Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1902 — ENEMY’S SHIPS TAKEN. [ARTICLE]

ENEMY’S SHIPS TAKEN.

Mimic Naval War Ends with Surrender of Pillsbury’s Squadron. The mimic naval war on the New England coast ended Sunday morning with the capture of Pillsbury’s white squadron off Magnolia, Mass., by Rear Admiral Higginson’s fleet. Pillsbury was attempting to steal into Salem harbor when his vessels were sighted by Daniel H. Staehle, the signal boy of the flagship Kearsarge, and soon the defending battleships were racing to intercept the “enemy.” The attacking ships were cornered and Pillsbury was forced to surrender. It was daybreak when the signal boy saw Pillsbury’s ships steaming in the direction of Salem. The Kearsarge, with its consorts, the Alabama and the Massachusetts, lyibg near by, was anchored close in to Thatcher’s Island and less than three miles off Rockport. Pillsbury was heading in northeast and was about fifteen miles to the southward of the Kearsarge. Staehle knew the enemy’s ships and gave the alarm immediately. In ten minutes the Kearsarge, the Alabama and the Massachusetts had anchors up arid were headed for the hostile squadron, going at a clipping rate. The big flagship got up a fifteen-knot speed within a few seconds after it was started. Close behind came the Alabama and Massachusetts. Commander Pillsbury saw the game was up and stopped his engines to wait for his opponents to draw near. It wtls 4:20 o’clock when the white squadron was sighted. At* 5 o’clock the crews of the blue were summoned to quarters. At 5:35 Rear Admiral Higginson called on Pillsbury to surrender. Fire minutes later the commander of the squadron gracefully complied, sending up a flag signal to that effect. Then the blue squadron hove to and Commander Pillsbury came aboard the Kearsarge, where he and Rear Admiral Higginson said pleasant things to each other. When this was over the Kearsarge, the Alabama and the Massachusetts went back to Rockport to await the reassembling of the entire fleet, dispatch boats being sent out in the meantime to gather in the guard and picket vessels strung out along the coast between Portland and Cape Cod.