Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-08-03
JAPANS VICTORY.
1t is Alleged Chinese
Acted Like COWardS.
But this is Emphatically Denied
in a Shanghai Despatch.

The japanese government has issued the
following official statement OF the recent en-
gagement between warships vi japan and
China.
In consequence ofseyere provocation three
ships of the Japanese squadron were COM
pelIed to engage the Chinese fleet OF Fantas
or Round Island. They captured the Chinese
warship TSao Khan, and sank II Chinese trans
port with soldiers ou board. Unfortunately
one of the largest Chinese ironcladS OF the
northern fleet. the Chen-Gaen, escaped to
China and the thine-' torpedo cruiser es-
capped to Fusan Japan. The three Japanese
warships engaged were the AkitsuShima. tn"
TakHchihO and the Hi-iei They escaped
without injury"
Naval officers iu Washington were much iu-
terested in the official report from Yokohama
Of the engagements between Chimes" and
Japanese squadron1. The result "unllrm' d
their estimate Of the superiority Of the jap
anese navy. According to the despatch, til"
Chinese squadron was much stronger than
JapRn'S fleet, in that It included Il large
batte-ship which, according To naval stand-
ards, should have been able single handed to
vanQuish the three japanese cruisers. The
Tsao klan reported captured by the Japanese,
is a torpedo cruiser of 1880 tons or about 400
tons smaller than our Yorktown. She
was built in England in 1881, is
Il l7-knot vessel. and Is armed with two
eght-inch Armstrong and four nve-Inch
rifles The Omen luen, which escaped from
the Japanese fleet, is magnificent and form
idable battleship. having in her armament
four Pinch Krupp guns and two siX-inch
rifles She il very similar in appearance to
the Maine which she exceeds in tonnage. If
hanhed with even ordinary skill and cour-
age, naval officers here say she would have
made short work Of the three japanese rruis-
ers. instead Of running away.
The Chinese torpedo cruiser Huan Tai,
which also ran away. is about the size Of the
captured vessel but carried two seven-inch
and five tive-inch guns. The Japanese yes
sells were all protected cruisers. The fact
that these vessels were able to run of n large
battleship gives food for thought to naval
men and IL calculated To disturb the theo-
retical estimate Of the relative power Of these
vessels.
The Chinese warship Tsao Kh an which
was captured by a japanese wars hip oil the
coast OF Round Island. Is u vessel Of an OBJ
solete model and was equipped poorly for
lighting. Although completely Outmatched
by the japanese cruiser the trOopship Of
fered some resistance and lost fully 100 men,
killed and wounded before she yielded. She
WAS entirely disabled WHEN the Japanese
boarded her.
The troopship kow Sung tried to get away
"a soon ~ the Japanese wnrships began their
attack. and made unly weak running light.
Tn" Japanese guns swept her decks and car
rird of the Chinese soldiers 10y thesrore. The
latest estimate Of the number aboard her Is
1900, only forty surviving the laundering "f
the ship. They say that all her officers were
killed before she went down.
The army and navy reserves have been
summoned into service Chinese residents
Of Japan are fleeing in large numbers. RelI.
able news has reached Toxic that the main
! body Of Chinese troops crossed the north
western frontier uf Korea on July Is. In
official circles everybody Is convinced that
China's recent negotiations were mere sub
terfuge to gain tim" and concentrate her
forces with view to comhinin. with the hor
cans for au attack.