The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-05-16
SAUCY LITTLE PETREL.

olO ''h he1C spur VI ~
Cruiser at sh~anghai-Her Blue Jackets
Resented the Insult-A Handful of
Them Whipped n Score of British Tars,
and the Consular Court Assessed the
Damages on the British as the Ag-
gressOrs.
SAN FRANCISCO, May "a morning
paper says:
Fighting with champagne bottles as
a beginner and finishing with knives,
q dozen or SO of the tars of the United
their weight in Britishers at Shanghai
shortly before hat vessel sailed foi
this port, where she arrived last week.
The saucy little gunboat was made
the sport of a big British cruiser, and
while a marine battle was ayerted by
prompt apology, the sailors of the w
warships took up the matter ashore. A
handful of the Petrel's men were
tackled by d score of the lusty marines
from the British cruiser Spartan, and
blood and champagne flowed like water.
The melee occurred on W~ashinGtons
birthday, and the events which leo ur
to it on the night before. The Spartan
arrived at Shanghai shortly after The
Petrol dropped anchor there. Taa,
there was no love lost between I
crews of the vessels was manifest iron
the start, and the officers were oaly
polite to each other. Even politeness
was forgotten on the night of Febru'
airy 81, when the search light of the
| Spartan was turned on the deck OF
the Petrol. Every nook and corner
of the little gunboat was explored
by the powerful rays, and then to ado
insult to injury the light was with.
drawn, leaving all in gloom, and mel
instantly turned on again, as if these
on the Spartan wanted to see how the
Yankees liked the treatment. There
were mutterings among the forward
hands of the Petrol and a scene
OF excitement on the quarter deck
where the officers We're gathered.
Capt. Emory wro a curt note
to the commander of the Spartan and
dispatched it without loss of time.
The Searchlight vas not turned on the
Petrol again that night, and a note OF
apology for the ~discourtesy earlier in
the evening was received from the
Spartan's captain. The officers on
the Petrol were satisfied, but
their greetings to the Spar
tan's quarterback thereafter We're
sitter than ever. The blue jackets
of the Petrol were far from being sat
isted, and among themselves they
swOrc vengeance for the insult. The
men had not long to wait. Eight or
ten Of them were seated in an upper
room in a saloon on the following day
when about twenty of the Spartan's
men entered the barrOom. The Yam
KEGS were drinking grog and singing
patriotic songs, when the biggest En-
glishman in the intruding crew sug-
gested hat they throw the Yankees
through the windows. The British tars
started up the stairs, but none OF them
reached the top. The door above was
suddenly opened, an through it came a
shower of glasses, bottles and cases OF
champagne, which had been stored III
the little room. When everything that
could be utilized as a weapon was gone
the American sailors came flying down
the stairs and the battle became a hand
to-hand conflict. Knives were drawn
and used freely, and the English forces
were badly cut up When they were
finally routed half a dozen of their
men lay bleeding on the floor.
The British consul subsequently held
an official inquiry into the affair, and
the court decided against the Spartan's
crew. 1t assessed the ship the cost of
the damage, which amounted to sew.
eral thousand dollars.