, 1905-06-28
Z GHTING ON OCEAN
PHlLO w. McGlFFEN DESCRIBES
NAVAL BATTLE.
Was in Command Ct Chinese Warship
During the Contest o. the Tatu, Ten
Years Aso.-WhoIe Ship a Scene
of Horror.

Phllo N McGiffen, commander OF
q chinese warship, the Chen Yuen,
during the battle of the Yalu, which
gave the japanese control of the Vel
low e in the val of ten years ago,
mas described some of his experiences.
He says: Sand was sprinkled on the
decks and more was kept handy
against the time when they might be-
come slippery. Here and there a man
lay nat on deck with a charge Of DOW
DEBILITY pounds or more-in his
arms waiting to spring up ana pass it
on when it should be wanted. The
nerves of the men below deck were
at extreme tension. On deck one
could see the approaching enemy, but
below nothing was known save that
any might begin the action
and bring a shell in through the side,
Once the battle had begun they wero
all right, but at first the strain was
intense. The fleets closed on each
other rapidly. My crew was silent.
A huge cloud of white smoke belching
from the Ting Yuen's barbette opened
the ball and a roar from the Chen
1uen's battery seconded the lagship's
motion. 1t was five minutes before
the Japanese replied and t.hencefor-
ward the conflict was almost inces-
SAINT"
In the fight that followed vessels
were riddled with shot and went down.
Ship caught fire and narrowing Incl.
dents were numerous. Commander
McGiffen says: The bridge of the
Chen Yuen. although thirty feet above
the water, was OOn soaked, as was
indeed the entire exposed surface on
the engaged side, by spray thrown up
by line shots that fell a little short.
Many OF the men at the guns on deck
were wet through and indeed the
water was flung on board with such
violence as to sting the face and hands
like hail. Every one in the coming
tower had his ears stopped with cot
ton, yet the liz made by the projec.
tiles against the ten-inch armor was
a serious annoyance. Some of the
enemy's ships used melenite shells,
the noxious fumes from which could
at once be distinguished from those
CT burning powder. One ship for a
time prac.iced 'broadside firing by
director; that is, each gun is laid by
Its crew OF the object and the entire
battery in one electric circuit, is fired
by pressing a key. This system,
though doubtless hard on the super.
structure of the ship practicing it, was
most effective-the result of so many
shots striking at once and producing
perhaps several fires being most an
noyirg.
About the middle of the fight the
Lai Yuen caught fire aft and burned
tiercely. The broadside guns could
no be manned, being surrounded by
flames; but the bow guns were work
ing steadily, while the crew persist
emily fought the flames on the quar-
ter deck. Below in the engine rooms,
with the ventilators stopped on &C.
count OF fire overhead, and in dark.
ness, receiving orders only by voice
tube transmitted from the deck
through the stokehole, the engineers
tried to do their duty hour after hour
in a temperature bordering on 200
utSIttS. AlltI several uOuTS tHe uTe
vas extinguished, but these brave men
were in several cases blinded FOR life
and in every instance horribly burned
and disfgured.
"The captain o; one of the Swelve.
inch guns, while training it, lanyard
in hand, had his head dashed off, its
fragments striking those about him.
AS he toppled over a man on the step
below caught his body around the
waist, passed it down into the arms Of
those below, ard, catching the lanyard
from his stiffening grasp. ooh his
place, corrected the aim and fired"