Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-08-22
Neck Belligerency Looks Just Like the
Genuine Article.
NooNLEss NIGHT FAvORs THE INVADER
HigginSOn is Prompted to RedOuble His
Efforts TO Guard.
SIGNAL SYSTEM PLAYS STAR PART
Modern Means of Communication Put
20 Tests That Prove Their Merits
-scares Are Many and
Frequent.

RoCKPoRT. Mass, Aug. 22.-At midnight
thlrty-six hours had passed Of the 40 for
the attacking squadron under Commander
Pillsbury and the defending squadron com
manded by Rear Admiral Higginson to
come together. The anticipated meeting
between the hostile fleets had not come to
pass up to a late hour. On the whole, the
day had been devoid Of many sensations, but
the night, thick and cloudy as It was with
the moon quite obscured, developed so many
confusing situations and so many extra
ordinary reports that the Higginson squad
ron had Just cause for grave uneasiness.
Somehow the feeling grew that it would
not be such a dif1cult attainment for the
three cruisers OF the White squadron to
slip in and anchor at Some harbor, pro-
tected as they would be by the darkness.
Perhaps the greatest danger that came
to Admiral Higginson was that OF yielding
to the temptation to withdraw Kearsarge
and leave Alabama and Massachusetts, to
90 in search of the enemy. reported to
have been sighted at either this point or
at some point along the coast. Such re-
ports were, in fact, made. In the early
part of the night, the station on the Isles
Of Shoals notified the nearest mainland
code of the navy, that large wo-masted
craft had been sighted outside the shoals.
signals Work Perfectly.
Admiral Higglnsons wonderful system of
signals worked to perfection. Almost in
a moment It seemed. the destroyer De-
catur was rocketed from Portsmouth to
pursue the mysterious 50IisT, and n
moment Decatur. with the smoke belching
he Al
furiously through the heavy seas. The
stranger turned and fed at full speed and
this fact led to the decision that it may
have been one Of the attacking feet pass
ing onward on scout duty. At late hour
Decatur had made no report.
At IL o'clock came another report Of
strange ship sighted south OF Eastern Point
Light, Gloucester. Admiral Higginson at
once ordered the torpedo boat Bagley to
investigate. but Bagley found, to It's sur
prise that It was the cruiser Brooklyn,
which had come down from its northern
station pursuant to the privilege extended
by Admiral Higginson.
Is Protecting ROckpOrt.
The reason that the admiral steadfastly
refused to leave his anchorage in the harbor
here was that he dared not leave Rockport
exposed to the enemy, which. taking ad-
vantage of needless passage OF the defend
ing battleship to another port might easily
creep in and drop anchor at the very heart
of the operations Of the Blue squadron. 1t
was these considerations that forced Ad-
miral Higginson to the conclusion that on
none hut the surest authority would he
leave the Rockport station to Join other
battleships in the work OF putting the
enemy out OF action.
rrha cor,pItcotiona which Ocrurred during
the day in the shape OF undoubted news
that Admiral Pillsbury had secretly landed
some Of his officers ashore to spy, served
only to increase the perplexlty OF Admiral
Higginson's position and this reported shore
system Of spying was one Of the things
which led the admiral to establish the new
signal station of Straitsmouth Point, and
also move his ships to point just inside
Thatchers island. In the early morning the
position Of these boats had not changed.
Day of Vigilance.
Not for a moment during yesterday after
noon did the battleships give up their
watchfulness. Soon after the noon hour a
heavy storm came on. the sky being de-
cidedly black. In the driving rain the Inn
preston obtained by the sailors was that
probably Commander Pillsbury would strike
his blow on such a night as this promised
20 be- But the adverse weather made the
stations OF the defending squadron along
the Atlantic coast line all the more active
and alert. Messages came In from various
points, from Portland to Provineetown,
with remarkable quickness.
In an hour the rain had passed. but the
thick weather remained and as dusk came
on a mist crept over the surface OF the
water. II was dark night. The darkness
was Just coming on when Admiral Higgin-
son gave the order to his battleships to
weigh anchor.
HisginsOn EvIdentIy Uneasy.
So hurriedly had the messages been COM
ing and so many trips did the dispatch
launches make between the shore and Kear-
sarge that It was thought the move was to
be out to sea. The admiral allowed the
squadron TO pass, but a little 20 the south,
In fact, nearer in shore and within hailing
distance Of Thatchers island
This change of anchorage was brought
about for two reasons. The admiral wished
TO keep his ships In varying locations and
TO puzzle the spies OF the White squadron,
who II was frmly believed we're strung
along the coast. Again the admiral wished
20 get In touch with the Straitsmouth Point
life saving station, where was established
tonight an elaborate system Of rocket sig
mailing AS the night wore on the sky
lost little OF its blaokness and the fact that
constant stream Of messages from the
north and south showed clearly enough that
the defending squadron feared the approach
OF Commander Pillsbury.
ANNAPOLIS, Nd. Aug. 21.-The United
States battleship Indiana with a portion of
three upper classes OF midshipmen aboard
arrived In Annapolis roadstead today. II
will aarIxy In ha a.. l..
part In the naval maneuVers on the Massa-
chusetts coast. Chesapeake is expected in
about q week. The cadets. who have been
away on their summer cruise. will be given
vacation until next month.