THE BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4255, 21 August 1882, Page 2

THE BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA.

BRITISH PLUCK—EGYPTIAN BRAVERY.—HORRIBLE CRUELTY. A New York Herald special dated on board the Invincible has these details. At half past one a quiet order was given around the deck to-load with common shell, and a gleam of satisfaction shone on the men's faces. At 7 o'clock the signal was made to the Alexandra to open the ball by tiring one gun. A heavy boom came across the water, then there was, an anxious pause — would the Egyptians answer or would they evacuate the fort, But at the batteries opposite we could see loading guns. They would fight. The order was given to commence independent firing, and the signal was run up for the fleet to begin a general engagement. A deafening salvo from 5 9-inch guns went from the side of the Invincible, while overhead ten Nordenfelt guns in the tops swelled the din which burst forth from all the ships. The bank of smoke which at once arose like a wall from oar ship prevented me from, seeing the results of our fire, but from the tops

it was seen that the shells had struck rather low, and the sights were raised from 1350 to 1500 yards. The Monarch and Penelope had both been at work close at hand, and the roar of their heavy guns and ceaseless rattle of Gatlings and Nordenfeldt machines, and the shrieks of rockets which the Monarch was discharging, added to the lounds of our own guns made upadeep, continuous din, impossible to describe and bewildering to hear. In any momentary interval, the sound of guns from the other division of the fleet told that they also were hard at work... A hardy midshipman, posted in the maintop, signalled the direction of the course of the shells, and the accuracy of fire improved. Meanwhile the enemy's shots were coming thick and fast, their aim being directed chiefly against the Penelope and the Inflexible. They wefeTfiring principally round shot. Twenty minutes after the first gun was fired frorp the i fort, the royal braces were shot away and immediately after a shot penetrated her forward, the splinter wounding the stoker severely. At this, time, they appeared to have got our range pretty accurately, and. round and conical shot; whistled thickly between the masts. I went round the ship and found the men firing the main deck guns, all stripped to the waist. Between each shot they had to sit down and wait until the smoke cleared. They were anxious to know thjF result of their work and asked eager questions of me as to what, could be seen : above, but I could tell them little for the smoke hung like a veil between us and the shore. The events of the day show that the determination expressed by Arab! and his party to oppose the fleet to death has not so far been vain boast. They fought their guns to the last, but the fire of the fleet was so crushing, and/the > metal so superior as to make their, re-^ sistance ineffectual. They appeared to possess no shells, which was fortunate for us, for had they used these instead of round shot our casualties would have been much larger. As it is our suscess, although not bloodless, has been achieved at smaller cost than could have been expected from the formidable nature of the forts we had to attack. The most interesting incident was. the fight between the gunboat Condor, Commander Lord Charles Beresfordr with Agarni fort. His little vessel went close under the guns of the fort, and opened a tremendous fire, but was unable to silence it. The Admiral then signalled to the other gunboats to assist in' the engage* ment. A correspondent who was aboard the Condor sends the following accouut of the plucky feat performed by that little gunboat. At eight o'clock the Temeraire got afloat, and the i Condor made straight at the strongest fort; that is the Marabout. The Condor only carries three guns, two 64 pounders, and one 7 inch Woolwich rifle gun. The fort had at least four very heavy pieces of artillery, which were annoying the Penelope, Monarch, and Invincible. Running in within 1200 yards of these gups, a single shot from which would have sunk her, the Condor managed before the signal was given to cease firing at 11 o'clock to silence two, if not three, of these great guns. The Admiral ran up the signal " well done Condor," and later seat the Bittern and Beacon to assist in I the work. The fire.from the Marabout . fort was by no means contemptible.' Our < vessel was a small object otrtUe'water, and was only hit once by round shot, but heavy missies fell thick and, close,all around us. The Inflexible was enabled' to shell the Mexs forts with one of her turrets while she* pounded Easeltin ■. wit\, the other. The accurate practice which* she was making with her four monster., guns at this time called forth repeated bursts of applause "from ' everyone aboard this vessel. Erery, •hejl'iseemedf either to burst, right over" Baseltin or to pitch on - the * very parapet of Mexs Port upoiOtne hill. The. Lighthouse has not escaped unscathed, one shell I saw burst half way up the tower and two large boles are now visible to the naked eye at two miles distance. The ranges at which the Inflexible was firing varies from 5000 to 3000 yards, ■ According to the' account of persona who remained in the city, binds* :of murderers during and after the bombardmeat forced their way iatj almost erery house. Plundering and burning b/egan oq the 12th. Scarcely any European dweU ling was spared. Stores of petroleum were sent to Alexandria a week before the bombardment, specially to set fire to the town. Incendaries state that they received" 1 instructions to fire the house 3. A second visit to the town showed that many houses which yesterday were intact, today are in ashes, among them the British Consulate. Eye witnesses relate that the soldiers and others after plundering the houses, heaped up the bedding, saturated: with pelroleum, and then set the pile on fii'e.

A sister of the Khedive's wife died from premature confinement during th« bombardment.

During the massacre the soldiers set fire to the home of a timber merchant* The maidservant escaped to the garden, where she remained surrounded by the fire, the soldier laughing at her agony, and firing at her, but purposely avoiding the inflicting of fatal injury, preferring to burn her to death. Finally she rushed through theflameg, and though wounded by bayonet thrusts succeeded in securing refuge in ruins, where she was discorerejj by the marines and handed over to tjne Americans.

Along the line of Arabi Pasha's retreat from Alexandria are several villages the people in which are starving, the soldiers having robbed them of everything. The entire route was lined with dead horses and carriages.

It is reported that the Bedouins harrassed the soldiers in their retreat, killing 200 of them. Several huge pits have been dug as graves, and into these most of the dead have been thrown as they fell. It is estimated that in the forts alone 400 of Arabi's troops have been killed. All sorts of reports were circulated as to the number of Christians killed. From. 200 to 2,0G0 were said to have been massacred, but there does not appear to be any>reliabje data. As the forts ;%?te in a complete state of ruin, the efiecfc of the explosion of great ■hells must have been terrible. The strongest walls had crumbled. It is marvellous how the Egyptians fought their guns so long. The Khedive's palace, lying behind Port Isabo, is badly knocked about. Several room were destroyed, while fragments of shells were scattered broadcast. In the courtyard near the entrance of the gate of the Fort, whose magazine first exploded, we found a sentry lying dead. The first battery we entered contained two ten inch rifled guns which were dismounted by our fire. The ground was torn up and the walls shattered and the whole place dismantled.