Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-21

ing or TO attempt to ram and board the
American ship. One of the brlgS
showed signs of distress and was evil
IDENTIFY about to sink. But McDohgal
was not content to carry on the fight
with his ship in the mud, 50 he set her
propeller to work to get her off; forlu-
nately this was a powerful one, and
after several attempts she foated again
ignoring the sinking brig, the Wyom-
ing paid all her attention to the on
coming Koshin In doing so she had to
contend with the swift-running current
The bow chaser was the gun that
proved of most service at this moment
as the broadsiders could not yet come
into play The bow gun, however, did
its work well and the second shot
passed through the vessel, piercing her
side just above the water line. 1t
smashed the boiler, came out on the
other side, and exploded in the town,
mar a mile away. Great volumes of
steam rose from the disabled ship, and
spars and wreckage were hurled up in
the air Her officers left in the small
boats to pull for the shore, and the
crew jumped overheard just as the
steamer sank from sight. At least 40
of these men lost their lives. BY TINS
time the Wyoming was we'll past the
town itself and had her work cut out
to make way against the very powerful
tide The bark was still firing as fast
as she could serve the guns, and the
guns in the batteries were finding their
target. McDougal decided to settle the
bark first and then give all his attention
to the shore guns. The bark was soon
disabled and worthless. On her way
back the Wyoming dropped most of her
shots right in the batteries, one of
which was completely destroyed.
Half an hour after noon the firing
ceased, the wyoming having fired from
so to 60 shots in all. The enemy must
have fired 100 or more shots in the same
time The Wyoming lost five men
killed and seven wounded; she was
hulled ten times and her smokestack
had six holes in il, her masts were in
jured, and her rigging was pretty badly
cut up The Japanese lost two vessels
sunk and had one disabled One bat
terry was destroyed and many men were
killed or wounded; the number of their
casualties was never ascertained, as in
Yokohama we We're dependent on Yeddo
for information, and the reports from
there were erratic.
There is no doubt that McDougal was
entitled to all the glory and honor he
ever got for the part he played IN the
opening up of Dai Nippon. Perhaps,
had the United States not been busy
attending TO other matters nearer home
| at the time, McDougal would have had
| his services more fully recognized.
During the engagement the Wyoming
was under fire from three ships, and at
one time or another from eight bat
teries and either one or two gun re-
doubts. Before she got through she
| sank two of the ships, made lame
duck of the third, she went aground
and worked off again without aid, she
| disabled at least one of the batteries
and silenced several of the others. She
carried only six guns herself, but had
opposed to her no less than 90 guns,
some of which were heavy ordnance,
When shall her glory fade?
| Think, think of the wild fight she waged!
| For this little episode" the United
States collected $4,000, part of which