Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-07-06
FIERCE NAVAL FIGHT
THE WYOMlNG'S HEROIC BATTLE
WITH THE JAPANESE.

Against Overwhelming Odds the American
Commander McDugall Fought One of the
Most Daring and Successful Engage.
ments In the History of Marine Warfare.
Strange as it may seem, the Wyo-
ming's oriental battle is an almost I'M
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
bama by the Wyoming's sister ship, 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 we'll when
ever she had the chance, but she did
not have the luck Of getting into the
papers. She was sent off 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.
It was in 1858, 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 were 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 one day to wiring tribute OF
blackmail by any other means he fired
on the American merchantmen Penn
broke and killed a couple of her crew.
There was another diplomatic protest OF
the combined foreign representatives to
the Japanese government, and Corr
mander McDugall, who happened to IL
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
a good thing and an easy way out of the
international difficulty, SO McDugal]
was given carte blanche to settle &C
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 gunboats 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 We're more than
enough for Nelson himself, being as
guns of the three japanese vessels to the
90 of the old Wyoming, to say nothing
of the batteries on shore. There was
still a chance to run, barring some dan
ger Of grounding in thenarrow channels
among the islands, but the idea does not
seem to have occurred to any one aboard
the frigate.
Working to windward of the neares,
japanese, the Wyoming opened at long
range and worked down on her till,
when close aboard, there was nothing OF
the enemy left standing above decks.
The other two vessels had come ND in
the meantime and engaged the Amori.
can on either side, but she lay to and
gave them shot for shot, port and star.
hoard fill her punDerS were SMOKE