Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-20
Commander Of Defenders AYERS
Attacking Fleet Destroyed.
Connecticut Out Of Commission
By Broken Crank Shaft.
Residents Along Coast Manlissilng
Little Interest In Mansuvress

Block Island, r. l., July al
though the Smoke of the morning
Cattle" at sea has hardly cleared
away and another conflict Is even
now impending. the residents and
summer visitors on the southern New
England coast are displaying but lit
tie interest III the movements of tho
Red and Blue fleets tonight. Here
and there one more interested than
his fellows is keeping a night lookr.
out, but to the majority it is mat
ter of little concern. AS a matter of
fact what little can be seen from the.
shore or the islands is meaningless
to the majority. 8sa~
Even the men of the fleets them
selves do not know officially which
was he victor in the engagement
early today and will not know for
some months hence when the navy de-
partment has had opportunity to ex-
anime the reports Of the umpires who
are in charge of the game of var.
What the people on shore saw this
morning was a series of maneuvres
by the two fleets, one composed OF
battleships seeking to gain control Of
the entrance TO Long Island saund
and the naval base In Narragansett
bay. and an opposing fleet composed
Of second class cruisers, destroyers
and submarines
At dawn today the submarines were
apparently patrolling the ocean be-
tween the easterly side of Block island
and No Mans Land with the destroy
ers along secondary line between
Gardeners bay and Newport and the
ct I'D
Judith and Gardeners bay.
Just as the sun was peeping over
the horizon, according to Commander
E. w. Eberle of the defenders. the bat
tleship fleet approached from sea, en-
gagged the enemy and were apparently
theoretically destroyed.
Observers at Block island saw the
battleships approach, go through a
series of maneuvres consuming several
hours and finally stop three or four
miles northeast Of Block island. De-
stroyers and a few submarines were
sighted between the battleships and
the shore. At 10 A. NJ, a fleet of
cruisers, the Washington, Salem ard
!! Chester-part of the attacking feet.
came in from sea very rapidly and
passed between the battleships and the
1 north end of Block island and then
headed in the direction of GARDENERS
bay. 1t was this movement which 1t is
| believed constituted the 10-minute at
tack by Admiral Osterhause of the in
vaders and which he claims to have
won by one and one-half minutes.
Tonight the invading fleet will be
weakened by the loss of the Connecti-
cut Rear Admiral Osterhaus' flagship.
for she Is. not theoretically. but aotu-
ally, out of commission for the time
being through the cracking of a crank
shaft. After a day of resting about
Block island, the boats of the attack
ing feet put to sea late today, but left
the Connecticut behind She will re-
main at this port until the war is
over, taking no further part. and will
then proceed to New York for repairs.
1t Was first thought that Read Adnii-
raj Osterhaus would transfer his flag
to another of the warships and contin-
lie in charge of the attack but he had
not done this when the boats left and
so it is believed that he has turned the
command over to another, probably
to Rear Admiral Aaron Ward. the
ranking officer in charge OF the third
| division
While the invaders were resting at
Block island. the torpedo destroyers
| and others of the feet OF defence spent
the day in Narragansett bay in the Vi
! cinity of Newport They left about
| dusk. at about the hour that the bat
tleships steamed away from Block is
! land headed out to sea and ii is gem
| orally understood both here and at
| Newport that there is to be night at
tack tonight and that the attempt TO
| reach New York will be made in he
| vicinity of Montauk point.
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