The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 9, 1900, Page 1

This Pape,_ to be taken f, the Library, %% + - @all, VOLUME LXXXVIII-NO. 70. SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1900. PRICE FIVE CENTS. RUSSIANS REPORFED 40 HAVE LOST D00 INEPEITSANG BATTLE Victory of the Allied Forces on the Way to Peking Followed by Renewed Promises of the Chinese Government to Comply With the Demands of the United States. ottt @ HROUGH Minister Wu the United States Government addressed last evening a vig- orous warning to the Chinese officials in Peking that they would be held personally ac- countable for the safety of Ministers there. It was pointed out that if the envoys could not be protected in the easily defended portion of Peking it was futile to suggest escorting While not in a diplomatic sense an ultimatum, this memorandum is re- them to the coast. et et el et gt 110 wounded. losses of the allies seem to be and my allies to vi will be made commander in ch ottt et detoded ONDON, Aug. 9, ¢ 2. m.—Beyond the papers contain no | importance from | nks to the dispatches | de Macdonald and Rear Ad- | here is a general disposition situa- | The report of the ap Rome correspond. Mall announces the reception there of official dispatches from the Italian Min- | ister in Peking, he leit | P for Tien- | > legation by foreign d decla been iss ©0, bave corresponder jand 3000 troops c act would not b and M. an cinrcumstances h land forces says t if th French will do The Au will also land men. My personal is that the landing of troops I . present time would be a grave mistake.” The Daily Chronicle, commenting upon American criticism of the character of the Chinese “news” printed in some Lon- | don dailies, admits that the charges are only too true, and that the practice of certain papers in this respect are opposed | to the best traditions of British journal- tem. It joins in the American protest against trashy sensationalism. | Almost all the news in this morning’s papers upon which credence is placed comes either from Washington or direct | from British officials. -— DESULTORY RIFLE FIRE. BERLIN, Aug. 8—The Foreign Office has received the following dispatch from Herr Below, fist secretary of the German ation at Peking, dated Tsinan: [ the situation has not | has been neither attacks masse upon us nor shell Since July 21 changed. The: by the troops @ i i among the refugees in the British legation. the prorogation of the British Parliament says: it with worthy punishment the authors of this unexampled crime.” | to the Secretary | made public. | ceived to-day SUMMARY OF CHINESE SITUATION. garded as,affording a last opportunity for the Chinese Government to arramge matters ex- cept on a basis of dictation by the powers after the entry of their troops into the capital. In response to a demand made a month ago by the United States, and probably actu- ated by the beginning of the allies’ advance, if not also by the reverse suffered by its forces at Peitsang on Sunday, the Chinese Government has issued an edict opening free communica- tion with the Ministers in Peking, as a result of which a cipher message was sent from Wash- ington last evening to Minister Conger. Advices from the British Minister in Peking received in London yesterday state: that on Friday all was well, though intermittent rifle fire by the Chinese troops and Boxers had continued since the cessation of shell fire on July 16. Two hundred women and children are The total casualtie: Further details of the battle at Peitsang on Sunday encourage the belief that the Chi- nese resistance was less than at first supposed. has already reached Yansun, about one-third of the distance from Tientsin to Peking. Reports from General Chaffee and Admiral Remey show that the Americans were unable to participate in the fight. The early reports of seven hours of battle and heavy Washington t without foundation. Referring to the attacks on the legations in Peking the Queen’s speech yesterday on “The utmost Field Marshal Count von Waldersee is to be sent to China to lead the German troops there, and it is reported at Berlin and is generally believed in other European capitals that he ief of the allied forces. fire, .only desultory rifie fire. The health of the members of the legation is com- paratively good. The wounded are pro- gressing.” OFFICIAL REPORTS ON THE ADVANCE OF ALLIED FORCES Cables From Remey and Chaffee Show Japanese Took Ple- tsang Before Ameri- cans Arrived. ASHINGTON, Aug. S8.