The herald., 1895-03-03
THE SINKING OF A NARSH|P
How the Big Vessels of China's
Fleet Went Down
THE FALL OF WEI Hal WEI
First Real Resistance Japan Met on Its
March to Victory
Tossed aud the Entrance to the Ports
Were Blocked With Cables

Toxic, Feb. IS, via San Francisco
March 2.-Wei Hal Wei will be remem
bered in the history of this war as TIN
first spot at which the easy progress o
the Japanese was interrupted by serie
of prolonged resistance on the part o
the Chinese. The town itself, from which
the naval station derives its name, TO
gether with its formidable and elaborat,
chain of land defenses, was captured witt
the usual facility and wherever tn.
Chinese were free to escape they disap
peared before anything like severe fighting
was attempted on either side, but those
who found themselves surrounded at the
beginning of the affray, seemed animated
by the spirit of defiance wholly out OF
keeping with the previous attitude and
action OF their contrymen. This change
of bearing is attributed by some to the
presence of theSfew foreigners among the
besieged; by Others to wild desperation
which fastened upon the garrison when
their position was discovered to be hope
less and death appeared inevitable.
=. The march inland from the bay near
Yung Cheng began ON the 18th and 30th
of January, and before evening of the
ldSb IldDltu gay blt ntlSnto OfClioOhiiis,
the harbor were reached and the first
group of forts at Pc Chi Yai Su were
taken. The contest at this point was
about the severest in which the Japanese
troops were engaged. ---
Their losses were not heavy in number,
being limitedito less than 100 killed and
wounded, but the death of the General
commanding the First Brigade of the
Sixth-or kumamoJo-Division was a
yeritable calamity.
OF fighting leaders the Japanese army
has profusion; with skilled students of
stragety it is not so literally provided
Major General Otera was as sagacious in
planning campaigns as energetic in ex-
ecuting them. 1t was he who laid out the
movement against Port Arthur. He was
the first of his high grade 20 fall in the
war.
The forts seized by the Kumamoto Bri-
gade were four in number. Most of their
guns were i'll good order and were imme-
diately turned upon the Chinese ships and
the batteries on the islands i'll the bay.
Speaking of the naval maneuvers, the
correspondent says nothing was done I'M
til the night of February Sd, when the
torpedo boats renewed their attempt.
Again they were unsuccessful the barrier
proving impossible for the occasion, but
a good beginning had been made, and on
the following night the flock of giant
hlllclo lidQC al dlcItttlo dDouo AVV y blOo
broad, and after carefully picking their
way through japanese vessels bore down
upon the Chinese flagship which was dis
tinguishable in the dark by its huge bulk.
At distance of 400 metres they sent
their torpedoes plunging ahead, repeating
the discharges until the supply was ex-
hausted. The big ironclad was not imme-
diately sunk, but it was wounded to
death. Its side was torn away and the
injury inflicted was SO ruinous that Ad-
miral Ting is said TO have lost no time
in transferring his quarters to the Chen
Yuen, the second of the Pei Yang
squadron, which. though recently
rock had been sufficiently repaired
to take her place in line. Other
Chinese vessels were struck and one,
supposed to be gunboat, was sent to
the bottom. Four of the torpedo boats
returned to their station outside of the
harbor though one of them had been hit
forty-seven times and all were pretty
badly knocked about. The other two
were destroyed and many of their crews
were killed by the fire of the enemy or
frozen to death after having swan ashore.
. On the night not February 9th fresh
torpedo squadron was sent to continue
the work and made an end of two, if not
three more of the Chinese cruisers. with
out themselves suffering as severely as
w
learned that the little craft had been in
strnumental in sinking the Lai Yuen,
Wei Yuen and Using Yuen, together
with several smaller vessels. On the
morning of the 9th only four of the once
redoubtable Pei Yang division of the
navy remained fit for service:
The question of Admiral Ting's future
is curiously debated That he can never
return to China seems to be generally adj
mitted. Japan would undoubtedly give
him refuge and it is possible he may end
his days as pensioner in the land which
he once proclaimed himself able to mas
ter with no other force than that of his
now beaten feet
The losses of the japanese throughout
the campaign have been slight the sever
est casualties being those to torpedo crews.
Reports are conflicting and will not be
adjusted for several days. OF the Chinese
losses scarcely any details are yet known
Mr.. Foster sailed from Nagasaki for
China on February 18th, IN French mail
steamer. The anticipation that negotia-
tions will be reopened in earnest appears
to be justified, first by the circumstance
that the American adviser continues in
China's service, and still more strongly
by the crushing defeat at Wei Hal Wei.
The Empress of Japan has ordered that
artificial arms and legs be supplied, at her
cost, to all soldiers who lose those mem
to cold. Chinese prisoners brought to
Japan, who have similarly suffered, are
included in her liberality. In conse-
quence OF representations by Count
lnouye, the Corean government has or
dered the abolition of all forms OF torture
and proclaimed that hanging shall here
after be the sole method of capital punish
ment for ordinary criminals and shooting
for those condemned by martial law
The two American adventures, Wilde
and HOWE, who pledged what they called
their honor that they would not proceed
to China in fulfllment OF their engage
ment to supply materials for the destruc-
ton or the Japanese navy and were conse-
quently released fiom Imprisonment by
the Japanese Government, are said to be
in high favor Of Ii Hung at Tien Tsir.
The eXNicerov has expressed great salts
faction with the result of some of their
experiments and it is reported that GER
tain deadly explosives used by Admiral
Ting's ships at Wei Hal Wei were OF their
fabrication.
Cabinet Cr;e;a