The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-01

7 IUfIN ItdilLeu the >ttudtiun Dt mas
I, shown us in a letter written to his
brother upon starting to meet the
| japanese ships. You know" he said.
| 1t r. four killed to one wounded since
the new ammunition came I'm. IL Is bet
ter so. l don't want to be wounded. l
prefer to step down or up and out of
this world" Not extraordinary words.
but splendidly expressive OF a soldier
like way of facing fate.
The closing lines Of this letter were
sadly prophetic. McGifin wrote: Il
hate to think of being dreadfully
mangled and then patched up with
half my limbs and senses gone"
Ii is often told how he came home in
exactly the condition he had described.
and, true to his determination, chose to
step up and out of IL all.
Their was no sound but the painting
of the ship under forced draught. The
men, grouped quietly at their stations,
did not venture to speak even in whis-
pers. .'Fifty-two hundred meters" the
range was called. Then the greatyel-
low nag Of China was raised to the
main truck. the quick-fring guns
opened fire. and the fight began.
The battle lasted for nearly five hours.
with the two Chinese battleships as It's
center. j..
1t is estimated hat McGifiin's ship
was hit 400 times and 120 times by large
shot or shell. The rain of projectiles
visited every exposed point of the yes
sci. Early in the fight a shell exploded
in the fighting top. instantly killing
every one of its inmates. Indeed, all
such contrivances proved to be death
traps. Five shells burst inside the
shields Of the bow six-inch gun. COM
pletely cutting the place. Though the
carnage was frightful. the Chinese sail
ors, with their commander to encourage
them, stuck to their posts. A chief gum
ner was aiming his gun when a shell
took off his head. The man behind
him caught the body. passed IT back 10
his companions, calmly finished the
sighting of the piece and fired IL.
The Chen Yuen" gave as hard
knocks as she received, and until her
ammunition ran low her fire was rapid
and more effective than that of her ad-
versaries. One of the last shells. nred
under McGifin's personal directions
from a 12-inch gun. disabled the 13-inch
gun on the enemy's flagship, the Mat
sushima. and exploded the powder on
deck, killing or disabling more than 100
Japanese officers n men. Then Nc
Giffin's Cinnamon cheered joyfully.
Throughout the whole fight McGifin
was the dominating spirit of his ship.
He was at once her brains and her in
spiration.
Even cowardice itself was moved by
his fearless example. At the opening
of the fight he discovered a lieutenant
and a dozen terrified men hidden below
one of the engine turrets. McGiffin
thrashed the officers and sent them all
on deck, where they afterwards fought
like heroes.
The five hours strain on the COM
mander was terrific. for there was no
subordinate who could relieve him and
his presence was required everywhere.
While the fight was hottest a fire broke
out in the superstructure above the
forecastle. 1t became necessary TO run
out a hose i'm the range of the s~tarboard
guns, which had been ordered to fire
to port across the forecastle. The men
refused to do this until McGifin called
for volunteers and offered to lead them.
Word was sent to the head gunner at
the starboard battery to train his
pieces ahead and McGiffin N his vol
unteers started with the hose for the
forecastle. Half of the men were shot
down by the enemy. As the captain
stopped over to grasp the hose. a shot
passed between his legs. burning his
wrists and severing the tail of his coat.
A fragment of a shell that had burst
against the tower him a sec
ond time.
Meanwhile men at the forecastle CUR
were falling rapidly and the head gun
ner was killed. The man who took his
place, not knowing that his comrades
were in front of his guns discharged
/, one of them. The explosion knocked
the captain and his men down and
killed several of them. At the same in
slant another shot struck McGifin.
He would probably have remained
there unconscious If water from "A cash
in the hose had not revived him. His
first glance on coming TO his senses was
. into the muZzle of the starboard gun.
1t was slowly moving into position for
firing. What an ass | am To sit here
and be blown to pieces" thought Nc
Gifin. So he flung himself from the
su~perstructure and fell eight feet to
/, the deck below. With blood pouring
! from his mouth he crawled into the
superstructure and told the men TO
carry him aft. In a few minutes he
: was fighting his ship again.
McGiffin stood very near the large
gun when IL exploded. He vas aln.ost
blinded. His hair and eyebrows were
burned off and his clothes torn and set
on fire. There was a series of gashes
in his trousers extending the entire
length. Throughout the fights his ears
were stuffed with cotton. as were thos
of all the gunners, but after the day
fighting his ear drums were found to
be permanently injured by conclusion.
Several times he was wounded by
splinters. which he extracted him
self.
With 40 wounds in his body. old
ing an eyelid up with one hand. Ibis
man of iron nerve led the fighting on
his ship until the japanese vessels
gave up the contest. and he alone of
all the Chinese commanders kept his
ship in it's own position throughout
the fight. thus protecting the hagsnir
and saving the fleet from total destruc-
ton.
When the japanese admiral with
drew, McGifin navigsted his ship 20 ius
dock. His mind never lost its erect
100000 bn,,oh his haAN Was shattered
beyond repair. His body has been de
scribed. in fact. as being so covered
with bruises that it resembled a check
err board.
The new style of sea fighting ha'
been here inaugurated and an Amer
can sailor. a young man "a years oi
age. has set it's standard for daring
ed fortitude under fire of the modern