The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-09


four small Chinese vessels, and its five
ships steamed around our two IRON
clads, pouring in q storm of shell. Time
and again fires broke out, but with one
notable exception the flames were sub
dued without much trouble
During the confusion of our line con-
sequent upon being outmanoeuvred the
Chih Yuen passed under our stern and
Joined the Lai Yuen and surviving
ships of the right wing. The Ping Yuen
and Kwang Ping, now coming up,
| threatened the Akagi and Sallxio. Sig
| nails We're made on the Matsushima,
and the Flying Squadron manoevred
to cover the endangered vessels. About
this time the Chih Yuen boldly, If
| somewhat foolhardily, bore down on
| the Flying Squadron's line, possibly to
| attack the two mentioned vessels. Just
what happened no one seems to know,
but apparently she was struck below
| the water line by heavy shell-either
10-inch or a 13-inch. Be that as it
may, She took a heavy list, and, thus
| fatally injured, her commander, Tang
| Shi Chang, a most courageous albeit
| somewhat obstinate officer, resolved at
| least to avenge himself, and charged
one of the largest vessels. intending to
ram. A hurricane of projectiles from
both heavy and machine guns swept
! down upon his ship, the list became
more pronounced, and just before get
ting home to his intended victim his
| ship rolled over and then plunged,
| bows first, into the depths, righting
herself as she sank, her screws whirl-
ing the air (as did the Victoria's), and
carrying down all hands.
AS the Principal Squadron circled
around us the range varied from $500
meters (nearly two miles) to 1000, at
| times even less. AT about o'clock the
| Matsushima closed upon the Chen
Yuen to about 1,700 meters. and we
| fired at her from one of our 12.2-inch
| guns a steel shell of calibres (5x12.2
| inchesl length, having a bursting
| charge of nearly ninety pounds of pow
| der. The Japanese flagship was struck
| by this missile, and as a burst of flame
| arose from her, followed by great
cloud of white smoke, hiding her en-
| tirely from view, our guns crew yelled
| their satisfaction. This shell indeed
| wrought frightful havoc. From the
Japanese report it totally disabled the
big 13-inch Canet gun and swept the
| decks. Several charges of powder for
this gun had been mased on deck, and
these, exploding, gave the gunners a
| true hoist with their own petard %
BY this one shell forty mine officers and
men were instantly killed, and over
| fifty wounded; the gunnery lieutenant
was blown into the sea, his cap and
telescope being all trace of him ever
| found on the ship.
| Soon afterward the Principal Squad
ron withdrew toward the southeast,
seemingly having had enough of fight
ing. Our two iron-clads followed them.
firing. When they had gone a distance
of two or three miles the Principal
| Squadron turned, and, circling about
us poured in perhaps the most destruc-
tive fire we received during the day.
| We had now used up all of our 6-inch
ammunition. There were left for the
12-inch guns Zone of which was disabled
only some twenty-five steel shot and no
shell. The Ting Yuen was in similar
plight. we fired carefully, but, having
no shell, comparatively little damage
was done. 1t was now nearly o'clock.
After about a half hours cannonade
the enemy again withdrew, we firing
our last shot at them, save three lett
in the guns for the last moment.
We now turned back and gathered
up the surviving ships of the fleet.
| These vessels had Jared badly at the
hands of the Flying Squadron. After
covering the Saiko, Hiyel and Akagi,
the van bore down on the King Yuen,
which had been burning for some time
and the Yoshino with her next astern
engaged the King Yuen at close range
Qess than 1000 meters) A heavy fire
from the Yoshinos three 6-inch quick
firing bow guns told upon her with ter
rible effect. One after another of the
100-pound shells tore up her sides, and
after yawing about wildly as If her
steering-gear was useless she burst
into flames and sank.
During this time the three crippled
Japanese vesses had withdrawn toward
Ping Yang After the sinking of the
King Yuren, the Flying Squadron was
recalled by signal from the Principal
Squadron. AS the sun was setting the
Ting Yuen, with the battered Chen
Yuen, the Lai Yuen (still desperately
fighting the flames that threatened to
devour her), the Ching Yuen, Ping
Yuen and Kwang Ping set course for
Port Arthur AS darkness set in the
flames from the still burning Chao
Young showed luridly across the
moonlit sea- The Japanese Principal
Squadron of vessels kept in sight on
our port beam until darkness set in,
but made no effort to re-engage. In
fact, both fleets had fought themselves
to standstill.
About the middle of the fight the Lai
Yuen caught fire aft and burned
fiercely. The broadside guns could not
be manned being surrounded by
flames; but the bow guns were worked
steadily, while the crew persstently
fought the flames on the quarterback
Below, in the engine-rooms, with the
ventilators stopped on account of fire
| overhead, and. in darkness, receiving
orders only by voice-tube transmitted
from the deck through the stokehole
the engineers stood to their duty hour
after hour in a temperature bordering
on 200 degrees. After several hours the
fire was extinguished, but these brave
men were in several cases blinded for
burned and disfigured.
When the Chen Yuen was desperately
on fire in the forecastle, and a call was
made for volunteers to accompany ar
officer to extinguish it, although thf
gun fire from three Japanese ships was