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114
Yangching Bay, 30th January,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
confirms the news previously telegraphed. All craft, apparently torpedo boats, but we received the land forts at Weihaiwei have been captured this audacious attempt with such a sharp and and the Chinese have retreated beyond Fang-well-sustained fire from our quick-firing and linchu. The Chinese men-of-war were, however, machine guns, assisted by the thirty-seven, still firing apoa the Japanese. The latter were thirty, an twenty-five ton guns of the fleet inquiring into the losses sustained by both sides and battery, that the enemy was compelled al- and were examining the prisoners and the spoils most immediately to make a circular sweep to of war.
the north-west and disappear into the outer darkness. But this was not before we had smashed three of the enemy's torpedo boats and over ten (thirteen were counted) of our largest shells struck the larger ships. The Japanese must have suffered very severe losses by this sea attack, otherwise they would have tried to make a stand-up fight of it if they could. The whole affair occupied several hours, a desultory fire being kept up by our long range guns for another hour, until the enemy had disappared altogether. When the first division of the enemy attempted their dash and were repulsed the second division came up in their track, but were also obliged to make a retrograde move- meat, steering south-eastwards This second division received only slight damage, as far as could be seen from the fort, as they kept at a distance of a mile or so, firing all the way, and then retired, whilst the first division approached to within 800 or 1.000 yards of our fleet and about a mile from the forts.
a.m. to-morrow.
.
[February 14 1895.
from a night attack at that moment, they would be able to obtain a footing inside the port. They were apparently surprised in their tura. Vigi lant watch is kept over land and sea, and our outposts are spread out several miles distant from the first defence lines. Our torpedo boats are als sent daily on scouting duty.
The following Chinese telegraphic despatches have been received at Shanghai from Weihaiwei: I have just returned from watching the first
Ou the 1st instant the enemy's flest made day's proceedings at Weihaiwei. The Japanese
another attempt to force the eastern entrance of fleet left here at 2 a.m., so we know the attack
the port, but so hot was our fire from both fleet was to be made. We started at 5, getting off
and the forts at that end that we succeeded in Weibaiwai at 8 a m., just as the first guns.com-
destroying three of the enemy's torpedo boats menced firing inland. The Japanese main fleet
and caused two others to be towed off in a sink- kept off and did nothing. The smaller ships,
ing condition by other boats undamaged, or by about eight of them, steamed along shore to the
launches. There were also three armoured east of the eastern forts, firing as they got to
craisers, viz., the Yashino, Fuso, and one similar their nearest point from them and returning.
to the Itsuskushima, which were observed 10 The infantry began the attack on the east fort.
be well battered by our shells, and two of At 12.10 p.m. No. 1 battery, a heavy one pointing
them, the Yoshino and the Fuso, were seaward, was apparently evacuated and the
badly disabled; the latter listed on 038 magazine exploded with a tremendous roar,
At
side so much as to be evidently in a sinking 12.35 No. 2 suffered the same fate. At No. 3 I
condition. The damage to the Fuso was by a think there must have been hard fighting. No.
new invention like dynamite, which when shot off 4 was taken possession of apparently intact, for,
from special gans caused terrible explosions in facing the harbour and Liukung tao, it opened
the water like the bursting of torpedoes. This fire on the ships of the Chinese squadron,
new weapon was also the means of destroying one The Chinese ships had been busy in shelling
of the enemy's torpedo boats, sending it into space the advancing troops, apparently steaming about On the same inorning, New Year's day, at a seemingly, leaving nothing behind. We are for- the eastern part of the harbour, where the at- quarter-past to'clock, the land forces of the enemy, tunate in possessing this instrument of offenceand tack developed. This captured battery was ap. computed at 12,000 men, wore observed by our defence, and its destructive effects have evidently parently annoying the Chinese, for we saw the outposts and videttes stationed to watch the main created fear in the hearts of the enemy, who Tingyuen steam straight towards it, getting as road leading to Chefoo on the north aud Yung. immediately retreated in haste when they found near as she possibly could, I should think, and ching on the south. This body of troops had out the nature of the shots sent at them. Five engage it, and, apparently, in about half-an-bour apparently come from Ninghai and were advanc-li south-east of the eastern. forts are a number silenced it. We loft at 4 30 for Yungebing Baying quickly for the port. The idea seemed to be of earthworks which have been abandoned by us; again to send mails by the Alacrity. Heavy to surprise the market town of Weihaiwei, which but the enemy will not be able to avail them- firing was going on and is now (9 p.m.) going is the western point of the port. The approaches selves of them since they are well commanded by on. I shall be off the place again at about 9.30 to the town being almost entirely devoid of our guns from the eastern and southern forts. natural features of defence, it had consequently This is the ouly loss wo have suffered during always been considered the weakest spot. But the past five or six days, which, as may be per since the war commenced, and especially after ceived, is not very important, and which is more the fall of Port Arthur, the approaches to the than counterbalanced by the losses suffered by the town for a distance of three miles had been enemy at sea. It is to be earnestly hoped that strengthened by batteries and entrenchments the Viceroy Li's promise of sending a forcs from as far as the ingonuity of foreign experts could Tientsin and turning the southern troops avail, so that the position is now as strong as, en route for the north towards Weihaiwei perhaps stronger than, those guarding the instead will be kept. On the night of the 31st southern and eastern approaches on the land- January a body of 2,000 men and six guns with ward side. Immediately our videttes discovered a quantity of rice arrived at Weihaiwei, having the enemy the beacons were at once fired to give been sent to us from Governor Li Ping-heng's warning of their approach, while the whole of encampment at Fushan (near Chefoo). the outposts at this spot numbering 800 horse have more than enough ammunition, both for and four guns the latter commanded by a for eiguer-fell back on the wood which constituted the first line of our defence on the western land side. A discharge from field-pieces and carbines was immediately opened on the ad- vance guard of the enemy, 4,000 strong, who replied with their artillery. Commodore Liu, commanding at the town of Weihaiwei, des- patched twelve machine and eight quick-firing guns and a body of 600 bluejackets to the front as soon as the news of the land attack was re- ceived, while another division of 4,000 regular troops, under foreign officers, with twelve guns or two batteries of borses artillery, also arrived at the wood a quarter of au hour after the naval brigade reached there. Our fire kept the enemy from advancing, and by 10 o'clock
Chefoo, 3rd February. they were reported to have retreated to a dis- The ironclad Chenyuen behaved splendidly. tance of five miles or so from the wood. Our She fired 115 rounds from her big guns on the loss on this occasion was twenty-seven blue- 1st and not the slightest leakage was caused. jackets and about sixty regulars. The enemy When the proper moment arrives she will be able being in the open lost three times as many. to go out with the rest to fight the enemy in the Our scouts brought in 479 rifles and bayonets open sea. Losses on land and on the fleet very and counted as many of the enemy's dead bodies slight. Only sixty-nine wounded so far.
