The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-08-11
FIERCE NAVAL FIGHT
The wYonlNe's HEROIC BATTLE
WITH THE JAPANESE.

meats In the History Of Marin. warfare.
Strange as 1t may seem, the wyo-
ming's oriental battle is an almost nm
recorded chapter Of our naval annals.
though it ranks even higher in point Of
daring and success against overwhelm-
ing odds than the defeat Of the Ala
hama by the WyOmings sister shin. the
Kearsarge. But the Wyoming never
was in very great luck as naval star.
She had her part throughout the civil
war in all the hardest Of blockading and
cruising service, and fought well when
ever she had the chance. but she did
not have the luck of getting into the
papers She was sent OF at the same
time as the Kearsarge to cruise for that
scourge Of the seas the Alabama. and
just missed her by the merest chance
on two occasions in the China seas.
1t was in 1868. toward the end of the
dual reign Of the tycoon and the mika-
do, when Japan was in the throes Of
civil war, and the forces of the rebel
princes We're resisting to the last the
passing OF the old feudal system. The
Prince OF Nagato was one of these, and
from his tiny kingdom that fronted ON
the straits of Simonoseki he declared
himself lord paramount of everything in
sight, including the neighboring seas,
from which he took generous toll as did
ever the pirate chiefs of Tarifa. He
had laid violent hands and hot shot
upon the vessels Of various powers, in.
Guiding Great Britain, France, the
Netherlands and the United States.
Meantime Prince Nagato throve and
flourished by the strait of Simonoseki,
and failing Oi-o day to wiring tribute or
blackmail by any other means he fired
on tie American merchantman Penn
broke and killed a couple Of her crew.
There was another diplomatic protest Of
the combined foreign representatives to
the Japanese government, and Com
mander McDugall, who happened to be
in port with the Wyoming, suggested
that if the mikado could not take fall
out Of his rebellious subject the Wyo-
ming could and would without much
urging. This struck the government as
good thing and an easy way out of the
international difficulty, SO McDugall
was given carte blanche to settle ac-
counts with the Prince of Nagato in be-
half of all the powers concerned, and
he forthwith sailed away.
1t was the middle of July when the
Wyoming found herself in the strait
of Simonoseki and in sight of the shore
batteries which were part of the
princes defenses TO seward. Before
| she had time to open on the batteries
two Japanese gInboats doomed up, one
ahead and one astern. in the narrow
strait, and presently third came cruis-
ing out from among the neighboring is
lands. 1t was nasty place for fight,
McDugall being without charts or pi-
lots, and the odds were more than
enough for Nelson himself, being as
| guns of the three Japanese vessels to the
26 of the old Wyoming, to say nothing
| of the batteries ON shore. There wai
still a chance to run, barring some dan
ger of grounding i'll the narrow channels
among the islands, but the idea does MOI
seem to have occurred to any one ABOARD
the frigate.
Working to windward of the neares
Japanese, the Wyoming opened at Ions
range and worked down ON her till
when close aboard, there was nothing O
the enemy left standing above decks
The other two vessels had come up il
the meantime and engaged the Ameri
can on either side, but she lay to ant
gave them shot for shot, port and star
board, till her gunners were smok'
blind and the flame of the guns no Ion
ger served to light the battlecloud tina
rolled in white pillows over the smooth
waters of the strait. 1t was desperate
work in the shallow water, but tn
Wyoming was the best vessel, and sh
outmaneuvered her two opponents from
start to finish, though twice agrount
and once afire, with as many men knock
ed out from splinters and heat as from
the enemy's shot.
Fighting themselves out of on
smoke patch into another the three com
batants circled around like two crow
aud kingbird till they had drifte
down in range of the shore batteries
which gayly took q hand in the game
But McDugall ran across the bows G
one of his enemies, raked her as h
went and left her floating wreck, an
then turned his attention to the BAT
teries The Wyoming's men rugged tn
smiths forge ON deck knd tossed he
shot into the works ashore till they st
them afire and the soldiers fed, and til
other Japs on the remaining cruiser, dt
Gliding enough was as good as feas
followed their example.
So McDugall mended his rigging all
patched his bulwarks, and meanwhil
r sent word to the recalcitrant prince
come down and settle or he would sa
,, inland and shell the royal palace abor
!, its royal owners ears.
! The prince, who was no less discre,
: than Colonel Crockett's coon, can
down promptly, and of the resulting il
demnity $500, 900 fell to the lot of IL
United States. 1t was many years b
fore this money got into the treasury
the United States but meantime Il
!, state department had charge Of it al
. had invested it so well that there was
8 very little short Of 81, 600, 600 final
Il turned over to the government, whicl
: after all, was pretty good pay for Of
days fighting, with loss of only fl
killed and six wounded. Washingtt