The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-27
ON THE'OLD HARTFORD.
A Portland Sailors "reminiscences OF
Chinese and Japanese Scenes.

Pursuing Pirates on the Island of Formo-
sa-Sad Fate of the Wife of 1.-THE tRover,s
Captain-The Drowning of Admiral
Bell at Hiogo-A Chinese War Ship a
Quarter of Century Ago.
81 see the war in the East is showing that
the Chinese navy is inferior to that OF the
Japanese" said one of Por tland's we'll known
mariners. the other day to group OF audi
tors in the Barge Office. Il wish You could
have seen the Chinese navy as saw 1t
when was on the Chinese coast in the old
U. S. warship Hartford at the close of our
war. We were on the Asiatic station in the
Hartford during the years &C. '67 and '6S. The
Corean war of that time was just over. and
quite likely the Chinese navy was in what
would be called high state of efficiency,
We saw some of their ships. They were
huge sampans. carrying crews of lessthan
hundred men each. They were distin-
guished by poops, two or three stories high.
which gave them a curious appearance.
They had two or three masts, with square
sails. Small cannon mounted on the deck
and pointed out of the windows of the poop,
the most important part on each vessel
was a huge ball, about as large around as
bushel basket, which was invariably found
at the mast head of every man-of-war.
This was the famous stink pot long famed
in the annals OF the Chinese navy. Its COM
position do not know. and do not know
that the secret has ever been divulged.
But it is said that whenever one of these
nd hroE he
of a hostile ship, the crew of that ship were
Immediately put into state which pre-
vented further action.
Nevertheless, in spite of the fame of the
stink pots our boys were not much intim-
| dated by the idea of them: and could not
help expressing often. as they would see
the inefficiency of the Chinese sailors, the
wish that they might go aboard and clean
! them out
SIT should be understood that at that
time The five hundred men and boys of the
Hartford were probably the finest fighting
sailors ON the face of the earth. We were
| just out of the civil war, and our navy was
at the top notch of efficiency. The old Hart
| ford was the best war vessel on that sta
| ton, although the English had there tho
three decker Princess Royal, one of the
powerful relics of the days of Nelson. But,
| she had only sail power; while the Hartford
used both sail and steam. The Hartford's
| twenty-one nine inch guns on the spar
deck would. by aid of the ships great sail
| ing power, have equalled all the thee tiers
| of guns on
THE PRINCESS ROYAL.
The Hartford during the war was still
more formidable as she had two showitzers
in each of her three tops and two long
| toms.'' one on the poop deck as stern
I chaser, and one on the forecastle as bow
chaser. But for the Asiatic station her
| twenty-one spar deck guns were all she
! could stand, and remember several times
| during heavy storms hearing the order
stand clear of the battery meaning
| that the men were 10 stand clear OF the
| guns lest some of them should break loose.
The old Hartford already had bigh
| reputation in Chinese waters, because just
! before our civil war she had taken part in
storming the Barrier Forts
| IF the Chinese at the time of our visit
did not have any very efficient men-of-war
/ they at least had some pestiferous pirates
| along the coast. The bark Rover had been
| becalmed off Formosa during the time we
were on the coast. and Chinese pirates,
| taking advantage of this. had boarded her,
killed the captain and crew seized the ves-
| sci and carried the captains wife away as a
| captive. To save this unfortunate woman
| from a horrible fate the Hartford was
| sent to Formosa. We found the place
| where the hover was taken, and landed on
| the beach hree hundred strong. / shall
never forget the sight that beach present
| ed. 1t was strewn with hats, SHOES. pieces
of shirts, belts and other property of the
unfortunate crew. We started inland for the
purpose of capturing some of the pirates
and securing the release of the, captains
Wife But the country WIS very difficult,
and the ingenuity of the pirates had rem
deed it still more difficult for US to operate.
AS our column would adaynce through
the h1locks and bushes. a pirate would
suddenly pop up from behind hillock or
out of clump of bushes. fire and as sud-
denly disappear. When we would arrive at
the place where he had been we would fLd
hole leading Into the ground. We soon
learned that the whole place was tunnelled
enabling the pirates to keep up fire on us
with impunity, for their holes were so num-
erous that we could not guard them. The
| lieutenant who led our party was killed
and several of our column were won uded.
When these facts were signalled to the
Hartford the admiral ordered us to return to
the ship. Shortly after an English officer
with Chinese army of thousand men
landed here and cleared out the pirates.
The unfortunate wife of the Rover's cap
tain was found dead, her body not yet
cold. She had been assaulted until she died
by the pirates when they found themselves
surrounded.