—Acting Secretary of BState Adee re- ceived a cable message this morning from Consul Goodnow at Shanghai giving the latest in- | formation in his possession in regard to the situation in China, including the op- erations of the allied forces engaged in the advance on Peking. It was referred of War and was not The following brief dispatch was re- at the Navy Department from Rear Admiral Remey, commanding val forces in Chinese waters: U, Aug. 8.—Bureau of Naviga- | tion, Washington: Taku, Aug. 6.—Chaffee | reports Japanese took Peitsang on lhe morning of the 5th. Engagement over be- fore Americans arrived. Movement prob- ably continued to Yangtsun. Inform Sec- retary of War. REMEY.” This gives a somewhat different aspect to the battle at Peitsang on the 5th, as 1t indicates that the American detachment took no part in that engagement, not hav- ing arrived until after the Japanese forces had effected the capture of the city. Ad- | miral Remey confirms General Chaffee's statement that Yangtsun is the next ob- jective point of the rellef column on its march to Peking. The War Department has recelved the | following cablegram from General Chat- CHEFU, Aug. 6.—Adjutant General, Washington: Peitsang handsomely taken early this morning by Japanese troops, supported by English and Americans. Japanese loss considerable; English slight; Americans none. Ground very limited. In morning American troops occupied rear position, which was to 10rm turning move- ment, but were unable to form in line. We cross the Peiho to left bank to-mor- row morning and move on Yangtsun. “Consul at Chefu furnished copy of dis- s there have been 6o killed and hinks the allies’ advance guard felefonfestert R R R S e RS efforts will be made by myself patch from Tsung li Yamen on July 20, which he has cabled. CHAFFEE.” VIENNA, Aug. 8—The commander of the Austrian gunboat Zenta, now in Chi- nese waters, cabled tlat Peitsang was captured by the allled forces August 5 and that the Chinese troops fled. He adds that there were no casualties among the sixty men from the Zenta who were engaged. BRITISH MINISTER ALSO HEARD FROM LONDON, Aug. 8.—In the House of Commons to-day Mr. Broderick, Parlia- mentary Secretary for the Foreign Office, read a telegram from Sir Claude Macdon- 1 Minister to China, received in Foreign Office this morning. ch was in reply to a Covern- age and bore date of Peking, It was as follows: day received your cipher tel- ded to me by the Chinese The shell and cannon fire ceased | cipher at t The disp: Minister. | on July 16, but the rifle fire has continued from the Chinegg positions held by Gov- | ernment troops and Boxers intermittently ever since. been The casualties since then have ight. Except' one private of ma- all the wounded are doing well. The | rest of the British in the legation are well, | in¢luding the whole garrison. “The total of killed is €0 and of wounded 110. We have strengthened our fortifica- tions. We have over 200 women and chil- dren refugees in the legation. The Chi- nese Government has refused transmis- sion to telegrams in cipher until now."” Mr. Broderick also read the following | dispatch from Admiral Bruce, flled at Chefu August 6: ““The allies, about 12,000 strong, attacked | the Chinese intrenched position at Hslku, about two miles cutside of Tientsin, early this morning. The Chinese were driven out and retired northward, pursued by the allies, who occupied Peitsang. Transports followed up the troops. By road and river the advance upon Peking had be- gun.” Mr. Broderick said he thought the mes- sages were on the whole satisfactory. The country understood the policy of her Ma- jesty’s Government in regard to China was to carry on with absolute firmness and determination the measures taken to preserve the country’s interests. gl ol CHINESE DESTROY RAILROAD. ST. PETERSBURG, Aug. 8.