Daily Republican., 1884-10-10
BROKEn OH MA.
GraIhlc Account Of tine French
Operations o. the MIN River
Exciting 1cs nos.

GraIhic Account Of tue French
Operations On she MIN River
Exciting scenes.
UNITED STATES STEAMER ENTER
PRISE PAGODA ANCHoRAGH, Foo.
CHOW, CHINA, Aug. 26.-The United
States steamer Enterprise, flying the
flag of Rear Admiral John Lee Davis,
u. 8. N, arrived At the PaQoda An
chorage, the scene of the action bet ween
the French and Chinese sQuadrons,
nine miles below the city Of Foochow,
NJ p. m. on August 18th. In the har-
Dor at the time Of her arrival were the
the British. men. of war Champion and
Sapphire, the latter flying the flag of
the Admiral, Sir William Dowell; six
French vessels, the Volta flying the flag
of Vice Admiral Courbet, aud eleven
Chinese gunbosts. The French and
Chinese vessels of WAT were all cleared
for action, with everything ready for q
fight.
During the afternoon Of the 22d of
August news was received OF the haul.
ing down OF the French flag at the
Legation in Peking, the Chinese having
refused TO agree to pay eighty million
francs indemnity to France for having
violated the Treaty of Tientsin, and on
the morning Of the 23d word was sent
around by Admiral Courbet that he
had received orders to make reprisals
in the Min River, and that he would
commence operations that day, and the
neutral men. of-men made all prepare
lions TO get under way and stand out In
case II became necessary In order TO
keep out OF the line of FIRE.
L nd hvrt 81 an
firing Of machine gun from the fore
top OF the Lynx at 1.56 p. IN, which
was replied to by . brOadside from the
Tang Woo, the Chinese flagship, di.
rected against the Volta, which killed
four men and an English pilot employ
fed by the French, who WAS standing
alongside Of Admiral Courbet at the
time. At the Same instant q French
torpedo boat started out, and In half a
minute lord report was heard and
the Tang Woo, enve.Oped In cloud Of
smoke, was seen to be partly lifted Out
Of the water, and Immediately she
com meDced sinking, going down with
in four minutes from the time the en-
gagement began. At this moment 9
heavy gun was heard down the river
below the neutral men of-war, and the
Triomphante, one of the largest iron
clads belonging to France, was seer
coming up.
She came into action in splendii
sty lie, and in passing US her captain very
lcourteously returned our officers salute
at the same instant sending an immens
shell from her port bow gun through
and through, fore and aft, one Of tn
Chinese vessels, sinking her at her an
Choir. BY this time the whole scene hal
become overloaded with smoke; tn
roar Of the great guns and the constan
rattle of the machine guns were all tina
indicated the position Of the vessels
Ten minutes after the engagement com
Imenced two of the Chinese gunboat
came floating down the river on fire
one Of them sinking immediatel.
labreast the Enterprise With its color
flying, and the other passing down tn
river, grounding half mile below tn
Neutral veasels.
Here an explosion took plac5 on board
lof her and abe fioated off and continued
on down, and in few minutes, afte
another explosion, passed out of sigh
around bend in the river. At 2.08 on
of the Chinese guuboats, having beef
riddled with shot, sunk, with her fiaI
still flying and firing gun ~ tn
aters closed over her aud her gallan
Icrew. Hal fan hour later another Chimes
Igunbo came drifting down on fire,
French flag having been substituted 70
its own. Immed lately after passin
the neutral shipping q terrible expo
sion was heard, an immense cloud o
smoke was seen rising in the air, an,
the gunboat had blown up, the fire evi
IDENTIFY having reached the magazine
The Chinese squadron had been an
, nihila not vessel OF 1t was to b.
seen, Two Of the gunboats had escape.
up the river, having been shot through
and through, and there deserted an.
left to sink. Four others had been rid
died with shot and sunk at their an
chors, two had been destroyed by fire
one had been blown up by tor
pedo. The French vessels we're intac
and apparently no more injured thai
| If they bad been engaged in large
practice. 1t Is said that Admiral Cour
bets orders were " To destroy the Chi
, nese squadron" and that Is certainl..
! what lie did. The French had six mel
killed and TIVE We wounded, and Will
! the Chinese loss cannot be accuratel
determined, 1t IL reported to be no les
| than one thousand killed and browne,
from the shipping alone, and that tn
+ loss on shore exc eds that on the water
4 During the engagement the Chimes
kept sending down, from up the river
:, Dire vessels I'LL with hay, coal, tai
pitch and other combustibles, whic
we're unheeded by the French an
towed clear at the neutral shipping b
the English and American steam lauI
5 ches.
!. After the squadron had been destroy
cd the French turned their guns on tn
batteries ard soldiers on shore, and a
ter few hours constant and rsgula
= sbelling, silenced them. Immediatel
: after, the steam launches OF the Frenc
squadron attacked the remaining Wa
hunks up the river and sunk, blew u
:, or set on fire all of them In the evenin
a large junk filed with burning cos
) came down, which the French CON
lmenoed Smelling, and ~ the shell land
= ell and exploded anon gst the Goals the
!, were thrown high in the air in shower
8 of fire. This was evidently q ruse o
the part Of the Cinnamon to attract tn
lattention OF the French, for at the sam
thine, By means of the electric scare
lights, q Chinese torpedo boat WAS di
lowered making for the Volta, and Wa
: promptly captured.
II Early the next morning, August 25tl
q large landing party WAS sent ashoI
; at the arsenal, and after remaining a
= shore for about forty minutes, returne
B to their ships, which Mt noon got und'
= way and stood down the riv,r, destro,
T" ing all the forts and public property G
n their way.
y During the engagement Oh the 23d II
: Emit rprise and the British ships we
: Iengaged in picking up drowning Chin
= men, towing fire junks clear OF neutr'
X lshipping, and rendering general ASST
.. jtauce that would in no way violats..tt