The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-21

Some uneasiness had been felt among the I.
British by rumors that Russians were II
lowering near the forts and would prob
ably assist the Chinese if an attack was
made 1t was well known that number
of high Russian officials were in Picking [
ST that time, but whether any cons der
allie number of Russian troops We're clan
destineiy employed by the Chinese was,
long an open question in the minds CT the
British public. Among the British sea-
men and marines, however, the prospect I
/ of a brush with the Chinese was antiei- |
/ pated with delight, which even the om,- I
nous Transforming of the Ciromandel and
the Nosogary, the French gunhoats, into
hospital ships and anchored within con-
velient reach, did not allay.
On the night of June "a Admiral Hope
sent three boats up the river under the
command of Captain Wiiles of the Chesa-
peake for the purpose of removing the
barriers. The boats passed between the
iron stakes const tuting the first barrier,
where Captain Willes left two of the
boats to attach explosives for the pur-
pose of blowing up the barrier, while he,
in third boat, pushed on 10 the third
barrier. Here the Chinese sentinels could
be seen walking up and down, and al
though the boats mus have been seen by
the people in the forts on both banks of
the river, no attempt was made to dis
turb them. Scrambling over the RATS
Captain Willes was sat SIZED that it was
impossible for the gunboats to remove the
barrier Returning to the second barrier.
he exploded his cylinders and made
breach wide enough for a vessel to pass
! through AT this moment one or two
guns from the fort We're fired giving him
warning to desist, but no general alarm
on shore was noticed and the formidable
character Of the batteries was not reveal
ed. Before morning, however, as the
British discovered the next day, the Chi
nese had repaired the breach made in the
, barrier.
! At daylight on the following morning,
: June %, the same deceitful calm was
maintained in and around the fort. AT
, half-past three in the morning the boat
SWANS whistles in the allied squadron
: began their merry chipping and sent all
: hands to breakfast and by O'Clock the
:, gunboats began to take up their prescr,b-
: ed positions. At this time the Hood-tide
was running strong, flowing in muddy.
turbid stream up tortuous gutter.
!, Gradually that gutter became filed, and
= the water, ruffled by fresh breeze that
: blew the foul smell toward the forts, be-
> gan to rise TO the level of the mud-banks
: and finally washed over them and the
. reed-coyered mud fats, and began TO lap
: against the foundatioRs of the massive
- forts. The British began operations thus
" early, hoping that by the time the flood.
- would be in position But considerable
= delay was caused by the narrowness Of
:, the channel, and the strength of the
: breeze, which occasioned considerable
:, confusion in the maneuvers; so that Il
:. was not until IL 80 a. M, or at high water
:. that the vessels were in position. Ever
:. then there was some delay caused by tn,
- grounding Of the Banterer and the Star
- ling. At o'clock, when the ebb-tide wa
:, running strong, Admiral Hope. with hi
- flag flying from the Plover, signaled tn,
-. =, Opossum to remove an iron pile to which
.s she had made fast. In thirty minutes tn
=, Opossum had wrenched the iron stalk
-. from its bed, and the gunboats, rum nj
through the breach, passed up to the sec
= ond barrier, where they were under tn
=. guns of the forts at pointb .ank range
"a This was a moment of intense excite
- ment Every eye was fixed upon the bat
ne teries but the same imperturbable cain
= that had been maintained the prev.ou
-. day was unbroken. Just the Plove
" was attempting to break through tn
q second barrier, however, a single gun wa
al an fired from the fort, and moment late
~ all the mantlets were dropped and fort
~ heavy pieces of artillery opened upon tn
% little craft. AT that instant Admire
~ Hope gave the signal. Engage the enem
.'o as closely possible" and the other gun
~ boats fastened to the support of thei
a.. gallant leader. The enemy's guns ha
~ the first and second barriers that alInos
.. every shot fired at the Plover and tn
IN Opossum took effect.
on CHINESE DESPERATE.
as 1t seemed to be the object of the Oh
Up nese to annihilate the flagship, and will
OF n twenty minutes the Plover and tt
a Opossum had so many ki-.ed and wounde
pm that their batteries were almost silence
er- Lieut.. Commander Rason of the Plov,
err was cut in two by round shot. Capta
ISL McKenna of the Admirafs staff was OF
al of the first to be killed, while the Admir-
am himself was seriously injured in II
ner thigh. Whether or not the gunners
ing the fort were Chinese or Russian rem
al gades. deserters and convicts swept ,
rcy on the Siber an frontier, they fought Wi
ter marvellous skill and showed that they hs
of been trained in the most advanced ide;
ely of European artillery. For the first tin
she in Chinese warfare the suns were 50 a
mo ranged as to concentrate their fire on al
given point within the batteries. Furthe
,an more, there were reserved supplies
the guns and carriages. This was shown
II the ease with which a d.smounted 81
the was again firing away from certa
at embrasure, for the English gunboats,
but though firing at a disadvantage. plant
lral their shot in the embrasures with consi
'th- cradle skill.
eff 1t was at this critical period of t
oey fight that the Americans rendered ASST:
ain ance to the sorely tried British, which,
the long as the Brit Sh nation remembers, t
,rm affair of the Peiho Fort will not be fC
can gotten. Captain Tattnall and the 9th
ded American officers in the Toey Wan h
ard been witnessing the treacherous alta
by upon the allied squadron with feelings
lta- anger and modification. Finally, obsel
the ing the desperate condition of the Britt
our Adm raj, Tattnall exclaimed: Blood
snt- thicker than waterr' And he'd be -
With if he'd stand by and see white men butt
We cred before his eyes" wrote Trenchard
kes his journal. mo, SIR he said to Trenc
mud ard, "O;d Tattnall isn't that Kind sir T
ton is the cause of humanity. Is that be
,.er ready? Tell the men there is no need
.nty side arms" Knowing that 1t was imp
)rds s.ble for the Br4.-sh reserves to p
rag against the swiI, ebb-tide to the relief
my their sorely tried brethren, he sent an
:. 1t ficer to Colonel Lennon, offering the s
here vices of the Toey Wan in towing the b
eiho ish boats to the scene of action.
who APPEAL FOR AID.