The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-19
cor. METCALF'N REPORT.
On the Delay of the Tartar at Hong
Kong.

AOnR.
Washington, Oct. 19.-The secretary
of war recently instructed Gen. Shafter
at San Francisco, to call on the com
handing officer of the troops on the
Tartar for a full statement of facts
concerning the delay of that transport
in the harbor of Hong Kong. Under
date of San Francisco, October 16, Gen.
Shafter forwarded the report of the
commanding officer of the Twentieth
Kansas to the department as follows:
The chartered transport Tartar is a
British ship and as such the British law
was deemed to apply. Under the Brit
1Sh law the Tartar was licensed to
carry al passengers. The harbOr mas
ter at Hong Kong refused to give the
ship clearance because she carried l.
40 troops. 1 wired to the department
at Washington and the adjutant gen
eral at Manila that clearance was re-
fused because of OVercrOwding. The re-
ply was had from Adjutant General
Corbln asking If in my opinion the
ship was overcrOwded and if there was
cause for complaint from the soldiers
regarding food. 1 replied that the ship
was no more crowded than other trans
ports had been, and that there was no
ground for complaint regarding food.
Before communication could be had
wired Clearance allowed, sailed today
The harRor master had in the mean
time visited the ship and inspected the
light ducts and ships boats. Attention
was doubtless called to the ship and
her passenger list by certain of the dis
charged soldiers i'll person and by an
article which appeared in a Hong Kong
paper, written by a discharged regular
soldier in which the ship was spoken of
as a 'Sardine box The actual delay
after the ship was ready to sail caused
by the incident was about "a hours
Referring to the report of the COM
mander of the Twentieth Kansas, Ad-
jutant General COrbin yesterday tele-
graphed to Gen. Shafter as follows:
1T is not clear that the Tartar took
on life belts and ship boats at Hong
Kong or that the inspection of the har-
Dor master satisfied him that the pro-
visions of the Tartar in that particular
were satisfactOry-and as a result of
that inspection, he gave clearance
etc.
Gen. Shafter has replied to this tele-
gram by saying that the commanding
officer of the Twentieth Kansas reports
that the Tartar took on no additional
life belts or boats, and that he Under
stood the harDOr master granted the
clearance because he was satisfied with
the provisions of the Tartar in that
particular.
''I should think man who wrote
such an illegible hand as you do would
learn to use the typewriter.
Too hard to learn"
Nonsense. The typewriter is easy
to learn
"Oh, the typewriter is, of course. but
it's a different matter to learn to spell.
You can't end a word with a crooked
line on the typewriter. Chicago Post.
That" said the Grtist, proudly, 'Is
What I consider my masterpiece. And
1 fiatter myself, ''he added, after a
pause that I am at least a good judge
of pictures
Yes" answered the thoughtless girl.
isn't it funny that good critics are so
seldom good performers? ''-W ashing-
ton Star.
Leisurely.-''Do you think of going
to war with Great Britain?'' NO,
answered Dom Paul, 4 see no need of
troubling ourselves. We can stay here
n11iatIN q nd Let Great Britain hiring II