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

ing the day; but camper was thrown
over the pleasant occasion by an accident
that resulted fatally. At O'Clock in the
afternoon Capta-n Du Pont announced MS
intention of returning TO his ship. ana his
gig was manned and paced in readiness
for IA m At this moment heavy squail
of wind and rain came up, which induced
him to postpone his departure until II
blew over. The crew of the gig was di-
reoted 10 get out and drop their boat
astern, but before this could be done she
was caps!zed and her men-siX in all
were thrown into the water two of them
being drowned. Several days afterward,
while hauling out launch, one OF the
davits n the Powhatan broke, precipitat-
ing The boat and its crew into the river,
from which they were rescued only with
great difficulty.
IN THE GULF.
After visiting the Feiho forts the Pow
hatan touched at various ports in China
ard Japan, and on June of the follow
ing year she again appeared IN the Guit
of Pechili, having on board John Il. Ward
and sui.e. who represented the United
States in the pending negotiations. The
fear that the Chinese wou-- resort TO
treacneiy, as Will be seen, proved to be
wen founded. Flag Officer Tattnall found
the allied French and English forces col
lected there. under the command OF Ad-
niral hope. The force consisted of sew
eral English and French cruisers which
were too heavy to cross the outer bar,
and the 70 lowing gunboats: N.mrod Cor
rnorant, Lee, Opossum. Naughty, Forces
ter, Banterer, Starting, Clover Janus ana
Kestrel. Each of them carried two guns,
1S-pound howitzers, with the exception of
The Nimrod and the Cormorant. which
carried six guns each. There was also a
strong detachment Of marines under Col.
L Of hGGo pI1nhOatg
amounted to about 500. officers and men.
The Peiho or North river is a short and
rapid stream, cutting a channel through
the alluvial plain of the Pechil. AS 1t
approaches the sea. 1t flows for the last
five miles through a low. fiat country,
which is scarcely above the level of the
river, and as the stream spreads out at
high water IL loses much of its velocity.
y hard cay bank forms The bar, on which,
at low tide, there are only twenty-four
inches of water, leaving broau stretches
OF mud fats on each side. lie great
height of the tides on this coast, however,
increases the depth of water on the bar.
at high tide, to eleven feet and -conceals
the vast tracts of mud fats and sea roods
which grow there. Less than two miles
from the bar, where the banks of the riv-
er rise abruptly to a cons .derable height,
the Chinese had constructed mud and
stone forts on the site of the fortifica-
tons destroyed by the English and French
the year before.
they presented formidable line of de-
Tense. On the left bank, looking ur
stream, were three mounds of earth. thir-
ty feet high. well faced with solid ma
sorry. On the top was level space
where three guns were mounted on three
of the four sides. From this elevated
platform the guns pointed down at th'
i rfxy no
security from anything like a Horizontal
fire. Round these three mounds heavy
mud batteries. twenty-five feet high
} were constructed so as to protect the base
rnents of the mounds from breachin;
fire. These mud batteries mounted gum
= that were perfectly casemated. and wer
connected into one great work by a serie
of curtains. pierced like the bastions TO
u casemated guns, and covered from FAM
: attack by wet and dry bitches. This for
: LITIGATION was called the Grand Batter.
7 and was pierced for fifty guns.
: with the exception of the guns mounte
|, on each of the three mounds, every EN-
~ brasure was fitted with mantlet. Thes
mantlets were skillful inventions b
y means of which the embrasures in tn
= batteries were concealed from the view @
. an attacking party. That the slow-goin
= Chinese should have adopted this improV
: cd idea-which seems TO have been frs
introduced at the siege of Sebastopol onl
a few years before-has been urged as a
: evidence that these forts, If not construct
= eli by Russians, were built under the d
. rection of Russian officers. The material
. were stout wooden frames, covered wit
=, rattan, so TO be proof against muskt
- balls. They were worked on hinges. fitte
On the outer and lower edge of the en-
- brasures. and were lowered down or trice
is up, as the occasion required, by means
Ift,.C lfrer arI ttav
= on each side of the guns. When thu
20 closed 1t was exceedingly difficult for a
- enemy, even when the parapets were M
>, enveloped in smoke, TO distinguish II
~, embrasure from the solid wall of Il
:" battery
=, The exact range of the position vesse
a. must take in attacking the fort had bee
. obtained long before. and gun was loa
cd and aimed before the mantlet was Low
.. cred, thus revealing it to tie enem
u When all was ready the mantlet W:
=, dropped In a twinkling, the gun run OF
' the shot fired, and the recoil sent Il
"a gun back again and the same action DIRE
~. up the mantlet. This could be done
o. quickly that it was almost impossible
-. an enemy to tell out of which embrasi1
" the gun had been fred. Above and belc
!. the Grand Battery were two waspis
-, looking forts. each OF which had mou
N similar to the Grand Battery and W
- protected by bastions. They had thr
~ tiers of guns and were connected with t
"a main Notifications by earthworks. On I
~. right hand. back of the river, stood a
.. other series OF earthwoIks, construct
~ on the same general plan Of the Ora
- Battery, mounting about forty guns
- these elaborate preparations for the 1
~ Tense of the river, OF course. were u
s., known at that time to the English a
llu French.
ns AS an additional defense, the Chine
~ had constructed with extraordinary 81
- three lines of barricades across the riv
vi The first one consisted of single row
a iron stakes, each with a tripod base nj
1 inches in circumference. The top of ca
Cre OF these stakes was pointed, besides VIII,
there was a sharp spur which could pt
&C. citrate the hull OF vessel ascending
river. These stakes were driven so Il
their tops were covered at high wat
This battery was about $50 yards from
center of the Grand Battery and alb,
40 800 yards from the fort opposite. Alb,
$50 yards above this was another BARR
20 which consisted of rope eight inches
~ diameter, stretched across the river, G
two heavy chain cables. They "
" twelve feet apart and were hove in
ea- tight as possible. These cables were s.