Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-05-20

Recalling Chemuipo Battle Incidents
While tietorr Were Recovering
the spoii.-Two Japanese Torpedo
Boat Bestroyers sunk A Reiic
Z From the koriet.-Method OF Dis
tinguishing Cody Workers.
Two men from the American gold
mines in Korea. one with camera.
one with desire for loot, wanted what
they called IA chance ut the Russian
wrecks" of the cruisers Nariag and
Korietz. writes the New York Posts
correspondent from Chemulpo, Korea.
| took sampan with them, three ko-
reans with sweeps making il go faster
than an eight Dared barge. Ebb tide
lowers the bay water thirty feet or
more. almost as much as in the bay of
Fundy, and leaves the ruined ships of
war stark and mangled and naked. eX-
posing their extraordinary wounds
some from japanese fire, but most
from the explosions the Russians set
off when deserving them.
There are junks from down the
coast filed with fish dried in their nat
ural state and bundled in five hundreds
with hemp string. The quays are piled
high with dried fish. spreading nau-
seous odor through the town. There
are mountains of sacked rice. Seven
new wooden warehouses are crammed
with supplies-what they are have
not seen. Rifle ammunition boxes,
! filled, make two story half block.
The sloping rock pier that forms Il
landing place suited to all tides is
thick with white bashi bazouk Korean
coolies Juggling dried fish on crotched
stocks fastened to their backs.
In the China war the Japanese paid
the coolies; probably they are doing so
now, for in order to distinguish their
Korean workers from the multitude
they tie cords about their arms, the
color Indicating the regiment and on
their yellowish cheeks the quartermas-
tiers paint in scarlet Arabic figures the
number Of each cody.
The workers are wondrously strong.
They carry on their backs blocks OF
cut stone that weigh 500 pounds Yet
they are small men, somewhat taller
than the japanese, but not so sturdy
or muscular, for the common japanese
look like lot of wrestlers, hard flesh
ed, bullock headed, forceful animals
with a sort of cunning-bruisers. The
Japanese soldiers are a grade above
You would have them as gardeners
perhaps, but the others, the ordinary
immigrants, you would stop at Ellis
island, San Francisco or Seattle and
send home
"Fll get souvenir from one of those
wrecks" said the rough Michigan min.
err. He seemed one of those Americans
that need to be apologized for abroad.
That's looting," he was reminded.
"Ill get only photographs" said the
other, (which is not forbidden by the
law of nations"
We crossed under the bows of Jap
anese warship in slate war paint and
up to where a junk with a Rhode Is
land windlass operated by hand was
trying to extract Russian gun from
its bolts on the perpendicular deck OF
the overturned Variag, which was ly
ing prone on its port side in mud, un
covered by low tide, like dead strand
ed whale, and on the top side were
a hundred or more Japanese-Lilipu
tians on a Gulliver-doing what? Lift
ing from the portfolios of her upturned
side the coal which had filed her bunk
ers, those bunkers which were design
ed to protect her from piercing shells.
Protection by the arrangement OF
coal bunkers and by Krupp steel deck
one-fifth to three inches is how the
naval registers describe her. and here
were her destroyers placidly taking
her 800 tons of coal protection"
AS the sampan drew close a Japa
nese sailor with megaphone shouted
some warning. We knew it was c
warning from the tone. The Korean
boatmen were disturbed. They com
pretended.
go on" commanded the Gamer;
man. There came another shout il
more imperative voice. $50 ont" sale
the calm camera man, feeling Of tn,
bulb Of his instrument and takin.
sight.
An officer in long gold braided Goa
came and stood on gun rampant o.
the Variag, glared through his marin,
glasses and gave signal
We had now come around to wher,
one Of the screws Of the PROSTATE shil
lifted above the water, powerful tai
fin now mere obstruction to naviga
ton. On the other side the rounded
hull was slick and clean-copper below
its water line and dull black new wal
paint above. All its wounds were OF
the side now under There were onl!
two large holes there, General Allel
told me later. The rest were small
two inch holes that made the port sid,
look like great pepper box. One o
the big holes was amidships, and tina
the fatal one.
In two months the Japanese, will
have reclaimed her and at an eXpens,
of $250,O0O will have about fitted he
for service
The megaphone sailor came to tn,
starboard side-for him her deck-an,
beloved again.
II want to catch him in the act
said the photographer, and he stood VI
and boldly snapped again at the threat