The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-02-23
uttered the one pathetic sentence:

harbor again, avoiding a Chinese wa
ter patrol. In the fight that followed
the battleship Ting Yuen was sunk. the
japanese losing one torpedo craft as
before. But this was not the full SUBJ
traction which the events of that bitter
day made in the Chinese naval
strength. At S o'clock in the morn
Ing Admiral Ting's torpedo fleet form
ed in single file and steamed towards
a narrow opening in the boom that
crossed the western channel. We
thought an attack was to be made on
the single Japanese patrol ship visible
In the brewing storm outside, but that
was not the purpose. Signals to the
torpedo boats shone at the masthead
of the Chen Yuen, Ting's new flagship,
but they were not answered. Then
the remnant of the broadside feet be-
gan to fire on the fotilla which was
leaving the harbor, not to do battle,
but to desert.
The thirteen fugitive boats had
scarcely passed the boom when the
japanese patrol vessel, the Yoshina,
opened fire. Her consorts were all at
anchor in the Bay of Islands" ten
miles distant and It fell to her to meet
the thirteen torpedo boats alone. Her
speed was 90 knots; theirs, owing to
past bad management, 10. With mi
mute accuracy, the japanese gunners
smashed the foremost of the fleeing
boats and the rest turned shoreward
and were beached, their crews running
into the arms of company of Japan
csc engineers. In half an hour what
was left of China's torpedo fiotilla was
in Japanese hands.
Two days thereafter the largest re-
naming cruiser of the fleet, the Ching
Yuen, came to grief. She steamed
across the ay from the general an
chorage, mooring close under the hill
where, despite our previous adventure
with the nagship's shells, the foreign
correspondents-by this time augment
ed in number by the arrival of two
others-were holding daily vigil. Once
in position, starboard turned towards
the distant eastern fort, the two guns
of which had been annoying. Liu-Kon-
Tau, she 1et fly half dozen shells.
We could hear them Shrek and moan
like siren whistles and then from the
distance, for the fort was six miles
away, came back the dull reverbera-
lions of their explosive impact. Then
a wonderful thing happened. A cloud
bulged from the parapet of the fort;
the sound of an. express train coming
towards US at full speed thrilled every
straining nerTe; and with a splitting,
rending thrust, a concal shell entered
the ship at the water line, opening
great gap. Boats and sampans were
dragging at their ropes on the port
side and into these the crew tumbled,
rowing hastily away. Then the cruis-
err began to settle at the bow, the stern
keel lifted above the surface and the
ship slanted easily to the bottom and
settled in the mud, her flag still flying
1t was the finest shooting of the war
and was done by Captain Naruta of
the japanese navy.
Only eight Chinese men-of-war were
left. These, when the cruiser went
down, displayed their largest flags at
itself; and the forts on iu-Kon-Tau
did the same. But defiance was USE
less, for the end was near. During
the week the Japanese artillerymen
had been toiling over the hills from
Yung Ching bay, dragging mortars.
On that very day those small but pow
erful engines of destruction We're plant
ed in n deep valley behind the ruined
western forts. At the noon hour they
opened fire. Ting's decimated squad
ron had gathered near the iron wharf
on the south side of the island to take
on coal, but when bombs from the
masked battery began falling among
them they awoke like kennel of Sleep
ing hounds. The Chen Yuen, black |
and menacing, turned bow on towards
the abandoned forts, over which the |
bombs We're describing their para !
bolic curves, and brought four T.
inch barbette guns to bear. The |
gunboats and two cruis-
ers formed and for an hour the |
tumult ragged. From the station
on the hill one could see the shells |
among the shattered walls |
IF the forts, setting fire to the little |
1amlets on the slope, crashing horribly |
nto graveyards and making untimely !
'esurrections, but none of them reach
I'd the hidden mortars. over came
he missiles of the japanese. raining
Ike so many aerolites upon ships and
Island forts alike. 1t was most
Unequal fight from which Ting's squad
'on withdrew as far as 1t dared, for
he moment it came into view from the
eastern entrance to the bay Ito's
squadron and the two-gun
battery on the mainland made it an
'asy target.
Surrender was near. The next day,
February 10th, the commander of the
Chinese torpedo boats was
brought to camp. He talked English
and said he was a graduate of Yale,
Kan by name. This man stat
ed that his countrymen on the island
lnd fleet We're demoralized. They could
get no sleep owing to Ito's steady bonn
bardment and to the torpedo attacks
and had been begging Admiral Ting to
save their lives. The Admiral had tele-
sraphed to Picking for achievements,
but Ii Hung Chang had replied that
none could be sent. In few days at
most Ting, unable to escape and threat