New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-03
that the Panther and the Prairie were destroyed
here.
MAIN ATTACK DELIVERED.

struck IL two places, was now ready 70 denver
his main attack For this ne had selected the
narrow massage between Plum Island and the
northwest tin of Long Island Sound, which
forms the side door 10 the Sound, the Race
is the main door Moving along the north shore
Of Long Island under cover of the thick mist
and rain the feet crept UP on Fort Terry the
main defence of the passage.
II was shortly before ) o'clock when the
searchlights Gardeners Point. Fort Terry
and Fort Niche simultaneously picked up the
feet consisting OF the Alabama. the Kearsarge.
the Puritan and the Indiana. Captain Lyons,
who commanded at this point, reports that the
feet were sighted at range Of about six thou
sand yards. At this distance he says the
certrated searchIights disclosed the attacking
force perfectly and the great battleships re-
semhled 2 phantom feet as they stood out in
the dazzling light. Instantly the batteries be
gan their work. The great mortars. the chief
reliance of the army here. volleyed forth four
teen salvos. The life Of 2 ship according TO
the rules Of the game is only four salvos. so
some Of the boats must have persisted here. The
other guns equally busy.
SAILING OVER THE NINE FIELu.
The fleet sailed on into the channel and out of
range of the forts At this place the forttca-
tons incomplete. and there is a place known
as the Dead Angle. where the ships can shell
the forts and yet he out of range of the guns
on shore. This was. of course known to Ad-
miral Higginson. and it was 10 this point that
he led his fleet. Here his batteries continued TO
fire until they believed they had silenced the
defence. Then they retired and were not mo-
Tested by the shore
The army has for many weeks been busy pro-
tecting itself this Dead Angle Here they
have sown numbcrless mines connected with
the shore by cable. These mines can be fired
by contact with q ship or by electric current
from the fort. The first ships to hit the mine field
were the Alabama and the Indiana, and when
The range finders showed the vessels to he ex-
actly over the mines they were fired In this
way the Indiana and the Alabama passed out of
the fight although they could not of course
know Of the fact. Then the monitor Puritan
came charging in She hit one of the contact
mines Instantly the connection in the fort
flashed, showing the unpres that the monitor
was out of the fight This left the Kearsarge
and on her the fire of all the batteries. which
was continued for considerable period until
the commander of the fort decided that the ship
was sunk, and ordered the fire to cease
SHIPS LEAVE THE HARBOR.
An this time the guns of the feet were busy
and the people the ship decided when the
forts stopped firing that they had been silenced
Jub1lant over their victory. and ignorant of
the fact that three Of the four ships had been
blown up. the ships sailed away The COM
mandeT OF the forts ged this morning re-
ported that the whole affair was magnificently
accomplished For forty minutes the fire Of the
tort had been AZ work on the ships three out Of
the four had into the mine field and only
the hearsarge could possibly have escap ped.
Briefly, then, the army claims TO have de-
stroyed the attacking force. II discovered them
at a range OF about three miles and il had
over twenty minutes of effective firing in both
attacks. and it had mines that the feet knew
nothing Of. which exploded under the hulls Of
the best ships il the fleet All this was ac-
complished on night when the fog hung over
the water. shrouding The view and binding the
searchlishts. Admiral Hgginson had an ad-
mira bic night for his dash, but certainty he
failed 10 pass unobserved. and apparently he
was defeated and his fleet suffered annihilaton
What the umpires will decide when they meet
is. Of course. doubtful. but as a game it was
exciting and realistic TO the last degree.
THE ACCIDENT AT THE FORT
The explosion which added 4 touch Of real
var to the affair. happened about o'clock
this morning. Fort H. q Wright which had
been wholly outside the zone Of fig during the
second attack. had been thoroughly aroused b.
the terrific firing going at Terry. When =
strange sail was sighted the men at the Finch
guns were ordered open fire The big guns
went to work with 4 will, and sent their roar
Of defiance 70 add 10 the tunnult of the other
forts. When about twenty rounds had been
fired one OF the guns became overheated and
when the next charge Of powder was showed
into the breech before il could be closed there
was terrific explosion. Private Roy who
stood nearest the gun, received the fun force
His head was blown from his body and he was
literally torn to pieces Harry 4 Davis. an
other private belonging, like Roy, 70 the ID Com
pany of Coast Artillery. was MORALLY wounded,
his breast being crushed in b. the force Of
the explosion George n. Bacon another pri
vate. had his right leg shattered, and Samuel
Clevenger was 50 badly burned that he will
probably lose his eyesisht. This is the one &C
cident that has so far married the otherwise per
feet work of the army.
AT o'clock this afternoon the hostile fleet
was sighted lying at anchor off Cerberus Shoal,
ABOUT seven miles south of Fort II. O. Wright
A re" shots were exchanged, but the fleet made
no EFFORT 10 come into range. The weather con-
ohues thick and heavy. and the prospects favor
another thick night. Since the opening Of hos
nhties the weather has constantly favored the
meet another night dash, probably at Nara
sahSe't' is predicted by the army tonight.
WIRELESS TELEGRAPH WORK.
The wireless telegraph continues to do good
WORK from Block Island Messages came in all
DAY and the tugboat Unique. equipped with
wireless apparatus, has been scouting around
OUTSIDE all day long. This boat had narrow
escape last night. She down the Race al
most al the same time the Brooklyn and the
massachusetts came in. The weather was so
thlck that she did not locate the batteshlps. al
lhough she passed their scout boat. which was
lying 10. showing only the faintest glimmer
4 thrill line