The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-05-27
THE NEXT GREAT WAR
Mr.. A. B. Ross Writes Of the Critical
Situation In China.
WATCHED BY The JEALOUS NATIONS
In the Coming Struggle Mr.. Ross
thinks Russia VIII Come OF vic-
torious-Tbc white Hear Con.
>tautiy Flushing Ahead.

| Mr.. J. ID. Cornett is in receipt of a
letter from 4. b. Ross, dated at Hong.
kong, April 9th, which contains much
matter OF interest regarding the situation
OF affairs there, from which Mr. Cornett
has kindly allowed THE HERALD to take
excerpts. Mr.. Ross SAYS he is doing well
in business way and that the health OF
himself and wife is excellent-,he latter
rapidly gaining flesh.
In the letter is newspaper supplement,
| showing 81 list Of war vessels stationed in
| China and Japan and formidable list j,
is. Mr.. Ross says 1.-THE list to me is very
interesting, having been here now past
six month and mixing with all grades OF
OF people and of many views. The
China-Japan war has been fought over
and over during different conversations
with prominent citizens and officials
| English, American, Chinese and Japan.
ese, also adventures, or spectators in
| quest Of customers to sell gunboat or a
| 400 h. p. gunship, down to discarded
muskes of Al years ago. | have a
stock OF funny adventures and shady
| transactions connected with that war
| that if | were not too lazy to describe
would be interesting, inasmuCh as they
have never been in print.
When you look over the formidable ar
ray of floating war machines, you can
| easily Judge the nations that are mostly
interested in maintaining this most stu.
pendous display of modern war vessels
| England, believe, stands in the lead,
| having - vessels of different kinds
| The Centurion, a first-Class battleship of
1880 tons, 1900 horsepower, and IA
eight and ten inch krupp guns, down to
| the small torpedo destroyers. OF course
| llongkong island is the greatest strate-
getic point in the East and is veritable
! Gibraltar. Not only is she thoroughly
protected by her war vessels and 5000
troops but bristling guns are pointing at
you from all directions. Hougk ong is as
nearly impregnable a. any port in the
world, as Victoria, the principal town
owned by the English. il situate at least
% miles from the open sea, and shell
could not reach her unless the vessels at
| tackting could come within the narrow
| passages leading into an open harhor a,
least Is to 20 miles from the sea, and a
ship that could pass through the block
ade that could be created within a few
| lays by the English, would have to be
made Of better stuff than eight inch
steel,
The Russians, Of course, are very
| prominent, and are playing waiting
game; but, while to all appear.
ances idle, thousands of troops are being
shifted along the border of China and
Siberia. While their treaty limits them
| to a certain number, they have gradually
increased and as long as there is no ser.
ions protest by China or other jealous
pow ers, she will continue her course, and
will loosen the dogs of war in surprising
| numbers. There is not single town in
China occupied by foreigners that does
not contain Russian spy that reports
| every occurrence that he thinks of any
interest to his people My visit at TEN
tsien was watched closely, coming at a
time when several American capitalists
were endeavoring to place loan to the
Chinese government to construct rail
road. | had occasion to give dinner to
several very prominent Chinese, and, as
it was purely business, | did not desire
the fact of our meeting to be known.
somehow or other a certain Russian
presumably a spy called upon me the
day or afternoon Cf my dinner, and while
his visit puzzled me, | noticed he was
watching the papers on my table some
what too closely; but this did not arouse
my suspicion of his business until several
days after the occurrence. This gentle
mans object was simply TO know what
was doing. Imagine my surprise two
days later to meet this same gentleman
sharing my railroad seat, going north to
Tongshee, the mining town Of China
He opened the conversation and having
learned from me the object of my dinner
party, which | did not consider so very
important, to my great surprise he in
| formed me that he had learned all the
facts that had related two hours after
| the dinner, also the names of those in
vited, those that came and those that by
reason of other business refused. How
ever, this did not satisfy him but believ.
| ing that his informant had deceived him
| he purposely took dreary ride some 80
! miles over barren waste of country to
, verify the information by me- | actually
! believe lie is not fully satisfied yet
Every stranger is under surveillance dur.
ing his stay in any small town in China
or Japan and more so on Russian soil
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