The evening times., 1900-10-09
ACROSS THE GOBI DESERT
Escape of Five American Mission
aries From Hostile Chinese.
Bought a Caravan of CameIs and
Were Joined by IA Party of SsveIes-
Burning Sands-The Party Follow
ed by Body OF Mongolians.

NEW YORK, Oct. 9.-The five mis- ion
aries OF the American Board CT Com
missioners of Foreign Missions who es-
capped from the Boxers in China by cross
ing the Cobb Desert TO Siberia, and
thence by the Trans-S Siberian Railroad to
St Petersburg arrived in this city yes
teTday on the Anchor line steamer Ci,y
OF Rome.
The missionaries are Rev. Mark Will
liams, Rev j. H. Roberts, Rev. and NJ. s.
W. P. Sprague. and DR.. Virginia C. Muir
dock. With the exception of Miss Mur-
! dock, all were stationed at Kalgan, iZ5
miles northwest of Pekin, at the gate in
the Chinese wall through which the Rus
sian tea caravans pass. Miss Murtock
was stationed at Pekin. She accompanied
Rev Mr. Roberts and Rev. MIR. Williams
when they left Fekin June for Kali
gan, expecting to remain there until the
disturbances should subside- The mis-
sionaries yesterday gave out the fellow
ing on their experiences:
we left Kalgan escorted by COM
pany of Chinese soldiers on June II. We
did not expect to go far from the city,
and left our property in the care CT the
friendly magistrate. who promised to
protect it.
I'VE stopped at Hara Oso, fifty hi es
from Kalgan. Here We were fortunate in
finding that caravan of camels and
horses, prepared for the British Vice
Consul ct Shanghai, Mr. Campbell. who
had been unable to get out Of Pekin,
could be purchased. We bought it. and
obtained some other horses and camel5
and covered carts. We had twenty
horses and twenty eamels. While We
were here we received word that a COM
pany OF Swedish missionaries employed
by the Christian and Missionary Alli-
ance, desired to travel with u.s. We
waited for them. There were eighteen in
their party, six men, six women, and
six small children. They had so taels
in silver, which the Chinese officials had
given them as compensation for some
property of theirs which had been de-
stroyed, and a supply OF flour. While
here Mr.. Sprague and Mr., Roberts re-
turned to kalgan after food and cloth
ingsand to get the mission money which
had been deposited in Chinese bank
We left Hara Oso on June 23, following
the telegraph line along the Ri ssian car
avian route across the Cobb Desert.
THE journey across the desert was a
trying one. The danger of the journey was
not so great as the suspense We were
followed by body of Chinese and the
Mongolians were somewhat hostile We
were constantly IN fear or coming In con-
tact with enemies. We were sometimes
unable to get water for two days. The
desert was so hot that we were often oblig
ed to travel at night. We could not go
above two and one-haf miles an hour
I'VE arrived at Urga on July 80. Here
We were welcomed by the Russian Consul
General and entertained by him for five
days. We then went on to Kiaehta, a Si-
berian town 210 miles distant. The gov
ernor of the city treated us as guests. We
crossed Lake Baikal to Irkutsk, where We
took the Trans-Siberian Railroad to st.
Petersburg.
Russian officials everywhere treated us
we'll. The Swedes left US at st. Petersburg
to go to their homes in Sweden, and we
went on to England. We learned while
crossing the desert that all the property of
the foreigners in Kalgan was destroyed
Our mission property was worth about
$4,000. We left between So, 900 and $4,000
wos h OF private property there also"
Rev. Mr. Sprague started Immediately
for Shoatsville, N Y, the home of Mrs.
Sprague. Mr.. Williams started for st.
Louis. where he will relate his experiences
at the convention of the American Board
of Commissioners OF Foreign Missions,
which opens there tomorrow.