The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-08
SHE SANK TWICE.
Remarkable History of a
Warship.
AN ADMIRAL'S TWO LIVES.
He Lost One Last July and the
Other Last Month.
SOME PRETTY RAPID REPAIRING.
And Some Pretty Tough Stories
About Sinking Vessels That Are
Now in Active Service.
SOME PRETTY RAPID REPAIRING.


done according to certain rules which are
not easily explained by those uHaccustomed
TO the describing of vessels in action. 1t is
very difficult TO fire brOadsides with 6-inch
guns in sponsors, when these Sponsors
are placed one for each side OF the ship.
1t is very hard to load a gun from the
muzzle and shoot the ball out through the
breech.
But the most difficult task Tor the writer
of the rautical class is to write a good
straight story of ship that is almost
destroyed by shot and shell being dragged
from the bottom of the ocean and put into
active service again in less than two
months from the time that she met with
the appalling disaster mentioned. Never
theless the Chinese gunhoats Chin Yuen
and Lai Yuen have afforded an am bilious
marine specialist the plot for as astonis b.
ing an example of deep sea resurrection as
has ever been brought before the public.
The celebrity with which the Chinese
fought a naval battle, lost it. had two
ships sunk. ran back to China, secured
help and dug the ships out of their wa
terV graves aud had them in fighting trim
at Ping Yang on August II last. or thlriy-
three days after the alleged disaster that
befell them, mas surprised every man who
has ever Smelt salt water so much that ne
The stories circulated through the me-
dunn Of a daily paper by the marine lit
erary marvel in question have caused all
civilization TO lremble at the very th ought
of forcing men 10 fight in modern cruisers
against modern gunboats. Fight. mind
you, with guns that suggest by their re-
. markable capacity for shooting around
coTners with patent adjustable shot war
Tantsd to fit any siZ3d bTeech that they
might have been manufactured in the
foundry of some weird old magician.
Some time during the early part of Au-
gust the squadron known as the Ping
Yang squadron, under command of Ad-
mi7aI Ting. who was alleged by this nau-
teal Munchausen to have been killed on
July 10. started for Yaku. Among the
ships IF this fleet were the now celebrated
Chin 1uen and Lai Yuen, that our con-
temporary informant pictures as having
been destroyed on July IA amid the walls
of the dying and the booming of great
guns that crashed shot into their disabled
hullS, tearing them into bits of iron and
wood and strewing the sea with the wreck
age.
In this same battle of the 18th it is de-
tailed that the Japanese torpedo cruiser
TSao kiang was destroyed by fire started
by an explosion in her magazine by smell
from the Chin Yuen. The latter on that
date was safe in the harbOr IF Ping Yang
rSKIng on supplies and troops. Strange 10
say Captain Won HeGneker of The Kow
Shung reported to the British Consul-Gen-
eral, under date of August %, that he
had watched the movements of the Tsao
klang on August 81. She had steamed
past the forts Of one of the northern ports
on that day.
The full report of the Tsao HANGS man.
euVers published recently stated that the
vessel had been spoken a score of times
after the date that the marine marvel de-
clared was her last Oh top OF water. These
facts were published in China on Septem-
Der 10, the special being written by the
North China News own correspondent,
who had interviewed the ships captain.
The movement of the Ping Yang squad
ron appeared in print in every paper in
China and Japan. In every instance the
names of the vessels Chin I uen and Lai
Tuen were mentioned. for these shps
were the most important of that feet. In
the Hong-Kong Telegraph OF August %
the TIenlsin correspondent of that paper
writes that 'tbe feet was stripped down
TO lower masts and bowsprits only and
prepared for engagement" The ChIh
Yuen and Lai Yuen were prominently
mentioned.
In another edition of the Hong-Kong
Telegraph and also in the Japan Adver-
tlser, and in private letter from the COM
mander of the United states steamer
Monacacy, the two vessels that the marine
marvel AYERS were destroyed amid great
havoc on July Il were reported at Taku on
August II, at P NJ, and started in a
nor heasteriy direction at that time steam
Ing IN double column.
Further special orrespondence from
Iientsln under date of August % to the
North emma Daily News and to tie news
papers OF the world reported Admiral
Ting IN command OF the fleet
Furthermore, the finding of the British
court of Inquiry in the matter of the sink
ing of the k0w Sbung was published in full
hy the London Times and also the Hong
Kong papers,. it read as follows:
The first guns of the war were fred on
the afternoon of July %, when The British
steamer kow Shung was DESTROYED and
sunk" etc.
Now comes an interesting turn in at
fairs. The steamer Gaelic brought to this
city on her last trip file of the latest
copies OF the Japan Advertiser. A story
OF land and naval victory at Ping Yang
was mentioned IN number of issues Int
1t was not until the printing of the paper
of the 20th of Septefn ber-orlv one conv
Of which was received in this city and ia
now on file at the Merchants Exchange
were any details published. These details
correspond with the special cables of the
London and New York papers that
touched briefly On the affair.
Ii IranspireS that on September TO- or
thereabouts, the Ping Yang squadron en-
gagged the japanese fleet hundreds of miles
from where the marine literary genius OF
IeCeIL local reputation udu SUNK Two S0IpS
and burned another five weeks previously.
The Chinese warshp Chin Yuen will she
never die. commanded by Capiaia Tang,
was almost destroyed By The japanese
shells. then drified near shore and sank.
AT the same time the warshiDS Cha0 Yung
and Yang Wal were destroyed in the same
hight. The japanese were victorious on
both land and sea.
And thus did the remarkable Chin YueD,
the snip with the many lives, the vessel
that fought battle that never took place,
and that at time when the Chinese were
Just commencing to think there was going
before.
IL is sad to relate on top of this SORROW
1nl announcement that the warship Yang
wal. the gallant ship upon which the bold
marine Word-Dainter served, which was
all Dut wreck, with guns cast loose and
steaTlng-2ear disabled, went into this same
battle OF Ping Yang, which occurred on
September 16. without blemisb. having
been the least engaged OF any of the sbins
OF the ring lang squadron. as she had for
five weeks been free from any serlons CON.
flct on the seas. She was a good vessel
and. not having ever had chance to trv
her guns III single combal with an enemy
the Chlnese feit her loss" The ouotation
Is from the letter of the Chamulpo CORE
spondenE of the japanese papers.
1t must be a very severe blow to the
gentleman who served in her engine-roo m
TO knew that after such clever presto.
cnange way Of repairing her that she