New-York tribune., 1902-09-06
NE EWPORT ATTACKED.
SCENE OF THE WAR GAME SHIFTS
FLEET DIVIDED INTO THREE
SQUADRONS.
IBr TELEGRAPH TO The rRIBuxE.1

IBr TELEGRAPH TO The rRIBUxE.1
Newport. F. L. Sept 5,-According to the
Navy estimate the ships in to-day's attack on
Newport scored a great victory. Eleven ships
divided into three squadrons. all under the i'm
mediate command of Rear Admiral Higginson.
made joint attack on this city Narragansett
Pier and Prices Neck Signal Station, at the
west entrance to the Seaconnet River.
Army and navy officers who witnessed the en-
sagement from the shore agree that the plan or
attack was an excellent strategic move in the
game, fo- the capture OF Prices Neck by the
Montgomery and the IIayf1ower followed almost
Immediately by the bOmbardirg Of Newport and
Fort Adams from the rear. was something that
the army had not looked for. It was apparently
successful Judging from the number Of shots.
fred BY the battIeships Massachusetts and In
diana. and by the monitor Pur'+~n. which
steamed into Seaconnet Bay and TO within three
miles Of the rear OF Fort Adams.
It was expected that the ships would nanoeu-
vre OFF the main entrance TO Newport Harbor
and attack Fort WetheriIl on the west side, and
Fort Adams on the east side. and also Fort
Creble on Dutch Island. NaTragansett Bay In
stead all the ships except. perhaps, the Brook
Iyn and the Olympia, which anchored directly
Oft Narragansett Pier. were out Of range Of all
the forts. Rear Admiral Higginson's evident in
tention was 10 shell three points, the torpedo
station. the training station and Fort Adams,
and at the same time 10 lombard the city
Including the period required to assemble and
assign the three squad-ons seven hours ana a
half we're used. of which there were two hours
and dftv-eiSht minutes of actual hghtlns- both
main and secondary batteries We're used on all
The ships The forts ered very few shots IN
oor,Darison The enemy was. IN fact, on tbs
aggressive from start 70 finish. and when he re-
tired from the scene OF action. AZ $50 O'Clock.
heading 10 the southwest, II was the general
verdict that he had Lot lost a single vessel
though some might have been crippled by ven
directed shots from Fort Wetheril
Colonel H 9 Hasbrcuck. in charge OF ths
artillery az Fort Adams was rather surprised
early this morning when The enemy's tug Peoria
came into Newport Harbor dying nag OF Truce.
Her commander coolIy informed the colonel that
the enemy had couu1ermined the charnel in the
night and was about 70 attack Newpcrts de-
fences.
TIE FLEET SIGHTED.
I, was lust $50 O'Clock when the smoke ot the
first warsh,p was seen curling up over The low
land az Point Judith. She was heading 20 the
eastward and about ten miles OF shore Ths
wind was fresh from the northwest. and the at
mosphare remarkably clear. Without difficulty
the vessel was made out TO be the flagship Kear-
sarge. flying the blue tag of Rear Admiral Hig-
ginson The battleships Massachusetts. Ala
hama and Indiana and the arnored cruiser
BROOKLYN followed tine Kearsarge in that order.
By 1915 a m. the cruiser Montgomery. ths
monitor Puritan. and the famous cruiser Olym-
pia had joined th7 fleet
The gunboats MayfiOwer. Scorpion and Hist
and the tug Levden Joined them soon afrerward
and headed northeast with the ships in hne
east and west The Brooklyn held The extrems
right. On her port beam were the Kearsargs.
the Massachusetts. the Montgomery. The Ind-
ana the Alabama and the Puritan. Astern cc
the Montgomery were the May1ower. the Scor-
pion and the Hist. The latter lett the 1eet later
and returned 10 Newport.
Soon the commanding officers Of some of tbs
shil were called 10 the flagship by signal At
ter a consultation with Rear Admiral Higginscn
as to the plan Of attack boats we're hoisted and
the squadron formation was changed The tu-
giles sounded every ship was cleared for action.
and. as they obeyed the hnaI signal and exc
cuted the order 70 form in three squadrons the
cffCers md Jnen were called TO quarters and
manned their respective guns
Quite eight miles away 20 the northward the
sunIit. rocky shores OF Rhode Island lOOmed up
and the old yellow Ishtship. marking Brenton's
Reef. could barely be discerned just east OF the
entrance to Newport Harbor when. at 2.1S
O'Clock Commander W Fl. Emery. of the bat
tleshiP Indiana ordered full speed ahead Up
went the speed cones to the yardarms. and or
went the bis ship at a 1O-knot clip. heading
about east-nOrtheast. course that would take
her we'll outside of West Island. Following her at
about two hundred yards went the Massa-
chusetts and In the latter's wake at a like
distance steamed the monitor Puritan
Not more than five minutes had elapsed when
the second squadron. led by the cruiser Mont
gomery started Her consorts were the gun
boats Scorpion and MayfOwer. These three
SHORT TIME: sHoRT LINE To CHICAGO