The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-07-01

THE wvOMlkC'S HEROIC BATTLE
WITH TIE JAPANESE.
4 gainst Overwhelming Odds the American
Commander McDugall Fought One of the
Most Daring and Successful Engage

Most Daring and Successful Engage
nents In the History OF Marine Warfare.
Strange as IL may seem, the Wyo-
ming's oriental battle is an almost I'M
recorded chapter If our naval annals,
though il ranks even higher in point of
daring and success against oyerwhclm
ing odds than the defeat Of the Ala
bama by the Wyoming's sister ship. the
kcarSargc But the Wyoming never
was in very great luck as naval star.
She had her part throughout the civil
war IN az The z..-lss. .. AlocsGa.lg and
cruising service. ana fought well when
over 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
scourgo Of the seas, the Alabama. and
just missed her by the mcrest chance
on two occasions in the China seas.
1t was in 1868, toward the end Of the
dual reign Of the tycoon and the m.ka-
do. when Japan was in the throes Of
civil war. and the forces of the rebel
princes were resisting 10 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 Simonoscki he declared
himself lord paramount of everything In
sight including the neighburing seas,
from which he took generous toll as did
ever the pirate chiefs of Tarifa. He
t,,l ia,I ,,,nl.,t banIs ap1 bpf shot
upon the vessels Of various powers, in
GLIDING Great Britain, France, the
Netherlands and the United States.
Meantime Prince Nagato throve and
fiourished by the strait Of Simonoscki,
and failing one day 10 wiring tribute or
blackmail by any other means he fired
on the American merchantmen Penn
broke and killed a couple Of her crew.
There was another diplomatic protest of
the combined foreign representatives 10
the Japanese government, and Com
mander McDugall, who happened 10 be
in port with the Wyoming, suggested
that if the mikado could not take fall
out Of his rcbellious subject the Wyo-
ming could and would without much
urging. This struck the government as
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 i'll 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 We're part of the
princes defenses 10 seward Before
she had time to open on the batteries
two japanese gunboats doomed up, one
ahead and one astern, i'll the narrow
strait, and presently IA third came cruis-
ing out from among the neighboring is
lands. Ii was nasty place for fight,
McDugall being without charts or pi-
lots, and the odds Were more than
enough for Nelson himself, being IS
guns of the three japanese vessels to the
20 Of the old Wyoming, 10 say nothing
of the batteries on shore. There was
still chance TO run, barring some dan.
ger Of grounding in the narrow channels
among the islands, but the idea does not
seem to have occurred TO any one aboard
the frigate.
Working TO windward on the nearest
Japanese, the Wyoming opened ut long
range and worked down on her till,
when close aboard, there was nothing Of
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 70 anc
gave them shot for shot port and star
board, till her gunncrs Were smOk,
blind and the flame Of the guns no Ion
ger served to light the battlecloud thai
rolled in white pillows over the smooth
waters Of the strait II was desperate
work in the shallow water, but thu
Wyoming was the best vessel, and sh'
outmaneuvcrcd her two opponents from
start to finish, though twice agrount
and once afire. with as many men knock
ed out from splinters and heat as from
the enemys shot.
Fighting themselves ont of ONT
smoke patch into another, the three com
batants circled around like two crow
and kingbird till they had driftec
down in range Of the shore batteries
which gayly took hand in the game
BIT McDugall ran across the bows o
one If his enemies. raked her as h
went and left her floating wreck, anc
then turned his attention TO the bat
teries The Wyoming's men rugged tn
smiths forge on deck and tossed no
shot into the works ashore till they Sc
them afire and the soldiers fled, and tn
other Japs on the remaining cruiser, dc
Gliding enough was as good as feast
followed their example.
so McDugall mendod his rigging an,
patched his bulwarks, and meanwhil
sent word to the recalcitrant prince t
come down and settle or he would sal
inland and shell the royal palace abou
its royal owners ears
The prince, who was no less discree
than Colonel Crocketts coon, cam
down promptly, and of the resulting in
IDENTITY $500, 600 fell to the lot Of tn
United States. II was many years be
fore this money got into the treasury o
the United States, but meantime tn
state department had charge Of it am