The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1902-09-06
AlAf AiIIi}l THE NAVY
THE MIMIC WAR STARTED.
The Fleet Under Admiral Higginson
Made sudden Attack and Captured
Island and All Telegraph Lines
Array Was Routed-The Olympia
In the Action.

Rock Island. Sept. 1.-THE Beacon Hin
signal and wireless telegraph station. e.
tabiished BY the army in connection with
The extensive war maneuyers. was cap
tursd By the fieet representing the enemy
under command Of Rear Admiral Hig-
ginzsn just after O'Clock Monday morn
ing. The station was abandoned after a
oombardment Of two hours and a quar-
| ter by The battleships. and the guard e.
capped before a superior force Of marines,
| which had landed under cover OF the nr-
ing vessels 1t Great salt Pond harbor.
Eight hundred marines are now holding
The station and guarding the approaches,
while the feet IS anchored on shore.
1t was scarcely midnight when the pa
troll OF the Block Island LIE saving sta
don discovered the feei OF the eastern
side OF the island The signal station
Ras AT once warned and the men consld-
cred an attack imminent They had four
hours leeway. Al 4l5 the battleshIps
ran in and opened FIRE on the island. The
range raked the great salt pond and thu
Beacon Hill station The rsverberatioas
shook the island 10 its base The dring
was continued until GO, when a collier
and dispatch boat entered the hArbor and
landed force Of men Before the at
tack Of this detachment. having been re-
dueed by the previous bombardment, the
men az the station made their escape
The landing force Of 500 was divided and
squads were stationed on each side Of
the breskwGter and at other points along
the Shore while an ample force was sent
to occupy the Beacon Hill station. A.
The feet lay OF shore L vessels could be
couh1ed, including The eolilers.
Surprised by the Olympia.
WOODS Holle. Mass. Sept 2-The Unit
Cd States cruiser Olympia dashed mo
this port Monday forenoon, landed a
force and seized all telegraph. telephone
and cable stations. thereby cutting OF
all communication with Marthas Vine
gard and Elizabeth island
Of course the seizure and the dessrue-
don Of Geographic and cable faeilliss
we're hgurativs. and it required the de-
cision Of an umpire to make plain wheth-
er or not the point attempted by Admiral
hlgginson had been won. AS the land
ING was made the telegraph and teie-
phone Offices were entered by sufacieal
force 10 have destroyed the property, or
at least the instruments, at the same
lime boats crew had located the cable
with graphing hooks and held Il a suf-
heient period to have allowed for the
cutting OF them, there seemed TO have
been no question but that the move had
been entirely successful The Olympia
appeared OF this port suddenly Mon
day morning and Immediately two boats
put on toward shore. One was a launch
and the other a whaleboat. and in them
vas detachment under Lieutenant L.
NJ EverhSrdt The launch landed here
w..lAe the whaleboat lay OF shore and at
once began graphing for the cable. The
men under Lieutenant Everhardt rushed
10 the office Of the Marthas Vineyard
Telegraph company and then TO the tele-
phone station and carried out their or
ders 70 make the seizure Having ac-
complished this work. they returned to
their Launches. Joined the whaIeboat and
returned to their ship. This move cut
OF the only communication with the ISL
ands Of Nantucket ana 1Iarthas Vine
yard. which are very important observA-
rsnr stations