The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-08-25
ATTACKING SQUADRON LOSES
Continued from First Page.

Continued from First Page.
 here, and the torpedo boat Barney was
 sent out to notify the Blue squadron.
 The station here had before this been notified that Higginson's hattleships had been sighted off Gloucester, and that later they had returned to their berths under the lee of Thatcher's Is- land. The Barney's commander was mystified, therefore, when after round ing Straitsmouth he saw no evidence of the presence of the Kearsarge. On a i hazard the Barney was steered south erly. After Higginsons ships had cruised up and down the coast they went to their anchorage off Thatcher's Island. At this time the officer of the deck on the Kearsarge was Lieutenant Ray Stone, with Midshipman William Dilworth Plueston as the junior officer in command. In contrast to others the morning was clear and star-bright. On the bridge a dozen tackles stood upon
 the lookout One of these was Daniel Staeple, an apprentice of the first class. He stood well forward peering on the lee side. The flagship 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 deck called Flag Lieutenant Evans and Flag Secretary Brislot, and it was but the work of a
 moment to inform Admiral Higginson of the probability that the time for de- cisve action was at hand.
 IT was real tfaap Ca,,apaJ ters were sounded. There was a quick rush of many feet. the manning of a hundred posts, the clank of the anchor chain, the ringing of bells, the giving of orders and general clearing for &C.,
 tion ' Not many moments passed be- fore the flagship was under way, steam ing at four knots, with the Alabama and Massachusetts many lengths in the | rear. Some distance back was the Barney rapidly overhauling the ships ahead.
 At $40 o'clock the three battleships, aided by the converted yacht Scorpion,
 which had chased in front the south in
 time to be in at the finish and the Bar
 ney, which had overtaken the fleet, | formed a horseshoe about the white lt SldtlOIl dilOHR tue Iu61
 on board the blue squadron ran high.
 There was something pathetic in the 1 picture when Commander Pillsbury, af- 1 ter he had signalled his surrender, pass 1 ed in his barge from the Prairie, walked
 up the starboard gangway of the Kear- sarge and offered his sword to Admiral
 Higginson.
 Keep your sword" said the senior
 officer, his voice quavering bit in spite of himself. ''I would not accept the
 sword from so gallant foe"
 And I, sir" responded Pillsbury 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 Pills
 bury stepped down to the cabin of the
 Kearsarge and here the two officers
 discussed in privacy the incidents of the i day since the declaration of hostilities" on Wednesday,.
 1 At the conclusion of the conference i Commander Pillsbury was returned to
 his flagship and it was not long after that the Prairie headed down the coast. 1 A little later signals were given for the
 blue scuadron to return to Rockport.
 Later by the same system of communi-
 cation established and maintained so successfully since Wednesday messages l were dispatched to all points from Port { land to Provincetown ordering all the
 warships of the defending squadron to return to Rockport for further instruc- tions, and at the same time to collect on the way to this harbor all signal men who had been detailed at hoth island and mainland stations along the coast. In an interview on board his flagship Admiral Higginson expressed his pleas ure 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 Com mander Pillsbury's squadron. He said he believed that to some extent the maneuvers had taught the navy it's points of weakness and strength during time of real action. and he believed much good would come from the ''war game"
 The naval experts are discussing the reason for Commander Pillsbury's man. euver in teaming finally to the north ward and coming to anchor, as he did, at point off Magnolia and near to Gloucester harbor, especially in the light of the announcement that he had determined to anchor in Salems har- bor; and the theory was advanced that the acting admiral of the White squad ron either had observed that he had been sighted and decided to surrender hopelessly, or try at the last moment to