A BATTLE AT SEA. THE STORY OF THE CHYYUEN.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8081, 20 September 1894, Page 4

A BATTLE AT SEA. THE STORY OF THE CHYYUEN.

Tho China Gazette says : u Wo loam some additional particulars of tho running fight which tho Ohyyuon kept up with a Japanoso man.of-man, eupposed to bo tho Naniwa, but thero ap« poars to bo a good deal of doubt as to, the identity of the Japanese ship. Tho Obineso on board tho Chyyuen aro tolling us that eho had foughb bho Japanese flagship, k lling tho Japanese Admiral and almost captured tho ship, when another Japanese cruiser hove in sight, and tho Ohyyuen was obliged to show her heels. There ia no doubt that sho was running tho wholo time, and that her tactics wero a judicious mixture of discretion and valor, her etern gun boing kept in full play upon tho pursuing Japanese vessel. Tho Ohyyuen, which is a Stettin-built cruiser, is commanded by Captain Foug Popkein. The story told by Captain Fong on his arrival at Waihaiwoi would go to show that his ship had fought) as no ship bad ovor fought before, and that ho and hi» men had porforraed prodigioa of valor. The deck and upper works of tho Chyyuon boro many ovidencoa of tho soverity of the Japanese lire. Thero was scarcely a bit oi her sbtucburo but had tho mark of shot or sholl. Tho Japanoso oppearod to firo little, but tho dholl», of which ,an Englishman who visited tho Ohyyuon at We-haiwoi picked up sove,ral, had not exploded. The Onineso on tho Ohyyuen avor that thoy would havo crippled or eunk their enemy, wad that the Chinese powder carried their nhob as woll ao the Japanese; bub they say there was some dofecb in the charges of many ol their projecoilos. Of course this may be an illustration of bho bad workman »nd hia tools, or the well-known weak' oesQ of tbo Chinese for linding oxtranoou8 excuses for all their shortcomings, "The total numbor killed on the Chyyuon was 13, including, we under stand, tho first and second lioutonants, and the woundod number 27. A lieutenant had hia head blown off by a sholl which killed qevoral men. Dur ing tho light tho Obyyuen'e funnels wero riddled with ohot, and her con< ning towor was sbruck by a ohell and einaahod to pieces. Men, four or five in numbor, who woro in it at the time, wero oibhor blown fco piocos ot bbeir brains woro dashed out on the deck, on to which they crashed down with portions of tho floor of the towor, 11 This shows how accurato the fire 1 ot the Japanese must have been. No torpedoes appear to have boon used during the light. At least none wat discharged from tho Chyyuon, though eho has two torpedo tubo^, and two forward range. One foreigner, Mr G Hoffman, superintending engineer on board tho Chyyuen, was in the engineroom all through the engagement, looking after tho ongines, which were ki'p' going at (heir very highest spood Turec of his mon nro said bo have been killed, while Hoffman was cub aboub the f ico by fragments of glass from the skyl'giit which was smashed by tho ariol 1 . The orders to the captain of bho hyyuen wero that ho should avoid a oonfl cb with the Japanese, and do nothing to p ovoko one. Of course ho now says that the Japanese opened fire upon him. Tho fireb bow gun of tho ( hyyuen was very shortly afterwards blown bo pieces, and its turrot smashed like matohwork, while tho after parb of the ship was torn to pieces by a flying shell, tho steering gear being completely blown away. Tho vessel then steered by her twin screws."