Evening star., 1902-08-25
P|LLSbURY GIVES UP
White Fleet Surrenders to
Admiral Higginson.
TRYINGTO MAKESALEM
HE WAS DISCOVERED AND RUN
DOWN.
Naval Officers Regard the Maneuvers
as Highly Satisfactory for
Practice Work.

HiBHl says Inc naval search prODlem on
the New England coast was terminated at
80 this morning by the signal Surrender;
demand unconditional" from Rear Admiral
Higginson's flagship.
The battle between the Blue, or defending
squadron, and the White. or attacking
squadron, was thus quickly ended eight
miles south of Thatcher's Island. The en-
envy had most signally failed to make har-
Dor, having for its objective Salem. A pre-
ponderance of fighting strength, relatively
sixtyfour points, represented by the hat
tleships Kearsarge, Alabama and Massa-
chusetts. the Scorpion and a torpedo boat,
had overwhelmed the forty-fiye points rep
resented by the auxiliary cruisers Prairie,
Panther and Supply. To speak from a
theoretic standpoint, the White Squadron
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 period of unceasfng toll,
sleepless nights. of anxious and wearing
vigil. and Of grave uncertainty to its par
Elephants. The destruction of Pilisbury' g
squadron occurred just within the outer
limit Of Gloucester harbor. not over eight
miles seutherly from Thatchers Island. off
which had been anchored since Wednesday,
when the war game was declared opened.
the three powerful battleships Of the Blue
Squadron.
End Of Interesting Campaign.
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 warships off the coast Of
New England the navy had long prepared
itself and had looked forward to them with
keen anticipation.
As planned by the naval authorities at
Washington, two squadrons were to be put
into the game-one the Blue. the defending
fleet, and the other, the White, to be the
hostile fleet bent upon effecting an anchor
age In some unprotected harbor on the coast
from Cape Elizabeth TO Cape Cod, opposed
all the time by the first-named feet. This
anchorage had to be maintained against
the defenders for a period of six hours.
The Prairie and Panther were each as
signed twenty points of fighting strength.
while the Supply assumed to protect five
points. Admiral Higginson's feet was ac-
tually superior in the number of its mem
bers, and by the same arrangements made
as to the Pillsbury ships it represented a
grand total of ninety-seven points of
strength The Kearsarge, the Alabama and
the Massachusetts (battleships) were given
twenty, the cruisers Brooklyn and Olympia
eight EACH the Leyden, Montgomery, Giou-
cester, Mayfower and Scorpion, three
points each, while a number of torpedo
boats made up the remaiaing numbers. To
win the mimic war the Blue Squadron had
10 bring against the attacking vessels, as
it did early today, warships superior in
their combined assumed lighting power.
Each side had the right to capture individ-
ual craft of the other feet 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.
Strengths of the Squadrons.
In the defeat of PilIsbury the defense,
with three battleships. the Scorpion, and
with a single torpedo boat had sixty-four
points. that the balance was against the
attacking squadron. Throughout the mimic
war there was placed in operation a system
of coast defense which was admittedly of
credit to those who engaged in it.
The problem was SO complicated that on
the war vessels here tonight the week 8
work Is viewed with satisfaction for the
one reason. II for no other, that the squad
ron has had invaluable practice. The final
event of these war moves was the sequence
of many complicating developments.
The capture came al the end of night
filled with rumors as to the location of the
attacking squadron. At $50 o. clock last
night three battle ships of the Blue Squad
ron got under way In a hurry and sailed
to the eastward. The intention was to
move on TO Portland, and If that had been
developed. would have unconsciously swung
the balance of his fighting force to that
end OF the coast line. as Pillsbury had in
tended he should, but which was not done
on account of heavy seas running outside
Cape Eliza beth
Higginson, however. detected his course
back to Gloucester after a swing seaward,
In response to a report that the enemy had
not been sighted when ii was believed he
had been, but in the last hours of the night
Plllsbury sailed toward Cape Ann from the
outside and, as 1t proved, right under the
very guns of the defending squadron.
Pillsbury Headed for Salem.
Commander Pillsbury, when still out to
sea. after maneuyerfng, headed straight for
Salem harbor. But the desired vantage
point was never reached When his boats
had arrived off Magnolia they were sighted
by the signal station on Bakers Island. A
message was sent to the station at Rock
port here. and the torpedo boat Barney was
sent out to notify the Blue Squadron
The station here had before this been in
formed that Higginson's battle ships had
been sighted OF Gloucester, and that later
they had returned to their berths under the
lee of Thatchers Island The Barney's
commander was mystfied, therefore, when,
after rounding Straitsmouth, he saw no
evidence of the presence Of the Kearsarge.
On hazard the Barney was steered south
erly. After Higginson's ships had cruised
up and down the coast they went to their
anchor off Thatcher's Island. At this time
the officer the deck of the Kearsarge
was Lieut.. Ray Stone, with Midshipman
William Dilworth Puleston as the Junior
officer IN command.
In contrast with the others the morning
was clear and the stars bright On the
bridge a dozen jackies stood on watch
One Of these was Daniel Staehle, an ap-
prentice Of the first class. He stood well
forward. peering on the lee side. The flag
ship was just falling down into a trough
when he notified the ensign at his side that
he could see the enemy. The officer of the