The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-27
HEAVY LOSSES BY THE NAVY
WHICH ATTEMPTED TO SURPRISE
GENERAL CHAFFEE's SOLDIERS.
Warships. However,. steamed Into
tinuOus CannOnade from Land.

war was declared. At o'clock tonight the
greater part of Admiral Barker's fleet was
anchored off Goose island, about ten miles
from Fort Mckinley, the eastermost of the
protecting Notifications
A demonstration, claimed by the army to
be a day attack and by the navy night at
tack, was made by the fleet early in the
morning. The attack repulsed theo-
retically with loss of several vessels to
the fleet. The preliminary attack, directly
after midnight, was made by landing
parties. The latter attack, which ended at
s o'clock, was made by two sections of the
feet which attempted to force, simultane-
ously, the passages leading into the harbor.
The feet modified off Goose island and re-
manned there all day. During the early
part of the evening there had been no open
hostilities, but firing was heard shortly
after 10 o'clock.
A statement given out to-day at the
army division headquarters, Fort Lovett,
Cushings island says: 1.-The army, under
the command of Col. S. NJ Mills, it is be-
lieved, gained victory over portion of
the fleet commanded by Admiral Barker in
an enga gement which lasted for three hours
this morning. Two phases of the maneu-
umpires claimed victory. The first, the at
tempt TO land force, was begun shortly
after / o'clock, and repulsed with
heavy loss. The second phase was the at
tempt to run the batteries, and was begun
in the gray of dawn. The army claim the
vessels were destroyed by gun fire and the
mines. A discovery was made that the
powerful searchlights were able to pene-
trate the fog, and the vessels of the at
tacking fleet were picked up at distance
of 10000 yards
At Fort Preble it is claimed that all three
of the big warshps which entered the har-
Dor had been technically destroyed in the
earlier action, when they were first dscov-
cred by use of searchlights. 1t was stated
to-day that 14O rounds fired by the
mortars of the harbor forts during the at
tack 125 shells by the converted guns at
Fort Preble and thirty-five shots by six
inch guns.
1t was through dense smoke and amid the
tumult of continuous cannon fire that the
battleships Kearsarge, Illinois and Ala
bama entered this port early to-day, hav-
ing stormed the main entrance to the har-
bor From midnight. when the scouts of the
hostile fleet were found by the pickets of
the army on shore, until daylight, when the
battleships came up the channel, Portland
was treated TO an experience very much
like actual war.
A SLEEPLESS NIGHT.
The night was a sleepless one not only
for all actually engaged in the maneuvers,
but for many in the city. 1t was scarcely
midnight when the searchlights of the forts
disclosed two torpedo boat destroyers in
the outer harbor. Firing began at once,
ence of battleship was revealed by the
searchlights, and several of the forts
opened fire upon her. This vessel returned
the fire, and after that the cannonading
became general. A cutter and launch con-
tanning landing parties were captured, and
at 2:25 a. m. all the outer forts
gagged i'm action with the three big vessels,
which afterward were recognized as the
kearsarge, Illinois and Alabama.
While two torpedo boat destroyers and
other small craft had been detailed to the
duty of threatening the various passages
of the harbor, the movement against the
main channel had been reserved for the bat
tleships. For more than hour the big
vessels stood off the main entrance to the
harbor At o'clock they began the ad-
vance. With the Kearsarge leading and
the Illinois and Alabama close behind, each
belching broadsides at the forts, they sailed
slowly toward the city. Forts Williams
Preble and Leavitt poured uninterrupted
fire towards the ships. In turn each ship
seemed TO concentrate fire on one fort after
another until the vessels had reached the
inner harbor. AS the ships crept the
forts the firing ceased slowly, and by
o'clock the echo of the guns at the eastern
side of the bay, where a minor engagement
was going on, was all that could be heard
The battleships then Unanswered for a time
and then they went back toward the outer
harbor, where they began cruising about
among the islands.
SCENE OF ACTION SHIFTED.
Early in the forenoon the scene of action
shifted to the passage into Hussey's sound.
between Peaks and Long island. From this
vicinity great clouds of smoke were arising
and the roar of many guns was heard as
the Olympia led a fleet against Fort Nc
Kinley. AS at the main entrance they
came in slowly. The Olympia was closely
followed by the Baltimore. There were
four other vessels in this fleet, the principal
one being the training ship Newport The
others were the converted yacht Vixen and
two torpedo boat destroyers, Worden and
Stewart For time the firing was as vio-
lent that marking the passage of the
battleships. Then the action ceased sud-
denly.
With the interval in the long continued
action came chance to review the entire
movement from midnight to midforenoon
The land forces claimed that though the
battleshipS had passed the forts and entered
the harbor they were not able to take the
city and had dropped back to the outer
harbOr to signal for re1nfcrcementS. Those
coming up under lead of the Olympia had
engaged the forts and anchored for a time
to renew the attack. While the ships were
LAYING at anchor after the action, the third
section of the enemy's squadron, including
the Chicago, two torpedo-boat destroyers
one second battleship and one large cruiser
Joined the waiting fleet
This forenoon ii was learned that con-
certed attempt of the attacking fleet to
make a landing during the night have been
unsuccessful. 1t was the evident intention
to land on many OF the islands as pos
sible and early in the engagement the har-
Dor Just inside the headlands of the main
ship channel became dotted with small boats
some of which made their way toward
Fort Preble and others toward Cushing's
island, where the headquarters of the divi-
sion are located The move drew the fire
of the small army posts these islands
The landing parties were repulsed from all
the islands. The launch and cutter cap
tured at Fort Preble were part of the gen.
eral landing forces. Later the Panther
tried to land on Long island. several boat
loads of marines and tackles under fire
from her rifles. but the boats were repuIsed
by the fire from field battery well masked
on the shore and by heavy gunfire from
Fort Mckinley.
SITUATION LAST NIGHT.
At o'clock tonight the situation In the
war game was practically the same at