New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-01
rEE BATTLE OF THE YALU.
0f-7CnIPTION BY PHILO ~ MGIFFIN.
COM ANDER OF THE CHINESE IRON
CLAD CHEN YEUN.

pav~f Cd
gus. 1875
Ahott 10 o'clock OF the morning OF September
n 1S4. tne Pei Yang Squadron. commanded by
Adm Tlng Ju Chang arrived at Ta-lAen-
wan Here We found four alphabetical" gun
hoats .ld four torpedo boats. besides five
char,er.I merchant vessels which were busily
ernba~i r- troops The day spent in coal
Inc -. eaat Toward dark another chartered
Krup. I'D guns, 400 ponies and 800 artillery
ner .aout midnight the embarkation was
com and shortly before ! a m. Sunday
the lt. the feet, consisting OF eleven warships
four boats and six torpedo-boats weighed
ancho. AND proceeded to convoy the transports
70 q TaIu arriving off the mouth Of that
river thout incident in the afternoon. The
conv escorted 10y the four gunboats and four
sral tori bobcats, with the Ping Yuen
and ing Ping. crossed the bar. and went up
the some fifteen miles, where the disem-
bari r was begun and carried on all night.
t.. r.Nt morning (Mcnday). the memorable
Sep. l.. beautiful day. light
bree nty rufling the surface OF the water
IT, moon passed as usual. At 915
ca -... went TO general quarters. cleared for
act .. and for an hour exercised the crew at
the rs 10 one dreaming that the results OF
our ming were so soon 70 be tested
~ chen Yuen's forenoon routine. drills and
eN.- -es had been carried out. and the cooks
We repairing the midday meal when the
ST from the enemy's ships sighted by
~, sout men at the masthead. They were
m .It almost simultaneously from several
yes. and before even signal could Zoe made
fro -he flagship the buGles throughout tn"
ne.. We're sounding merrily the "of'icers' call
an action" Columns Of dense black smoke
81 rr upward from our tunnels told that In
= depth Of each vessel the stokers were
ST. ing fires and using forced draught with
r. etokehoes were storing up energy In the
o. ~ that breath might not fail when most
r.. % In the coming fight. These black pillars
30 ...o Ike must have signallcd our presence 70
tNa .reny: for their smokes now increased in
inc and height. showing that they also had
Ul- forced draught. and. Ike ourselves. ~ere
=. airing for the contest For weeks W" had
a. pated an engagement. and had had daily
cv.-~ise at general quarters. etc. and httle re
uod - be done. There were wofu defects
q, lr ammunition supplies. as will Zoe seen. but
We kept the seas for a year longer before
f-ttine there would have been Improvement In
il: respect since the responsibility for the
,lect lay IN Ten-Tsin SO the fleet went into
3D. ION as we'll prepared as II was humanity pos
by for Il 10 be with the same officers and
IN. Handicapped they we're by ohicial cor
option and treaChery ashore.
In FAR less time than IS taken 70 read fh"s"
ines signal had been made from the Ting Nu"n
20 weigh Immediately" and never were cables
- ,rtened IN and anchors weighed more sIe"di-
~. The old Chao Yum, and Yang Wei bong
ALWAYS longer IN Weighing anchor. Were l"ft
estern and afterward. pushing on to gain sta
tIon probably gave 10 the feet n seeming
wedge shaped formation for short time. there
" giving rise 70 the report. widely circulated.
nat we used that formation In advancing 20
T.. attack our actual formation. which has
I, -tlv been criticised. was an intended or zlg-
~ line the two ironclads in the ce''re our
re.t consists now OF ten ships. viz. Ting Nuen
e, ship Chih Yuen Tsi Yuen and Kwan CHA
f--~l,nr the left wing. and Chen Nu"n. Lai
Yr.7. King Yucn. Ching Yuon. Chao Yunr and
Va. Wei forming the right wing. u VIII p"
voiced that the right wing as such. was
s,--r.er than the left or adrn'rale Bu' -"
.r.f.v approaching from left 20 righ' would
~. -oooive the FIRE ~ our light best ships bee
FOR .fov could attack the Chao Yunr and " q
W tls'lv considered our lam" ducks" IT,"
Pr vucn and Kwanr Prr with -" two tor
ped. ate Foo Lung and Tso Y.h. 40 not io'n
VS. ,-rtH he fight was well under way Tho gun
bon and the other torpedo-boais df not ap-
pc 90 all
r., Jananeee formed into two squafrons Th"
Ti,.. S1uadron. consisting ~ n" N"shir'
(r,~ Tqkachfho Naniwa and Akitsuehima. '"f
Tn t-4 w the principal squadron composed ~
fhA -.teuehirna Gag NJ Admiral Ito command
--heO Itsukushima, Haeiefa'" Chiyoda
Fue- and Hiyei on the uncnrag"d sid" wer"
IT, 'rarl and Sakio
r" .o Twelve japanese ships torm'nr appar-
ont B. single line and preservinG station ana
s-eo' throughout most beautifully. could not
~, ..~'.o n feeling % admiration. our f""'
Ilue- 20 have presented an imposing appear
ar~e no enemy.
Closing or EACH OTHER
IT, let's closed on each other rapidly NV
crou vac Silent The sub-liou'"nant in the
iruf+--. rore'oD was taking scytFr' angles ana
announcing the range and exhibiting an ap-