Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-09-26
A BIG NAVAL BATTLE.
CHINA AND JAPAN COME TO-
GETHER ON THE WATER.
Thirty One Vessels Engaged for Upwards
OF Six Hours iu Fierce Fighting
Transports Blown Up and Thousands
OF Lives Lost on Both Sides.

SHANGHAI, Sept. 20-The first bat
tie between modern ships of war has
taken place at the mouth of the Yatu
river, north of the gulf of Corea,
where the Chinese were disembark-
ing troops, and has proved decidedly
disastrous. though there is no ques-
ton that the Chinese losses were far
seyerer than those of her rival
The Japanese feet commenced the
attack at noon yesterday and the bat
tie lasted until ) o'clock. The Chinese
lost four ships-the Chen Yuen sunk.
the King Yuen burned and the Chao
1ung and the Yang Wei stranded and
partly burned. The Japanese are
supposed to have lost three ships, but
the names are not known.
Many Chinese were killed and
wounded, among the latter being Adj
miral Ting, Colonel Won Hannekin,
formerly aide-de-camp to Lii Hung
Chang and Captain Tyler, the two lat
ter being Chinese volunteers.
The entire Northern Chinese fleet
was covering the landing of large
force of troops, destined TO reinforce
the Chinese army operating against
the Japanese in Corea, when part of
the Japanese fleet made u fierce at
tack The Chinese are said to have
been hampered by want of room to
maneuver. According to the Chinese
version there was no thought of sur
render on either side. and the .ships
of both nations We're terribly dam
aged. The Japanese had the advan-
nf ln a
maneuvered that both Chinese boats
and transports had to fight it out
The Chen Iuen, after fighting her
guns to the last was sunk by torpe-
does and a smaller Chinese vessel,
which was unarmed. was blown up.
The steel cruiser, Chao Yung was so
damaged that she had to be beached
to escape capture. The cruiser Yang
Hei was also driven ashore and has
become hopeless wreck
Admiral Ting was the commander
Of the Chinese Northern fleet and Col
onel Won Hannelkin, formerly aide de-
camp to Ficeroy Iii Hung Chang. was
the German officer who was on board
the transport Kow Shung when she
was sunk by Japanese cruiser with
the loss of about 1000 men.
One report is that the troops were
landed, but another is that the Jap
anese succeeded in prevent ting the
landing and therefore the japanese
claim victory. 1t is added, how
ever, that the Japanese fleet was
compelled to retreat after having
suffered heavy losses in killed and
wounded. The Chinese fleet. it is
also said, has returned to Wei Hal
Wei.
1t is significant that two or three
transports which were conveyed by
the warships of China have not re-
turned and it is rumored that they
were all blown up with a loss of all
hands on board. From Chinese ad-
vices it is gathered that the loss on
both sides will reach several thou
sand
SIX HOURS OF FIERCE WORK.
Twelve Chinese war ships arrived
yesterday at Port Arthur for repairs.
The officers reported that Monday
the Chinese feet, consisting of four
teen warships, arrived off the mouth
of Yatu river conveying transports
having on board 5000 troops. 1t was
the intention of Admiral Ting to dis
embark these troops inside the mouth
of the river in order to form a force
with which to intercept the
Japanese advance upon Moul1den,
Mauchuria, from which there
is railroad running to Tien Tsin.
While engaged in landing these
troops nineteen Japanese warships,
accompanied by fleet of torpedo
boats were sighted. As soon as they
were within range the Japanese at
tackled the Chinese. Then followed a
terrible conflict lasting six hours,
during which the great guns,
rapid firing guns and machine guns
of all sorts were used with fearful
effect on both sides Both fleets also
used torpedoes repeatedly and fired at
each other continuously from the
rapid firing guns mounted in the tops
of the different warships.