The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-22

JuStlf1catiOn for the action of the Bar
rier forts some days later, and was, in
cidentally, so this willy Oriental i'm
piled. why the American steamer Kun
Fa, while going through the Macao
passage about this time was fired upon
by one of the forts.
On the afternoon of the 18th of No
vember, after consultation at Wham-
poa with Commodore James Arm
strong. who had just arrived in the
United States steamer San JacintO,
Captain FoOte was fired upon by one
of the Barrier forts as he was on his
way back to Canton, to direct the re-
moval of the American guard. Grape
and round shot were fired at the boat
five times. but fortunately without do
ing any damage. The Barrier forts,
situated about five miles below the
city formed the main defense of the
town, and were deemed the key to the
approach, and, in the eyes of the Chi
nese, were looked upon as the most
formidable works in the empire. They
were four in number and mounted no
fewer than 176 guns-many of them
being pieces of eight and 10.5-inch cal
iber. while the river walls were mas
sIve granite structures six and eight
feet thick.
The channel of the Pearl river at the
point of the forts was narrow and tor
tuOuS and the current decidedly swift.
At once Commodore Armstrong dis
patched Commanders FOOte and Bell
the latter commanding the San JacintO
in search of steamers to tow the
Portsmouth and the LeSScnt off the
forts to redress the outrage upon our
flag-thc San JacintO drawing too much
water 20 get beyond Whampoa.
At daylight next morning, the 18th
of November, the Kum-Fa, without
mOlestatiOn, proceeded up to Canton
to bring back the marines Seamen,
launches and hOwitzers belonging TO
the San JaCinto and the Portsmouth.
In the meantime, Lieutenant William
son of the San JacintO, in a cutter with
an armed crew, and accompanied by a
pilot, was sent to sound out the chan
mel up to the forts. At noon, the lieu
tenant returned, reporting that he had
sounded to within less than half a mile
of the forts when he was fired upon
three times. and Edward Mullen, his
cOXswain, being killed while in the act
of heaving the lead.
The Kum-Fa succeeded in bringing
down the larger part of the guard from
Canton without mishap-the rest being
left at the consulate under Commander
Smith of the Levant.
All of the crew of the San JacintO
that could be spared were distributed
between the Portsmouth and the Lee
want, and Commander Bell, in the alb
seGce Of Commander Smith. was de-
tailed to assume command of the latter
vessel Commodore Armstrong, ac-
companied by the FIRST surgeon, re-
paired to the Portsmouth, on which
ship the commodore hoisted his broad
pennant.
With everything snug above, and
H..
sent down, the ships left their anchor
age after the men had finished their
dinner and everything been done to
prepare the ships for the hot work cut
out for them. 1t takes no very vivid
Imagination to picture the odds those
thin wooden walls were going to face
in attacking four strong masonry forts
armed with more than five times the
number of guns the vessels bore.
The old Portsmouth, in tow of the
American steamer Willamette, headed
the procession, with the little Kum-Fa
bringing up behind with the Levant in
tow. Before coming in range. the Le-
want grounded, and so remained until
after nightfall. In the meantime, the
Portsmouth kept steadily on her way
alone up the Whampoa channel, and
when within 500 yards of the nearest
fort-it being about AGO p. m.-anehor-
ed and swung into position 10 shell
those defenses. Some time before the
Portsmouth came to anchor the forts
opened a brisk and well-directed fire;
the exceptional accuracy was subse-
quently explained by the presence in
the fort OF some 120 disciplined Chinese
sailors lately discharged from a Euro
pean man-of-war. It was not until the
chips began to fly that the old ship
opened I'D upon the enemy. and then
for nearly three hours she kept up so
rapid and continuous a shell fire that
the nearest fort was silenced and the
rest OF them were attacking bus feebiy
when night closed in. The GOODNESS of
Captain Curry. the merchant skipper Of
the Willamette, won the unstinted
praise of all. Without any means of
defense or retaliation he steamed bold
~ up stream at the head of the line,
never faltering a moment, and cast
OF" from the Portsmouth only when