For- here and there within a mile and half of our en-eigners and officers of army and navy untouched. trenchments. Our position at the wood has now Japanese losses must be pretty severe. been considerably strengthened by extra machine and quickfiring guns and we have pushed our videttes farther northwards and westwards from this point.
The Japanese will doubtless take the place, but I think that they will have hard work if the Chinese destroy the western mainland forts be- fore they leave them. The Japanese will then have the inland forts and ships to deal with. They have no siege artillery, only field and moan- tain guns, and the Japanese ships do not seem to care to risk much. I expect they have orders to spare their fleet as much as possible. The Tingyuen going in to engage that battery was the most striking part of the day's proceedings, One of the forts, of course mistaking our vessel for Japanese, pitched four or five shot at us, but as we were five miles off they did not reach us. The nearest was 500 yards short. The thermo-
was down to 10 dom
From NC. Daily News.) According to Chinese official accounts, on China New Year's day, the 26th, the Japanese made a demonstration against the forts to the West of Weihaiwei, where the village is situated, knowing that to be the weakest spot in the defences, but, as the position had been greatly strengthened by quick-firing and machine guns from the fleet, under the command of Commodore Liu, the Japanese were repulsed. The attack was renewed later in the day with the same result. The fire from the Chinese lines is declared to have been so heavy and continuons that the Japanese could not get near the Chinese position, Du Sunday, the 27th, the Japanese made a demonstration from the eastward, but finding the Chinese fully prepared they retired after ex. changing a few shots
The Japanese are said to have threatened an attack on the forts at Chefoo, but were prevented from carrying out their intention by the foreign men-of-war,
Chinese official despatches via Chefoo, dated the 28th, give the following particulars of the attack on Weihaiwei by the Japanese fleet:
28th January.
T'he enemy attempted to force the eastern sea entrance of Weihaiwei with a fleet of nineteen large ships. The attack began at about 3 o'clock on the muning of New Year's day (26th Janu- ary), but our best men-of-war, including the two ironclads, were noored at this spot, and our electric search light used over both land and sea at once betrayed the presence of the enemy at a distance of four miles, making for the port in two divisions. Fire was immediately opened on the advanced Japanest vessels; the mosquito boats and their thirty-seven ten guns doing speo al damage to the enemy. Several of the largest and fastest of the enemy's ships then tried to make a dash for the port at full speed; accompanied by a swarm of smaller
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our lar29; guns as well as small arms, and our rice granaries contain enough to feed fifteen thousand men for six months.
The Centurion and Aplus were off Weihai- wei when the assault was made on the eastern forts, and eye-witnesses have described the way in which the Japanese took these. So soon as their flag appeared over the captured forts two were blown up by the Chinese, probably by mines, and the third proving dangerous to the Chinese fleet, one of the ironclads was seen to steam out into the bay and shell the Japanese ont of the captured fort. The British ships lay too far off to see with certainty which ironclad this was, but it was probably the Chenyuen under Admiral McClure.
Chefoo, 8th February, 7 a.m. The following vessels of the Peiyang fleet are known to have been suuk at Linkangtao Island by torpedoes fired at them by the Japanese- Both land and sea attacks were intended as a Tingyuen, flagship, armour olad, 7,335 tons, surprise; the enemy being apparently under the guns; Laiyuen, armoured cruiser, 2,910 tons, 4 impression that at the hour of the attack all the guns; Weiyuen, wooden corvette, 1,200 tons, 6 officers of the fleet and army would be occupied guns; K'angchi, similar to the Weiyuen; and one in going through the ceremony of paying new
named Paofa (P). Those that have escaped. year congratulations to the Emperor's tablet at are the Chenyuen, armour clad, sister ship of the the Imperial temple at Liukungtao, which forms flagship; 2siyuen, steel cruiser, 2,300 tons, the northern barrier of the port, where is guns; Chingyuen, steel cruiser, 2,300 tons, 5 situated the Admiral's yamen and other go-guns; Pingyuen, armoured cruiser, 2,800 tons, vernment offices, store rooms, etc. The enemy guns; and Kuangping, wooden torpedo cruiser, probably thought that, as in the case of 1,030 tons, 4 quick-firing guns. Admiral Ting is Pingyang at the autumn equinox, our soldiers reported to have managed to get on board one of would be carousing or sleeping off the effects the escaping ships, the whereabouts of which is of their celebration of New Year's eve and not yet known. The enemy are reported to have that with the surprise and confusion arising fished up the submarine mines at the eastern
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