Smyrna times., 1898-06-29
FIERCE,NAVAL FIGHT
THE WYOMING'S HEROIC BATTLE
WITH THE JAPANESE.


Commander MeDugaII Fought One OF the
Most Daring and Successful Engage
ments In the History of Marine Warfare. J
Strange as it may seem, the Wyo-
ming's oriental battle is an almost un-
recorded chapter of our naval annals,
though it ranks even higher in point of
daring and success against overwhelm-
ing odds than the defeat of the Ala
bama by the Wyoming's sister ship, the |
Kearsarge. But the Wyoming never
was in very great luck as a naval star.
She had her part throughout the civil |
war in all the hardest of blockading and |
cruising service, and fought well when
ever she had the chance, but she did |
not have the luck of getting into the |
papers. She was sent off at the same
time as the Kearsarge to cruise for that
scourge of the seas, the Alabama, and
just missed her by the merest chance
on two occasions in the China seas.
1t was in 1868, toward the end of the
dual reign of the tycoon and the mika-
| do, when Japan was i'll the throes Of
civil war, and the forces of the rebel
princes were resisting to the last the
passing Of the old feudal system. The
! Prince of NagatO was one of these, and
from his tiny kingdom that frOnted on
the straits of SimonOseki he declared
himself lord paramount of everything in
sight, including the netghboring seas,
from which he took generous toll as did
ever the pirate chiefs of Tarifa. He
had laid violent hands and hot shot
upon the vessels of various powers, in.
Guiding Great Britain, France, the
Netherlands and the United States
Meantime Prince Nagato thrOve and
flourished by the strait of SimOnOseki,
and failing one day to wiring tribute or
blackmail by any other means he fired
on the American merchantman Penn
broke and killed a couple of her crew.
There was another diplomatic protest of
the combined foreign representatives to
the japanese government and Com
mander McDugall, who happened to be
III port with the Wyoming, suggested
that if the mikadO could not take fall
out Of his rebellious subject the Wyo-
ming could and would without much
urging. This struck the government as
q good thing and an easy way out Of the
international difficulty, so McDugall
, was given carte blanche to settle ac-
counts with the Prince of Nagato in be-
half of all the powers concerned, and
he forthwith sailed away.
1t was the middle of July when the
Wyoming found herself in the strait
Of SimOnoseki and in sight of the shore
batteries which were a part of the
princes defenses to seaward. Before
she had time to open on the batteries
two Japanese gunboats lOomed up, one
ahead and one astern, in the narrow
strait, and presently third came cruis-
ing out from among the neighbOring is
lands. 1t was nasty place for a fight,
McDugall being without charts or pi-
lots, and the odds were more than
enough for Nelson himself, being As
guns of the three Japanese vessels to the
;, 26 of the old Wyoming, to say nothing
= of the batteries on shore. There was
still a chance to run, barring some dan
ger of grounding in the narrow channels
: among the islands, but the idea does mo-
; seem to have occurred to any one aboard
the frigate.
" Working to windward Of the neares
= Japanese, the Wyoming opened at lonl
range and worked down on her till
when close aboard, there was nothing o
the enemy left standing above decks
The other two vessels had come up il
the meantime and engaged the Ameri
can on either side, but she lay to ant
- gave them shot for shot, port and star
- board, till her gunners were smOk
blind and the flame of the guns no Ion
ger served to light the battlecloud tina
= rolled in white pillows over tine smootl
: waters Of the strait 1t was desperat
= work in the shallow water, but tn
- Wyoming was the best vessel, and sh
:, outmaneuvered her two opponents fror
start to finish, though twice agroun
and once afire, with as many men knock
q ed out from splinters and heat as froI
- the enemy's shot.
Fighting themselves out of ON
J., smoke patch into another, the three com
= batants circled around like two crow
~ and "a kngbird till they had drifte
down in range of the shore batterie:
~ which gayly took a hand in the game
- But McDugall ran across the bows {
= one of his enemies, raked her as b
- went and left her floating wreck, an
- then turned his attention to the ba
:, teries The Wyoming's men rugged tt
- smiths forge ON deck and tossed h
shot into the works ashore till they 81
- them afire and the soldiers fed, and IL
o,, other Japs on the remaining cruiser, d
~ Gliding enough was as good as feas
- followed their example.
:, So McDugall mended his rigging an
10 patched his bulwarks, and meanwhi
10 sent word to the recalcitrant prince
20 come down and settle or he would sa
inland and shell the royal palace abo'
Il, its royal owners ears
90 The prince, who was no less discre
mo than Colonel Crockett's coon, can
M down promptly, and of the resulting i
10 demnity $500, 900 fell to the lot of Il
ro, United States. 1t was many years b
tha fore this money got into the treasury
Of the United States but meantime t
int state department had charge of it al
o;d had invested it so we'll that there was
,Id very little short of $4,000, 900 final
turned over to the government, whic
10 after all, was pretty good pay for o
days fighting, with a loss of only ii
ion killed and six wounded. Washingt
are Post.
hat Dt,.rDdsrs,ood.
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