The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-08-09
OUR FOREIGN LETTER.


ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT, July 13, 80.
In the afternoon of the first day
of the bombardment vast clouds of
smoke hung drifting over the city
of Alexandria, and flames were ris-
ing from one wing Of the Khedive's
Palace as well as from the buildings
under the Pharos. The forts on
shore were replying with only an
occasional gun, but Gabara and one
or two Others had not been silenced.
Suddenly the two ironclads ceased
to send from their sides those thick
rings of whirling smoke with the
fiery centre. and a strange quiet en-
sued, which was followed by the
slow departure of these two war
ships from the vicinity of the shore.
They had seen and answered a
signal from the Admiral to cease
firing. Thus practically ended the
work of those terrible nine hours,
during which, for the first time,
England's mighty. modern artillery
had spoken forth in anger. None
then knew on board the fleet what
havoc of life and limb lay behind the
crumbled masonry and shattered
earth-banks which could be seen.
The Egyptians had stood up gal
lantly, and must, all knew, have
paid heavily.
Egyptian darkness now settled
upon the scene of wrath and de-
struction. The great war-ships were
one by one withdrawn from their
positions, feeling their way with the
utmost caution through the shoals
and narrow passes of the harbor and
its approaches. Arab had, of course,
extinguished all guiding lights, and
only the gleam of a few lamps
marked the city. The vessels of the
fleet were eventually ranged in a
line, with an offing of about three
miles, and all night long bright,
searching beams of the electric light
played along the water from the
main-top of each ironclad, falling,
sometimes, in patches of sharp ra-
dance on the low-lying coast There
must have been fresh terror for
Arabs men in those piercing mid
night rays of mysterious glitter
which lit up the sea in quest of
boats or torpedoes, and then sud-
denly flash and flicker along the
land.
This morning dawned dull and
cloudy and the sea was leaden col
ored. In the stiffness of this heavy,
unusual weather the flags Of all the
fleet were seen to be lowered at half
mast, and one of the gunboats pres
emily was observed stroling around
among them collecting the dead.
There We're oEly five or six in num-
Der, and did not include a single
officer. The losses on Tuesday were
really very light considering the
length of the engagement This was
chiefly due to the fact that Arabi's
men had moving targets to aim at,
and could hardly get of two con-
secutive rounds without a monstrous
shell breaking ike a volcano amidst
them. or hail from the deadly
Gatlings scourging them away from
their platforms.
When the funeral ceremony had
been completed the irOnclads and
their plucky little consorts once
again ran their fighting flags up TO
the peaks and rode to their anchors,
or slowly forged ahead, all stripped
for action and in fighting order.
Those nearest shore could now dis
tinguish. with their glasses, dis
mounted guns. parapets crumbled
to a dust-heap, timber and masonry
and munitions OF war in confusion
the result Of Tuesdays terrible work,
while not only the palace behind,
but portions of the city, as / say,
smoked and fiared.
The Egyptians had fought much
better than was expected. Ihey
have well earned the honor of being
the first to face, throughout a long
day, the most tremendous artillery
fire ever opened in any warfare. Nor
can it be said that ignorance made
them bold, for the first few rounds
from the heavy guns produced eff
fects positively frightful to witness,
even from a point of safety, while TO
have stood under such avalanches
of iron without finehing proves the
Egyptian to have some good stuff
among them.
n Brakeman Beheaded BY Train.