The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-24
BLOOD THICKER THAN WATER.
The Pei-HO Fight, in Which TattnaIl
Helped the English.
New York Sun.


| New York Sun.
| This is the story of a naval battle, notable
rot because it was one of the most des-
perate in modern warfare. but because it
revealed, as in a flash of white light, the
kindred ties that bind the two mighty ma
| lions of Anglo-Saxon blood. On June 81,
| 1862 twenty-one ships of war, the allied
| fleets of England and France. rode at
| of the Pei-Ho 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 TEN Tsin. where the diplomats were
| to receive safe escort to the imperial court
at Picking. Upon their arrival, however,
| they found that the Chinese had blocked
| the fairway with booms and the sunken
| bulls 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 a boat ashore and demanded the in
! slant removal of the distractions. A gigan-
| tic coolie the officer in command, groveled
| and expostulated, but the fairway was not
| cleared For such offenses England knows
| only one remedy.
| II will give you until June % to open the
| river" wrote Admiral Hope. IF the work
| is not done by that time l shall blow up
bar five miles wide filed the river mouth
! like the stopper of bottle, preventing the
| passage of the larger vessels. On July "a
Admiral Hope and the French. commodore
/ marshaled thirteen Of their smaller gunboats
| river While they were preparing to make
| q demonstration, Capt. Josiah Tattnall, fly
| ing the blue flag of an admiral In the United
| States navy, came up across the bar on the
unarmed steamer Toey-wan. 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
| hoo
| Captain dattnall sent messengers ashore,
| but they were hardly allowed to land, the
| gigantic coolie still refusing passage. Adj
| miral Hope now saw the danger of the
| American ship, particularly in her exposed
| position under the forts and he sent the
| gunboat 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 dispatched another
| vessel.
s'Tell the American commander" he said,
| ito hoist his ensign aboard and keep he.'
| as long as he desires"
| But favorable wind having arisen. Cap
| tain Tattnall declined the courtesy, and DUR
| ing the night he was able to clear the shoal.
| Shortly after 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 cotton cord
and the Plover spun shuddering into the
| clear water beyond.
All this time the seven grim forts had
given no sign. Not man had shown HIM
| SELF ABOVE the rampartS. NO nagS We're
webbed with mating. The coolie COM
mander had 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 stag
gered and huttered, riddied with shot. A
ball carried away gunner's head and NOR
tally wounded three other men.
This was the beginning. The admiral
drove his little fleet close in where the fire
was deadlisst and poured broadside after
broadside into the enemy's forts. But the
Chinese beat their tOm-toms and continued
to fire frantically. AT o'clock two of the
British ships had been sunk and four others
were aground. hopelessiy wrecked. Admiral
wounded and the flag had been twice
changed and now flew from the masthead
of the Cormorant-
Captain TattnalI had seen all this from the
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 q storm Of shot. Before they
pierced through. with all their crews. The
third. bringing an English midshipman. ran
alongside the Toey-wan. The officer leaped
on board and reported that out OF crew
Of thirty-seven men on the flagship only
six remained, and that Admiral Hope lay
and the little mfdshipman looked wfstfully
down across the bar where the larger ships
of fhe fleet swarmed with reserves. Small
boats had been put out, but owing 70 the