The age-herald., 1898-07-13
BLOOD THICKER
 THAN WATER
From the New York Sun.

it revealed as in q flash of white light, the kindred ties that bind the two mighty nations of Anglo-Saxon blood. On June 2i, 1859 twenty-one ships of war, the allied fleets of England and France, rode at an- chor in the Gulf of Pe-chi-li, off the mouth 1 of the Pehho river. They had come bear ing the newly appointed ministers to China who were to ratify the treaties negotiated in the preceding year. According to agree ment. they were to proceed up the Pei-ho river to Tientsin, where the diplomats were to reveive safe escort to the imperial court at Pekn. Upon their arrival, however, they found that the Chinese had blocked the fairway with booms and the sunken hulls of fat old junks and fortified the shores with seven formidable forts, so that a captains gig could not have passed in safety. Admiral Hope of the British fleet sent boat ashore and demanded the in stant removal of the Instructions. gi- gantic coolie, the officer in command, grovelled and expostulated, but the fair way was not cleared.
 For such offences England knows only remedy.
 "I will give you until June 25 to open the river wrote Admiral Hope. "' If the work is not done by that time I shall blow up your forts"
 A bar five miles wide filled the river mouth like the stopper of a bottle, pre- venting the passage of the larger vessels. On June A Admiral Hope and the French commodore marshaled thirteen of their smaller gunboats in line of battle and steamed boldly up the river. While they were preparing to make a demonstration, Captain Josiah Tattnall, flying the flag of an admiral in the United States navy came up across the bar on the unarmed steamer Toeywan. He had left his flagship, the Powhatan, in the bay outside The allied fleets parted to let him by His purpose was to demand instant passage in the name of the president of the United States. When he was almost under the walls of the first fort the plucky little Toey-wan rammed her nose into the mud and heeled oyer heavily with the falling tide. Captain Tattnall sent messengers ashore, but they were hardly allowed to land, the gigantic cooie still refusing passage. Admiral Hope now saw the danger of the American ship, particularly in her exposed position under the forts and he sent the gunfoat Plover with his compliments to drag her off. But the chain parted and the Toey- wan lurched still further over. At this the gallant admiral despatched another vessel.
 ''Tell the American commander" he said, Ito hoist his ensign aboard and keep her as long he desires"
 But favorable wind having arisen, Cap tain Tattnal declined the courtesy, and during the night he was able to clear the shoal.
 Shortly after 2 o'clock on the following day the allied fleets cleared for action The gunboat Plover ran up the river under a full head of steam and drove headlong into the first boom. 1t snapped like cot ton cord, and the Ployer spun shuddering into the clear water beyond.
 All this time the seven grim forts had given no s.gn.. Not a man had shown him. self above the ramparts. No flags were displayed and the gun embrasures were weDbed with mating. The cooie com- mander has assured the English that the forts were quite empty.
 Of a sudden, while the Plover was trim ming for a plunge at the second boom, the ramparts above swarmed with gunners. An instant later a hundred guns trained with merciless cunning. belched out a stream of fire and solid shot. Nearly every ship in the fleet was hit. The little Plover staggered and fluttered riddled with shot A ball carried away a gunner's ihead and mortally wounded three other men.
 This was the beginning The admiral drove his little fleet close in where the fire deadliest and poured broadside after broadsde into the enemy's forts. But the Chinese beat their tom-toms and continut q to fire frantically. At o'clock two of the British ships had been sunk and four others were aground hopelessly wrecked. Admiral Hope and three of his captains were wounded and the flag had been twice changed and now flew from the masthead of the Cormorant
 Captain Tattnall had seen all this from the bridge of the Toey-wan. His mass $ had swarmed with seamen cheering the British gunners but the law of neutrality forbade any interference.
 At sunset three small boats shot out from among the English ships and made across the river In a storm of shot. Before they had gone half way two boats went down, pierced through, with all their crews. The third bringing an English midshipman, ran alongside the Toey-wan. The officer leaned on board and reported that out of a crew of thrty-seven men on the flagship only six remained and that Admiral Hope lay desperately wounded on the quarterde ok and the little midshipman looked wistfully down across the bar where the larger ships of the fleet swarmed with reserves. Small boats had been put out. but owing to the swift current and the receding tide they could not cross the bar.
 ''Tell your admire '' 'ald Cap',fn Tait- nall. "that the American ships will bring up his reserves"
 Two officers objected-it was contrary to the law of neutrality; but Captain Tattnall looked across the river to where the help less English ships were being battered to pieces under the merciless fire.
 "Blood Is thicker than water,' he said.
 And while the English seamen cheered and the Americans answered them from the tops. he dropped back with hawsers veered astern. and when the boats of the reserves had grappled fast he drove his vessels across the river through a whirl- wind of shot and she'll
 Having delivered the endorsements the Toey-wan dropped back, but Captain Tatt- nall was not yet satisfied with his work
 "After anchoring," he said in hs report 'T thought of the admiral and his chival- rous kindness to me on the day before, which. from an unwlllingness to intrude on him when he was prepared for action, I had in no way acknowledged"
 Having decided that it was his duty to pay his respects. the gallant captain for