The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-21

were three Chinese cruisers and four
torpedo boats and at the masthead OF
the largest vessel fiuttered signals
made up from the British code The
Naval Attache read them off-"Prepare
to engage the enemy" He knew there
would be a broadside in moment but
the charging, snap-shooting japanese
did not see their danger. Clambering
uD a sandhilI, the foreigners shouted to
the pursuing line. but it was too late.
Their voices We're lost in the detona-
lions of the Chinese guns. At the first
broadside eighty men were killed and
wounded and the beach was covered
with bloody pulp Every mounted Off
Ger was slain. The living halted me-
chanically aligned their ranks and fac
ed the death-dealing ships, returning
Intellectual shots. An infantry captain
the ranking officer alive, ordered them
to lie down, but the secondary batteries
of the squadron soWed the beach with
missiles, killing and wounding so many
of the PROSTATE men that the rest
when the order was passed, but not be-
fore-retreated behind the sand dunes,
a few hundred yards away. Then came
an inspiring act of bravery. Red
Cross corps. which had followed the
battalion at distance, double-quicked
upon the beach and went about their
humane work under the most whitening
fire the barbarian enemy could deliver
The black sides of the Chinese ships
looked like storm clouds rejecting sheet
lightning and their fighting tops crack
led as though punches of gigantic fire.
crackers were exploding there. But
with perfect order and GOODNESS the men
of the Red Cross picked up the dying
and the dead, their own among the rest,
cd 81 IU nd m
the shelter of the dunes.
While this tragedy was passing the
infantry and cavalry of Oyama's main !
the high ridge and halted in long
columns on the treeIess slopes which |
terminated a little south of the fort
where Odera fell, at the shores of the /
bay. Before long the snow stopped fall |
ing, the sun shone, and the black |
masses of soldiery stood out like sill |
houettes against the white TANKS of /
the hill The gunners of Ting's feet
could ask for no better target, and all
though a spitf1re gunboat was busy
firing at the blockading fleet, three
miles away, not shot was thrown at
the exposed brigades. We thought per-
haps the elevation was too great, but
when the entire army was marched
slowly down to village just back from
the shore, for two hours in plain view of
Ting's well-manned decks, yet I'M
molested, We made up our minds that
the Chinese Were short of ammunition.
Yet they used it prodigalIy enough on
targets, both large and small, for days
thereafter.
Late in the afternoon Admiral Ito's
came and began working the
Krupp guns in the south fort. We
could see shells fall close to the Chinese
vessels, sending up geysers of brine and
exploding on and above their decks.
There was no reply to this assault.
Instead, the Chinese fleet formed in
single file and, with a ''bone in the
mouth of every ship, steamed in the
Western extremity of the harbor, where
it anchored under the lee of a jutting
cape of Liu-Ton-Tau, and within a mile
of the remaining land forts. For the
time it was safe.
The next military problem before the :
Japanese was to capture the town OF
Wei-hai-Wei and the western group of
General Sakuma had intend |
ed to march the army up the beach, a
distance of six miles, delivering battle
he next day. But the slaughter of the
battalion by the Chinese
ships changed the plan and on the
we're started on a wide detour which
vas calculated to bring them to the
Cheefoo road we'll in the rear of the
position. The march was ;
lard one, as the country was rough and
he thermometer once went to 20 de- 4
,rees below zero. Skirmishing with the
nemy was incessant, and over to the
light, the direction of the bay, we could Z
ear day after night, the boom of siege Z
rtillery One afternoon the bleak hills
umbled with the echoes of terrific eX- 2
losions in the distance. We learned I
forwards that the news of Oyama :
ank movement had stampeded the :
Western garrisons and that Admiral J
ing had sent sailors ashore to blow up I:
he abandoned works to prevent their ?
Sc against his bottled" fleet.
On the morning of the second day of
ne detour a japanese scouting party of !:
. men. in command of a Major, pene-
rated a narrow valley in the midst of Z
driving snowstorm, stopping at
mall village to make enquiries. While @
mere the storm eased up and the Major
aw bodies of troops on the hills. They Of
1rned out to be the retreating Chinese L
arrisons from Wei-hai-Wei, ten thous- II
nd strong The Japanese scouts had Il
OF been seen and might have hidden | C
ntil the enemy passed on. But it was OF
OF their way. Posting his men on
9th sides of the village, behind stone tn
,alls. the Ma or ordered the little squad fiji
Iopen fire In reply the Chinese pep m
cred the village with Mauser buIiets SO
nd sheIled it, but the japanese had U
lie last shots. Fearing that Oyama s pc
ain body would come up, the Chinese til
stunned their march. The gallant Gia- ! fiji