The San Francisco call., 1895-12-13
In Other Engagements, However
the Slaughter Of Chinese
Was Terrible.
FRAUD DISCOVERED AT TOXIC.
Defective me.Manufactured Pipes
Used in the Public Water
System.

18Th OF NOVem Der between train ana an
electric tramcar. The place of the Incl
dent was about five miles from Kioto, on
the Nara Railway, and the time P. NJ.
Owing to the darkness the drivers failed to
perceive the dancer in time to prevent the
collision, and though the brakes were
applied in both cases the locomotive
struck the tramcar right in the center and
threw 1t thirty or forty feet off the line.
Three persons were killed on the spot and
forty wounded.
The Imperial Guards, decimated by
diseases indigenous to Formosa and by
casualties in the field, have returned to
Toxic and received an enthusiastic well
come from the citizens.
The last few days of the Formosan cam
paign, from November to November 10,
were marked by severe fighting and heavy
loss of life, but the Japanese nation has be-
come so accustomed to such incidents that
very little attention has been directed to
the Formosan record.
Two events are specially worthy of note.
One occurred on November 10, when Jap
anese force surrounded the village of Shot,
Ian, where 5000 Chinese troops were quar-
tere. The affair differed from the general
fashion of encounters between japanese
and Chinese, in the fact that no road of
escape was left open for the latter. The
fighting was consequently of desperate
character, the Chinese losing about 1000
of their mum ber and the Japanese thirty.
The Japanese, on the other hand, met
with something very like a disaster at a
place called Tangkoisui on the 14th of No
vember, when accommodating party, con-
sisting of two companies of infantry,
marched into an ami bush Of five or six hun
dred Chinese posted well under cover. The
japanese lost 81 men in killed and wound
ed and had.to fight for several hours before
they succeeded in dislodging their enemies,
who left only 80 corpses on the field. On
no other occasion during the war did the
Japanese casualties exceed the Chinese.
The two companies did not muster more
than $50 men, so fully one man in every
three was put hors de combat.
Altogether, in the interval of fifteen
days (from the 5th to 18th of November,
inclusive) the two Japanese columns. one
advancing from the north, the other from
the sea, fought fifteen engagements. large
and small, and had list of casualties az
gregating 255, while the Chinese losses in
the same time aggregated 1900.
During the Japanese occupation of Liao-
tung and other parts of Manchuria, about
1000 Chinese became naturalized japanese
subjects, and it was, of course, a serious
question what kind of treatment these
persons would receive at the hands OF the
Chinese local authorities after the rendi-
tion of the occupied territory. A clause
linn hot ho n
jected to any i'll treatment was inserted in
the convention relating to the evacuation
of the territory, but as there is no possible
security for the observance Of such con-
dition, it is probable that the Japanese
Government will offer to these people the
option of emigrating to Hokkaido, where
suitable grants of land could be made to
them.
A fraud of large dimensions has been
discovered in connection with the Toxic
Water Works. For $50 years the City OF
Toxic has possessed water supply drawn
from the head-waters of a river twenty
miles away. The water is excellent in
quality and in quantity it doubles the
amount flowing into London. But being
distributed through the streets in wooden
pipes it becomes more or less impure be-
fore reaching the consumers, and there is,
of course, no head of water for hydrants
and such purposes. After long delay and
much discussion of projects the citizens
decided two years ago to replace the
wooden pipes by iron, to construct proper
filter-beds, together with elevated reser-
voirs.
At that time the nation was suffering
from temporary mania of independence.
Instead of procuring good pipes at reason
able prices from abroad the Municipal
Council accepted the proposals OF Japa-
nese company, who undertook to manu-
facture the pipes in loco, although no ia
cllities for doing so existed. An enter
prise undertaken so rashly could only re-
suit in failure. The iron foundry COM
pany, sinking deeper and deeper into diff
culties, had recourse to fraud. They filed
off the numbers cast upon pipes that had
successfully resisted the prescribed tests,
soldered these numbers on greatly inferior
pipes, and putting fresh numbers on the
good pipes, submitted them again for ex-
animation. By this process one set of
good pipes enabled the company to deliver
thousands of defective castings and these
oCiiS III Suuh luto ohOAA PidCSS,
the fraud might have remained undiscov-
cred for years had not an employe OF the
company given information.
Twenty-eight persons have been ar
rested, and it is computed that the loss to
city will be over million dollars, the COM
pletion of the much-needed water works
being also delayed for nearl y two years.
A strange story is in circulation with
reference to the little British schooner
called the Saipan, that sailed from Yoko-
hama early in October. Ostensibly her
purpose was shark fishing, but there is lit
tie doubt that fur seals were her real
quarry. Reaching Robben Island-a place
that has been the scene of many stirring
adventures-on October 20, she landed
seventeen of her crew and sailed away,
promising to return in eight days, by
| which time the men on shore were doubt
| less expected to collect handsome tale OF
sealskins. But when the schooner came
back the seventeen men had disappeared,
| leaving no trace whatever. In all proba-
| bility they had been discovered by Rus
sian man-of-war and carried to Vladivo-
stock, and it is not unlikely that they will