The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1904-07-15
WRECKS OF THE WAR,
Viewing Variag and KOrietz
From a Korean Boat.
Recalling Chemulpo Battle Incl
dents While VictorS Were
Recovering the Spells.

Two men from the America gold
mines In Korea, one with a camera,
one with a desire for loot, wanted
what they called "a chance at the
Russian wrecks" OF the cruisers Va
riag and Korietz writes New York
Post correspondent from Chemulpo'
Korea. They took a Chinese boat
with them three Koreans with sweeps
making 1t 60 faster than an eight oar
ed barge. Ebb tide lowers the bay
water 40 feet or more, almost as much
as the bay of Funday, and leaves the
ruined ships of war stark and maugled
and naked, exposing their extraordi-
nary wounds-some from japanese
fire, but most from the explosions
the Russians set off when deserting
them.
There are junks from down the
coast filled with fish dried In their
natural state and bundled In five
hundreds with hemp string. The
quays are piled high with dried hsh
spreading a nauseous odor through
the town. There are mountains OF
sacked rice. Seven new warehouses
are crammed with supplies-what
they are have not seen. Rifle am
munition boxes, filled, make two
Story halt blocked. The sloping
rock pier that forms a 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 multi.
tude they tie cords about their arms,
the color indicating the regiment, an d
on their yellowish checks the quarter
masters paint In scarlet Arabic tg-
ures the number OF each cody,
The workers are wondrously strong.
They carry on their backs blocks OF
cut stone that weighs 500 pounds
Yet they are small men, somewhat
taller then the Japanese, but not so
sturdy or muscular, for the common
Japanese look like lot OF wrestlers,
hard feshed 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's Island, San Francisco
or Seattle aud send home.
"I'll get a souvenir from one OF
those wrecks" said the rough Michi.
gan miner. He seemed one OF those
Americans that need to be apologized
for abroad.
That's looting," he was remand
ed.
"I'll get only photographs" said
the other, (Which is not forbidden by
the laws of nations"
We crossed under the bows OF
japanese warship In slate war paint
and up to where junk with a Rhode
Island windlass operated by hand was
trying to extract a Russian gun
from Its bolts on the perpendicular
deck of the overturned Variag, which
was lying prone on It's port side In
the mud, uncovered by low tide, like a
stranded dead whale, and on the top
side were a hundred or more Jap
anese-Liloputians on CULVER
doing what? Lifting from the port
holes OF her upturned side the coal
which has filled her bunkers, those
bunkers which were designed to pro-
tect her from piercing shells.
Protection by the arrangement Of
coal bunkers and by Krupp steel deck
one-6ith OF three inches" Is how the
naval registers described her, and here
were her destroyes placidly taking her
500 tons OF coal protection.
AS the boat drew close al japanese
sailor with a megaphone shouted
some warning We knew 1t was a
warning IRON the tone. The Korean
boatmen were disturbed. They com.
pretended.
go, on" commanded the camera
man. There came another shout IN
more imperative voice. go on"
said the calm camera man feeling Of
the bulb OF his instrument and taking
sight.
An officer In long gold braided coat
came and stood on gun rampant of
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