—War Office telegrams received here from Eastern Si- beria show the Chinese have destroyed the railroad in several places, interrupt- ing the passage of the through trains. The Cossacks now guard 2000 versts of the frontier railroad. e I 3 e e e e Y. ) - i EXPEDITING MOVEMENTS 0 o+ + i OF TROGPS TO CHINA i ALL BUREAT, WELLINGTON HOTEL, WASHINGTON, Aug. §—The War Department is exerting every effort X expedite the movements of troops to China. Instructions were given to-day to commanding officers of the De- X partments of the Lakes, Dakota and Missouri, directing them to send with ali dispatch to San Francisco troops of - the entire departments under orders for service in China. The troops affected by these orders are the home bat- + o o iret, Second, Fifth and Eighth Infantry.. Quartermaster General Ludington made arrangements > for the transportation of the battalions to San Francisco. Companles A, B, C and D of the First Infan- :!: Fort Logan, Ark., and Fort Leavenworth, Kans.; Companies E, F, G and H of the Second Infantry, X iy and Columbus Barracks, Ohio; Companies I, K, L and M, Fifth Infantry, from Fort Sheri- - ,mpanies I, K, L and M of the Eighth Infantry, from Fort Snelling, Minn. * General Ludington said this afternoon that there are at San Francisco an ample number of transports to convey < these troops at cnee to Taku. As soon as the remaining battalions of the First, Second, Fifth and Ejghth Infantry arrive % in the United Siates, long-time men and recruits will be organized into battalions, which will be rapldly Hurried to China. The tank ship Arcthusa, which will sail for Mahila within the next ten days, will carry ten fleld and ten Coit ine gu o O i 1o Rear Admiral Remey. eral Buffington, Chief of Ordnance, is shipping ding out mules to carry the weapons on their backs. el A e e imperial ieiiel=b @ | friendly communication and co-oneration The Arethusa will also take a plentiful supply of ammunition. Maxim Nordenfelds to China and the Quartermaster's Department is B er | | | B | e e O e O e o 4@ | fcan diplomat in Peking, a duplicate go- *G*D* O 4P -0+ . PROFESSEDLY COMPLIES WITH HAY'S DEMAND So the S.ite~Department Semlsl a Cipher Message to Con- ger Which Will Test China’s Sinceritu. Special Dispatch to The Call. ALL BUREAU, WELLINGTON HOTEL, WASHINGTON, Aug. 8— China has professedly complied with Secretary Hay's demand that the United States be permitted free | communication with Minister Conger, and a message was sent to-night to the Amer- ing to Consul General Goodnow in Shang- hai instructing him to make every effort to forward it. This message Is in cipher, and officials of the Government are jeal- ously guarding its contents. If China per- mits the delivery of this dispatch and an answer be received within a reasonable time much will have been done toward meeting the wishes of this Government and it will feel more disposed to act in her behalf. At the same time, officials are impressing upon Minister Wu that in their opinion in permitting communication between the American Minister and this Government the imperial authorities are doing no more than is just and are allow- ing no more than is dug to the American jovernment and its representative. In his note of August 1 Secretary Hay stated emphatically that ‘“‘free communication with our representative in Peking is de- manded as a matter of absolute right and rot as a favor,” and the message re- celved yesterday from Minister Conger, followed to-day by the presentation to the State Department of the dispatch re- ceived by Minister Wu from the Taotal of Shanghal, saying that an edict issued by the imperial Government permits Min- isters free communication In cipher in- dicates that the Chinese Government has recognized the force of the Secretary's declaration. No doubt exists in official circles that the action of the Chinese Government was undoubtedly influenced by the firm tone of the Secretary's com- munication, followed by the advance of the allies from Tientsin. Speculation is rife as to the part played by the reverse of China at Peitsang in causing the im- perial Government to issue the edlict. It was noted to-day that the edict is dated August 5, and the battle of Peitsang oc- curred early on the morning of that day. If there is telegraphic communication be- tween the Chinese military force in front of the allies and the capital the success of the allled troops probably had a direct bearing upon the concession made by the Chinese Government. But whatever the cause; the result is regarded as most gratifying, as distinctly showing that the Chinese Government is weakening, so that hope is expressed that, anticlpating the success of the foreign troops, it will ac- cord that protection to foreign Ministers upon which the United States, in common with other powers, insists. In his mes- sage of August 1 Secretary Hay dsserted that *“no negotiations would seem advi able until the Chinese shall put diplo- matic representatives of the powers in full and free communication with their respective Governments and remove all danger to their lives and liberty.” It