The Bessemer indicator., 1893-01-28
IN a HOT PLACE ONCE. V
Experience of an Officsr of the French
Gun-Boat, Hussard.

Gun-Boat. Hussard.
Lieutenant Senoz the second Of
ficer OF the Fronch gun boat Hussnrd.
Is young man who hns acquired
considerable reputation for courage
and enterprise among his fellow. OF.
flcers OF the French navy. snys tho
New York Sun. In January. 1885.
when General Brier de l'Isle, COM
mander-in In chief OF tho French expo
aition TO Tonkin. decided TO carry
the war into Chinese territory. he
sent Commander Domino and 600 mon
to occupy tho citadel of Thuyen-quan.
This fortress stands at tho entrance
Of the passes which lead westward
toward Yunnan. and was q point
keep communication open between
the French advance column and tho
sea- Two gun-boats sixty feet in
length and OF fiiteon feet beam each.
armed with a six-inch brooch loading
rifle and two Gatling guns with a
crew of fifteen men all told. were as
signed to duty in the Clear river to
keep open communication between
Thuyen .quan and Sontay. One gun
boat was commanded by Lieutenant
Senez the other by Lieutenant Go
Balaincourt
Tho French column. in command
of General Negrier. had hardly start
ed through the mountain passes when
the Chinese army corps of the Yum
nan, Il. 900 strong. came down from
Laokai toward the delta OF tho Red
river and attacked Thuyen. guam.
The Chinese general be legged tho
citadel and expected to capture it
easily on account OF tho greater
numerical force OF his army and the
power OF his modern artillery. But
he soon found that he could do moth
ing as long as tho two gunboats kept
provisioning tho fort He therefore
established four batteries OF Krupp
guns six miles below Thuyen- guam. au
point on tho river where tho rocky
shores narrowed and turned tho
stream into foaming rapids. On tho
most prominent rocks he built an nd-
ditional battery OF barbette guns, 10
mako the place even moro impassa-
bic. the Chinese commander filed
two junks with stone and sank them
in Upstream.
When senea and do Balaincourt
found their retreat cut off they used
their guns to help defend the fort
But at tho end OF bombardment OF
thirty-sit days two-thirds OF tho
French garrison and most OF the off
Gers had been killed. A breach had
been made in the walls at which Com
mander Domino had been compelled
to repulse seven assaults OF Chinese
infantry. and still the siege artillery
of the enomy pounded away in at
tempts TO make other openings in tho
dcfenses. Tho commander OF Thuyen-
quan saw that something must bo
dono 10 save the men still left
In few hours it was decided to
send a gun boat down the river Tho
decks and machinery were protected
by additional steel plates and Lieu
tenant Senez was put in command.
The craft started down stream. and
in short whilo had arrived in sight
OF the rapids. The otiicor rang for
full speed. and steered straight ahead
toward tho distractions A shower
of shells md cannon balls wcro sent
from tho shore batteries on tho rocks
Kept up hail of bullets Lieutenant
Senez was wounded eight times
and thirteen out of tho fifteen OF his
crew were killed. The steel protec-
tive plates were blown TO atoms. and
tho whole top hamper of tho boat was
torn away. but the gun boat got by
tho barricade and reached Hal Phong
in safety There Senez found Gen
eral Briere de r1sle with G. 900 men.
In three days by means of forced
marches these troops reached Thuy-
en- guam and after bloody fight re-
lieved the fort which must havo eur
rendered before night.