Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-04
Those of Americans Resident There
to Be Protected.
INCREASING THE NAVAL FORCES
No Great Interference With Com
merce is Anticipated.
TO WATCH ENGAGEMENTS

There has Eeen q singular dcarth OF OIL
cial information at the State and Navy
Departments In regard to the progress Of
the war between China and Japan for the
past week or two, and the Impression OBJ
tains that active hostilities have been tenn
porarify suspended. This state Of affairs Is
probably only the calm that usually pre-
cedes a storm, and warlike operations may
be expected to break out again at any
time. Although the United States has not
as large commercial interests at stake as
some other countries, it is thoroughly alive
to the necessity Of protecting its COM
merce and such Of its citizens as may be
sojourning in the country involved in the
war. Steps were early taken by the Navy
Department for the complete protection Of
American interests. and several warships
are now on their way to the Asiatic sta
ton for that purpose. There are but two
warships there at present, the cruiser Bal
timore and the corvette Monocacy. They
are both at Chemulpo, Corea. The Mo-
nocacy went there from Nagasaki Japan,
about two weeks ago fer the purpose of
transporting Acting Admiral Carpenter to
the baltimore, which Is to be his flagship.
The stay of the Monocacy at Chemulpo
VIII be short, as she is under orders to
visit Chinese ports in order to show Ameri-
can residents at those places that they are
not entirely devoid of protection.
Important Reinforcements.
The fleet will soon receive several i'm
portant reinforcements. The cruiser
Charleston left San Francisco several days
ago for duty under Admiral Carpenter. She
will arrive at Honolulu, Hawaii, in a day
or two and after coaling will proceed direct
to Yokohama, cruise Of about two weeks
time. She is due at Yokohama on the 10th
instant, aud there is a possibility that Ad-
mlral Carpenter may select her for his
flagship in place of the Baltimore Other
warships now on their way to China are
lhe gunnoats Concord and Petrol. both of
which were detached from the Bering sea
patrol fleet for this special service. They
are light draught vessels, and will be of
great use in ascending the many shallow
rivers in the Orient The Concord arrived
at Yokohama today, and the Petrol Is ex-
Pected to reach that point in a few days
Their arrival will give the United States
falr m litary strength at the seat of war;
ana II Is pretty well settled that no further
reinforcements will be sent there for the
present. The gunboats Machias and Cas-
tine, which were recently cut In half at
New York and heightened fourteen feet are
destined Tor service on the Chinese station,
but neither of them will be ready to sail
before the 1st of October and it is possible
that the Castfne will not start for several
weeks after that date. October Is fixed as
the date Of the departure Of the Machias
She will make leisurely trip and will go
by way Of the Mediterranean sea and the
SueZ canal.
Incidentally, she will convey the very val
liable Columbian relics now In the posses
sion OF the Secretary of State, back to their
owners In Spain and Italy. This mission
trip.
The last mail advices from China to the
Navy Department, dated several weeks ago,
were to the effect that there were then in
the n; rtor OF Chemulpo two japanese war
ships, one Chinese cruiser. one Chinese gun
beat, one German warshfp. one Russian
warship, one English warship, one French
warship, and two American men-of-war.
Since then there has undoubtedly been a
great increase in the number of warships
of the various nations interested in the
present struggle.
No Great Interference With Commerce
1t Is not believed that the war will inter-
fere in any very great degree with the COM
merce between the United States and China
and Japan, particularly If the treaty ports
are neutralized by European powers, ac-
cording to the present plan, and biockades
are prevented. 1t is predicted that there
will be no serious interruption in the ship
ments of tea to this country, and that the
price of that commodity will not be mater
tally advanced. The stock of old tea in
hand. both in this country and in Europe.
is reported to be large, SO that there is no
especial fear of tea shortage in the near
future. The population of China is SO i'm
so depsely settled, that all the men that
can possibly be needed for military service
can be called away without interfering to
any great extent with the cultivation and
gathering of the crop. AS a naval officer
who is famiIfar with Chinese affairs recent
ly expressed it: "A million Chinese might be
killed off and they would scarcely be missed
in the domestic industries of that country"
The chief articles which the United
States Is exporting to China are petroleum
end cotton goods A large business in these
has been done for many years; During the
twelve months ended June 30 last the
United States shipped to China 6,22O
worth of cotton goods and &, 43S, 1886 worth
Of refined petroleum. These figures are
amount of case oil sent to China every year
is something enormous. The total exports
to China in the year 1888 were valued at
about $S,O0O.OOO. The imports from China
amount to about $4,000, 600 a year, and con-
sst principally of silk, tea and rice.
A strict Neutrality.
As has been already stated in The Star,
the United States government will pre-
serve q strict neutrality In this eastern
| trouble and the operations Of it's military
representatives will be directed solely to
| the protection of American rights and in
| terests. The warships will be distributed
| in Asiatic waters SO as to best subserve
| this purpose. The flagship will govern her
movements by the operations Of the hos
| tile fleets, and will endeavor to be near at
hand in all important naval engagements,
as a friendly spectator only, however, in
order that her officers may get practical
object lesson in the arts of modern war
fare. The navies of Japan and China
include several powerful warshps of mod
ern construction and armament, and a
meeting between them will give a practical
solution of many points in naval archi-
lecture now in dispute, especially with re-
gard to the ability of modern steel armor to
successfully resist the murderous attacks
of modern steel projecttles THO by high
powered rteel guns. An officer on each of
the American warships has been specially
H. structed to watch and report any and all
interesting military operations CT the two
bellgerents coming under his observation
that could be OF benefit to the navy of the
United States in the unlocked for and un-
hoped for event of this country becoming
involved in a foreign ENHANCEMENT reQuir-
ing a resort to arms.