is the latter phase of the situation which is engrossing the special attention of the authorities. Until a reply Is re- ceived from the dispatch sent Minister Conger and until he announces that the legations are under proper protection, there is no llkellhood that the United States will consider any proposition ad- vanced by China, though it is believed to be certain that in opening communication she was actuated by a desire to comply in part with the wishes of this Govern- ment in order to use it to her own ad- vantage. The authorities thoroughly un- derstand this phase of China's conduct and'are prepared to take advantage of it. Bedde- demanding protection for foreign Ministers Secretary Hay urged that the 1 authorities “place themselves in COMMAMDING ANTI~FoREIGR 5 74 mféi«;c;-/ W\ e ““The setto, whicl with ‘their tamps. tect the shirkers.” rocedure was very leisurely, (@900 0000000000008e0008+0000ebetedeieiedy Wwith the relief expedition,” but this has not been done, nor is it likely to be done until the preliminaries have been arranged through Washington. Minister Wu also presented to the State | Department an imperial edict detailing the steps taken to escort the Ministers to Tientsin and giving as a reason for them that order has not been restored in Peking and that the precautionary meas- ures taken for them may not secure ab- solute safety. It Is apparent that his edict was fssued at the about the time when Minister Conger's dispatch left| Peking and his view of the situation Is totally different from that entertained by the imperiai authorities, as he declares that it will be certain death for the Min- isters to leave Peking, and no doubt is entertained by the authorities that the Chinese officials appreciate this as much as do the Ministers themselves. It is the expectation of the Government that the Ministers will remain in Peking until they | are relicved by the allied troops, and the latter are moving as rapidly as passible, S0 as to rescue them before their small supply of ammunition and food gives out. - SAYS CHINA HAS BEEN PREPARING FOR SEVEN YEARS General Miles Takes a Most Serious View of the Situa- tion in the Flowery Kingdom. EW YORK, Aug. 8.—General Miles to-da$ admitted that it had been his personal wish to be sent to the | Philippines to take a general view of the situation, but sald he did | not presume to understand why his ad- vice had been rejected thus far. General Miles, discussing the situation, | sald that he regarded it as very serious. “China,” he said, “is a bad country for troops to move through. Serious obsta- cles are to be encountered in forwarding munitions of war and supplies. I see a| force of 15,000 Chinese soldiers are report- | ed to be within a day’s march of Tientsin. | It is possible they may strike in behind the relief column and threaten its line of communication. It would be a serious matter were the column cut off, as there 1s no supporting force to rush to its ald.” He said the United States should be able to get 5000 troops into China within a | month. Continulng, General Miles sald: “I am not surprised at the fight the Chinese are making. It is well known among those who follow events in the Flowery King- dom that that Government has been stor- ing and making. preparations for the past seven years. They are an ingenious peo- ple.” MAY RETARD THE ADVANCE OF THE RELIEF COLUMN Difficulty in Moving Supplies to the Front and There Is Yet Much Hard Work - Ahead for the Allles. Spectal Dispatch to The Call. ALL BUREAU, WELLINGTON HOTEL, WASHINGTON, Aug. 8.— The difficulty in moving supplies to the front will probably retard the international forces more than the opposition of the Chinese, in the opinion of army officers based upon General Chaf- fee's dispatch received to-day. It will be noted that General Chaffee says nothing about seven hours and a half of fighting or about the extremely heavy losses of the international troops reported in .the dis- patches from Rear Admiral Remey and Commander Tausslg, based on the first rumors that found their way down to General P S D P S S S S S B 0 TR S A SRR SR 4 dn 2 2 o 0 S0 g0 20 G0 S0 Taku. Chaffee's dispatch seems to indicate tbat the battle was of short dusation and that the area over which the was responded to by the laborers by a shor Each of these was ornamented on top [ B3 WM%O-@+W—W+MM+@WW+HM¢MH@-»M S0 3- HEFU, Aug. 7.