The morning news., 1894-11-25

all thought Of fleet formation and were
fighting at random. The main Chinese
. force had gradually drawn away from the
protection OF the irCuc.a4s. and each snip
was acting on its own account
AT about --59 O'Clock II the afternoon
the Chihyuen began to silN. Do" nrst
As she went down the japanese guns
pierced her again and again Eer ere"
jumped into the sea and her stern rose
IN the air, the propeller wheel going at
fun speed. For few minutes sine was
completely hidden ty clouds of smoke
and steam. Just bet1r. she disappeared
her propeller reached the water again.
and she whirled around On the sea win
mighty wirlS. drowning men auEult y4
at every Quiveriug sweep OF the SINKING
ship. Then, with uEal shuader and
lurch she plunged under the surface and
was seen no more.
Two Chinese ships tried TO withdraw
from the action, but We're pursued hy
the van squadron. The Laiyuen or the
King Nuen suddenly keeled over on her
port side and went down sideways. She
was sunk by stern shot although it is
almost certain thar She was seriously
injured before she attempted to break
away. The wind luucd and the ocean was
wrapped in smoke through which shone
the dun glare of "a couaagration. The
TshaoyOug was i'm flames and the Japan
ese batteries were concentrating their
with her shrieking crew and "a great
cloud hid the spot where she disappeared
in the distance leaving trail of dying
men IN the waves.
BY this time the two japanese squad
rons were about five milessapart. with the
Chinese main force between them. The
squadrons were IN perfect line, the main
squadron advancing on the two ironclads
and the van squadron chasing two or
three fugitives headed toward Port Ar
thur II was now "a few minutes past
o'clock. Admiral Ito feared that the two
squadrOus might be separated ia the
darkness, and, not daring to risk fight
at night with the ironclads and the
Chinese torpedo boats, he signalled the
van TO join him and withdrew to west
ward of the Chinese.
AT the same time the Chinese fleet
reformed and shaped its course south
east. The japanese suuadrons took
parallel course. bat kept at a sufficient
distance TO avoid an attack by torpedoes.
The van squadron followed Admiral Ito
and reported that the Chinese cruiser
IangWai was on fire ana had started
for Talu Island, probably to beach her
self
He was satisfied that the Chinese fleet
intended 70 take refuge behind the forts
Of Nei-hai-Wei He felt confident that
with the superior speed and discipline of
his sGuadrons he could afford to renew
the battle o. daybreak, and he proceeded
at fuil speed to the ueighborhood of Wei
hai-Wei. But in the morning there was
no sign of the enemy to be seen The
Chinese had fled to Port Arthur Ito
steamed straishtway TO Talu Island. As
he approached he saw smoke in the dis
tance, but it vanished on the horizon
without trace of it's origin being dis
covered. The Japanese believe that d
tast torpedo boat was in the vicinity
The van squadron discovered the
Yangwai aground and abandoned on the
south of Talu Island. She was promptly
blown up with gun cotton. The japanese
Heet then returned to the new naval rem
devious al the mouth of the Tatong river
and the Akagi, Natsushima, Hiyel and
Saisto Alaru were. sent 80 Japan for re-
pairs Admiral Ito's dag being transferred
to the Hashidate. While the fleet was "
ing IN the Tatong inlet the Nauiwa and
Akitsushima were sent across the Yellow
Sea by Admiral Ito. in consequence of a
report that one Of the Chinese war ships
had got around while retreating from the
battle. On Sept. % they discovered the
kuangSi ashore off Talienwhan Bay, near
Port Arthur. When the Japanese men
of-war drew near the stranded ship they
saw her blown to pieces by her officers.
This was the fifth war ship lost by the
Chinese since the opening Of the battle
Not single japanese ship was lost
we've "dPdleSe OlHctfS ana rlnety-eignt
men We're killed, while thirteen officers
and 10 men were wounded. The Chinese
loss | am unable to give, but it must be
nearly two thousand. Probably the exact
figures will never be made public
know from the accounts of a dozen eve
witnesses that the sea was full of drown
ing Cinnamon and that few were saved
during the fighting for the reason that
the Chinese had no small boats"
TO what do you chiefly attribute the
success Of the japanese fieet2" / asked
as the admiral talked over the details of
the battle.
" Largely to providence he answered
The escape Of the Saikio Maru from the
torpedoes, for instance, was a miracle
w ny did you not use torpedoes AGAINST
the ironclads? ] thought that was tho
fundamental principle of an attack on ar
mored battleships by weaker vesseIs?'
The admiral WINGED and hesitaud. I
had hit him i'm tender spo,.
" The distance was too great ne said
notwithstanding this statement of Ad-
miral Ito, | have already learned ON un-
impeachable authority that there was not
a torpedo in the Japanese fleet I cannot
say who was responsible for this grave
OMISSION II Is the one serious bluuder
made by the Japanese since the beginning,
of the war. Had the fleet been provided
with torpedoes, il is reasonably certain
that one or both of the Chinese ironclads
would have been destroyed. The absence
Of torpedoes is all the more surprising
considering the magnificent equipment Of
the two squadrons Ia other respects and
the admirable way in which they were
/ handled.
The only new idea in modern naval
warfare which was thoroughly tested in
( this engagement was the rapid-tfre gun
/ Admiral Ito said that il played a most
/ important part in the battle.
A Question of Cz and rs.