The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-13

the searchlights were turned on them
Daylight was penetrating the mist at tha'
time. and objects ON the nearby islands
and mainland could be discerned by those
on the ships. The sudden manner in which
the electric CLEANS from the forts were
turned toward the approaching armor-
clads appeared to be ample evidence that
at no time previously had the three big
vessels been discovered.
SMALL CRAFT PUT OUT OF ACTION.
Yet the army people were honest in their
belief that their searchlights had picked
up the ships hours before daybreak came
They had detected some small craft OF the
enemy engaged in eountermining in the
inner harbor approaches during the early
hours of the night and had banged away
furiously at them. They banged away
AT other things, too, and through the smoke
and the mist these things took on the APP
pearance of great, grim battleships.
One by one the ships were declared out
of action until eight Of them had met
aphorcally gone to the bottom. And the
army was happy.
But while all this laundering of heavy
artillery was keeping the people of Portland
wide awake and wishing for the morning,
the big ships that were being sent to Davy
Jones's locker with painful regularity
weren't anywhere within effective range
of the army's guns. They were lying miles
away from the nearest fort, secure from
observation in the darkness. waiting, with
the people of Portland. for day to come.
1t is only fair to say. however, that the
army did not assert officially that 1t had
put the fleet out of action before the day
break attack
WHAT DID THE GUNNERs SEE?
One peculiar thing about the firing during
the night was that those on the ships did not
hear the firing of the big guns of the forts
or see their flashes. This shows how far
away the fleet was at the time when the
army thought it was not only in sight, but
within effective range.
As matter of fact, the feet did not reach
the point where it awaited the coming OF
daylight until 2:3O. The shore guns had
been firing long before that time. What
the gunners in the forts saw that resembled
large wanhips will probably never be
determined.
1t is true that about an hour before day
light, say at $50 o'clock. the Kearsarge,
leading the batteship division, was within
three miles of the Portland Head fixed
light but the behavior of the searchlights
from shore seemed to prove conclusively
that she was not located even then, nor,
In fact, until the day had begun to break.
And it may be we'll to say word or two
right here In regard to this searchlight
question. The lights were much more
powerful than those used in the war games
last year on the lower New England coast
and the experience gained then taught
those in charge how to operate them to
greater advantage this year.
That they were very effective on clear
nights in picking up objects in the channels
leading to Portland is testified to by naval
observers in the forts; but the testimony
is conflicting as to their ability to pick up
ships at any considerable distance at sea.
SURPRISES ABOUT THE sEARCHLIGHTs.
II was the observation of THE sun re-
porter. who witnessed both last years
and this years, that with even
the lightest mist the most penetrating
are not able to bring into bold
relief objects of considerable size, such as
high freeboard battleships with military
masts. at the short distance of three miles.
This may seem a surprising statement,
but it s based on actual observation At
a much greater distance the ships were en-
veloped in flood of brilliant light, but
those operating the ref1ectors were APP
parently without knowledge that they We're
placing the rays upon the objects sought
for. The opinion of those aboard the ships
was that the intense glare hampered the
vision of the operators ashore
The statement that the searchlights were
so ineffective is all the more remarkable
when considered in connection with the
fact for there is no reason TO doubt it
that the rays sent out from the searchlight
stations near Portland were seen seventy
five or eighty miles away. Edward p,
Mayo of Waterville, Me-. sent word that
at China Lake, about eighty miles from
Port land every movement of these lights
could be traced distinctly
At Winthrop. fifty-six miles from Port
land, the searchlight CLEANS were clearly
When the Red Fleet was on
its way south from Rockland to engage in
the war game it could see the searchlights
dartng up from under the horizon at dis
tances of from twenty-five to thirty miles
from Portland.
CoUNTERMINING SUCCESSFUL.
It was asserted by the army that all the
small craft sent into the Portland channels
to countermine under cover of the dark
ness were detected and put out of action.
This much is admitted by the navy so far
as it concerns the gunboats Scorpion and
Peoria; but those of the Red Fleet contend
that the torpedo boat destroyer Truxtun
performed countermining successfully with
out being seen
The Truxtun crept in toward Portland
during the early hours Of Aug. 20 before
I he Red Fleet made its attack on the forts.
1t got right off Fort I,evett on Cushing
Island and anchored there without being
seen.
Two small boats were put out to do the
work Of countermining. One of these
was picked up by a searchlight fired upon
and declared to be sunk. The other boat
it's task without being seen,
and according to the contention Of the
navy, the Truxtun, after taking this boat
in tow, steamed out Of the harbor and
reioined the fleet without its presence
having been known TO those in the forts.
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