—During the engagemant on * ? Sunday which preceded the occupation of | Peitsang by the aliies the Russians lost 500 kiled and the British 50. The Germans and ¢ + Japanese also lost heavily. 3 b The road t» Peking is supposed to be open. : i : DEFENSES OF PEKING—REPAIRING GANG AT WORK ON THE WALL OF THE TARTAR CITY. From the Daily Graphie. being regulated by -a man who, standing in front, shouted a solo in a nasal fal- t chorus of a similar quality or by a big red tuft, enabling the leader to more readily de- LIED FORCES IN CHINA. Count Alfred von Waldersee has a master general in 1881, and succeeded German army in 1588, He is 68 years in 1832. attacking forces could advance was so | restricted that the Americans were not | able to get to the firing line at all. It would seem that the Japanese troops, which had the right of line, practically | rushed the Chinamen out of their strongly | fortified position before the Nlle‘, could | get into position to take part in the bat- tle. After the battle the remainder of Sunday was probably devoted to getting supplies forward and arranging for the next advance, which General Chaffee says | was to be on Yangsun by way of the left bank of the Petho. It is belleved that an | advance on Yangsun has been made by | this time, and it is hoped that the inter- | national forces met with no more resist- ance than was encountered at Peitsang. When Yangsun is taken the interna- tional forces will have covered approxi- mately one-third of the distance between | Teintsin and Peking. They will still have | about sixty miles of advance ahead of | them, however, and about half of it will | be through the same character of low overflowed land as that over which they are now operating. Above Matou the | country becomes more rolling, though the | roads will not be any better, as they are practically deep ditches worn down some- times to the depth of eighteen feet or more, in the wet season almost impassa- ble and forming excellent protection for Chinese troops resisting the advance. FOREIGNERS IN PEKING WATCHING AND WAITING | Special Cable to the New York Herald. Copy- Tight, 1900, by New York Herald Publishing Company. Republication of this dispatch is probibitel. Al rights reserved In the United States and Great Britain. LONDON, Aug. 8§.—The Daily Express publishes this dispatch from its special correspondent: @ ! . FIELD MARSHAL COUNT ALFRED VON WALDERSEE. SAID TO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE SUPREME COMMAND OF THE AL- the Continent of Europe. He was chief of the general staff of the Tenth Army Corps in the Franco-German war, deputy chief of staff and quarter- Pesedredsetetese® as’ they delivered a light blow military reputation second to none on Von Moltke as chief of staff of the of age, having been born at Potsdam PP 2009000000000 0000t tP 0P tPILIPII®RIPeIIPRedtPtPedtdedtdedededtdedsditdtRtdedtdedtdeidetdetedrtedrds Peveoee e Qm«o‘wo—»o-womowow PEKING, July 22.—We have had a very trying time during the long bombardment, but the expectation of early relief has en- abled us to keep up our spirits. The women folk have borne the horrors of their position with marvelous fortitude, even cheerfulness. Many have been 1ll. and children also, but there have been no deaths save among those who died in their defense. The Austrian and Belgian legations have been destroyed by explo- sions.. We hear little of the Empress, or Prince Tuan, who declared himseif dic- tator, being in supreme power. There has been no attack on foreigners since July 16. On July 19 it was rumored that another reilef force was on its way. Since then we have heard nothing except that there are many British troops within a week’s march. It is rather heartsick work walting and watching for aid that does not come. We are wondering what has happened to cause the delay. We hear that Sir Claude Macdonald and Sir Robert Hart and ail the ladles are safe In some of the British Legation bufldings. So evidently all have not been destroyed, but we cannot com- municate with them. A friendly native has just told us that Tun Fuh Siang's troops have gone to Tientsin to meet the reifef column. This may account for the delay, but we are confldent of relief soon. Food has been short, but not terribly so, though we have had to be very careful. g AIGUN IS TAKEN BY THE RUSSIANS ST. PETERSEURG, Aug. 8.—The Rus. sian War Office has recetved a dispatch from General Grodekoff, dated Kha- barovsk, August 5, announcing that Aigun had been taken by the Russians after a stubborn fight and that the Chinese were being pursued.