tars at Fort Adams are sighted and
fired, were put out of action for an
hour. During that time the battle
ships Kearsarge and Alabama engaged
Fort Wetherill, the cruisers Olympia
and Brooklyn hammered Fort Greble
in the west channel while the battle
ships Massachusetts and Indiana and
the monitor Puritan destroyed signal
station at the entrance of Seakonet
river After two hours of fighting the
feet drew offshore, where it assem-
bled just before sunset for what at
that time looked like night attack.
The main point Of the afternoon at
tack was at Prices neck. the object
being to put that station out of action
before the mortar batteries could be
fired more than once Or twice. This
would give the larger vessels a chance
to come up and engage the regular
batteries. The task was hard one in
any case, but yesterday it was doubly
SO, for the air was like crystal and
the movement of the feet could be
watched at great distance offshore.
But under the rules Admiral Higgin'
son was obliged to engage the Narra-
gansett bay forts just as earnestly as
he had done against those in Long Is
land sound and at New Bedford. He
was unfortunate. however. in choosing
the clearest day of the week. Still he
went at 1t bravely and the whole af-
fair yesterday afternoon was well
planned and carried through with de-
termination.
The fleet was all the forenoon assem-
island, and when all the vessels had
arrived there was a counsel of war on
board the flagship. About O'Clock the
ten largest vessels of the fleet separat-
ed into four squadrons, and, leaving
the tugs out to sea, the attack was be-
gun. The movement was spectacular
and was witnessed by large number
of the special colony Of Newport as
well as those at Nara gansett Pier.
To the east steamed the battleship
Massachusetts, followed by the III
diana and the monitor Puritan. To-
ward the west and the Narrag ansett
shore went the Brooklyn and Olympia,
while straight into Prices neck came
the Montgomery, followed by the May
flower and Scorpion The Kearsarge
and Alabama held off until the attack
developed.
The Montgomery was within two
miles of Prices neck before she began
firing at 2:25 O'Clock, and she succeed
ed in getting in thirty or forty shots
before the station obtained her range, /
and sixteen imaginary shells from the
mortar battery at Fort Adams came
down on her ten minutes
later. The Muytiower came into action
at 2:40, and five minutes later the NOR |
lars We're again fired. /
1t is question for the umpires to
decide as to whether the fort was not !
by the rapid firing guns of !
he ships before the mortars opened !
ire. At all events those on the ships
kept right on, and at 3:15, after IA furi-
3us cannonade by all three vessels, two /
small boats put off from the Mont |
somery and started for the shore
When about 200 yards off, two gatling
guns, manned by Massachusetts heavy
sputtered few hundred
shots, but the jackies kept right Oh,
md at 3:35 the station was captured.
While this fight was going on the
Indiana and Puritan
lad gone well up the Seakonet river
md put out of action signal station
III the western point. Over to the Mar
'agansett shore the Brooklyn and
olympia worked along near the beach,
keeping up continual IRE Oh Fort
ireblc.
After Prices neck station had been
captured the Kearsarge and Alabama
,ame up almost to Brenton's reef light
hip and shelled Wetherlll. Forts Ad-
ms pnd Wetheril! replied slowly, but
Fort treble not at all. Tha bluejack-
It's held Prices neck for one hour
md then returned OH board the Mont
At s O'Clock the entire fleet
withdrew and assembled about ten
niles offshorc just at sunset.
The training ship Newport. with a
,arty of congressman on board, was in
he thick of the fight, but took no part.