The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-14
INTREPID PHILO M'GIEFIN.
Some Notable Incidents I'm His short
iii. brilliant Career.


Capt Philo Norton McGlfin the report
of whose suicide in a New York santarium
on last Thursday was contained in the
Morning News dispatches of Friday, was
born fighter and an accomplished soldier
As has been stated, he was the hero of the
Yalu naval engagement between China
and Japan.
The personal bravery of Capt. McGifi1n
won him admiration long before the battle
| of Yalu river. Shortly before he entered the
naval academy a train in which he was
! travelling was stopped by rioters at Pitts
| burg at the time of NtAe railroad strike
of 1871 McGiffin promptly offered his ser.
| vices to the city, and they were accepted.
| He was one of the brave soldiers who were
| penned up in the r0und-house by an angry
/ mob Cut off from all assistance, they en-
| dured the greatest hardshipS. But finally
! McGiffin volunteered to run an engine
through the riotouS mob, and an engineer
/ showed him how to start and stop an en-
CINE, and then jumped Off. McGiff1n calmly
sent the engine ahead TO get through I'M
harmed reported the condition OF his tel-
| low-sufferers and eventually obtained re-
| lief for them. For this he was rewarded
with a gold medal and a vote OF thanks
from the city council of PittSburg.
After his graduation from Annapolis, in
| 1882, McGiffin served twoEears in the Unit
| ed States navy and then, owing TO re-
| duction of the number of midshipmen
ed in 1884.
About this time war between France and
| China broke out McGifiin went to China.
and offered his services. He applied 70 II
Hung Chang for an audience and the lat
! ter consented to receive him.
McGifin presented himself at the palace
of the Viceroy and was challenged by a
sentry, who tried to prevent him from
passing. The American officer promptly
seized the Chinaman and threw him 20 one
side Three Chinese officials then tried to
bar his progress. but he served them IN the
same manner as the sentry and forced ms
way into the presence OF the Nlceroy. II
Hung Chang, instead of being angry, was
delighted with the pluck of McGifin, and
the latter was soon put In command OF
In the ba tile of the Yang Use, McGiffin
again distinguished himself and captured
the only French gunboat of which the
Chinese obtained possession during the
Later he held number of important
positions in China, becoming IN success
sion professor of seamanship and gun
merry IN the royal Chinese naval college
SUPERINTENDENT of education of Chinese
naval officers, superintendent or forts az
Wei-He-Wei and superintendent OF the
roval Chinese navy. He also made sur
vey of the coasts Of Northern China and
Korea. The Chinese emperor decorated
him with the order of the Double Drag
on and a peacock feather. He was sent
to England in 1888 to superintend the con
struction of several warships INTENDED Tor
When the recent war between China
and Japan broke out, Capt McGiffin was
put in command of the battleship Chen
Yuen. He had the distinction of firing
the first shot in the great battle fought
off the mouth of the Yalu. The object
of this conflict was to prevent a Japa-
nese feet from landing an army in that
part of Northern Korea and thus cut
ting off the retreat of the Chinese army
which was moving up the peninsula. The
Chinese fleet suffered severely, but the
object sought, that of preventing the land
ing of the Japanese. was accomplished.
In the battle the Chen Yuen was struck
| by shots more than four hundred times,
| but was still fighting when the Japanese
| fleet withdrew, although every man on
board of her had been wounded and many
| had been killed.
Capt McGiffin was mass of wounds.
| his most serious injury being from one
| of his own guns. He was directing some
| of the crew to extinguish a fire started
| by the explosion Of a japanese shell, when
| one of the Chen Yuen's guns was swung
| around with the muzzle in close proXim-
| ity to him. He had only time to spring
! out of range when the gun was fired. The
| captain was knocked down, his hair and
| eyebrows was burned off the sight of one
| eve was almost destroyed, and both his
| ear-drums were broken
| Notwithstanding these injuries. he man.
| aged to stagger to his feet and bravely
| resumed the fight. A few minutes latter
| a Japanese shell struck a ladder near
| which he was standing, and splinter
was driven into his hip He got a pair
! of pincers, probed for the splinter drew
it out and went on fighting. Later in the
| engagement he was shot in the head and
| received more than a dozen wounds from
| shells bullets and splnters, but kept on
| fighting until the battle ended
Al the end of the war the captain came
| back to the United States. He devoted
| part of his leisure to literature and wrote
| a number of articles on the war. For a
time he was superintendent of the Pope
| Manufacturing Company at Hartford
Conn. but i'll health compelled him to
| give up work.