Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-19
AGAINST POWERS
WAR WAS PRACTICALLY DE-
CLARED WHEN CHINESE FORTS
OPENED FIRE.
TORPEDO BOATS ARE SEIZED.
u. s. Ships Took No Part in the Bonn
bardment-Heavy Russian Losses
in Engagement.

greatly intensified the anxiety here as to
the fate of the Europeans huddled to-
gether in the legations at the Chinese
capital and it was feared also that the
check to dmi S~eymour's forces, nee
esitating their return to Tien Tsin will
lead to more accessions to the ranks of
the Boxers and make their suppression
more difficult.
Paris, June IS. 5:45 D.. m.-The French
consul general in South China, wno was
instructed to send into Tonquin all the
French citizens at Yunnan-Sen, cabled
from the latter place. under date of
Thursday, Jun IA, hat he had been pre-
vented from leaving with his ompan
ions by the viceroy and that his house
and all the missions have been burned.
He adds that everything, including their
clothes, had been stolen and that they
are practically prisoners.
The foregoing is the situation referred
to by the French minister of foreign at
fairs, NJ. Del Case, in his speech OF June
II.
NJ. Del Case has now summoned the
Chinese minister to Paris and mas re-
quested him to Immediately telegraph
the viceroy of ~Yunnan-Sen hat France
will hold him personally responsible for
the lives of French citizens.
Washington, June 1S.-The navy de-
partment has acknowledged the receipt
of two cablegrams received from Ad-
miral Remey and Commander Taussig.
The first is as follows:
"Cavite. June is. $40 a. m.-Bureau of
Navigation, Observation-Disclosures ca
hles that Taku forces fired upon foreign
warships and then surrendered to the al
lied forces the morning of June II.
Kempff asks instructions about joining
other powers who are taking united ac-
ton in demanding that the Taku forces
be turned over to them to secure favora-
BILE termination of the trouble. Will the
department instruct kempff through
Taku at Che Foo and give me the same
information? REMEY.'
The telegram of Commander Taussig
of the yorktown is as follows:
"Che Foo. June 17.-Taku force fired
upon foreign vessels about 12:45 a. m.
Surrendered to allied forces at 8 a. m.
The British admiral is at Tien Tsin:
"TAUSSIG."
Washington, June 1S.-The state de-
partment has received a cahlegram from
United States Consul Goodnnw at Shang-
hal repeating the news previously con-
veyed to the navy department by Ad-
miral Remey and Commander Tausslg.
The officials here are puzzled by Taus-
sig's statement that the British admiral
has arrived at Tien Tsin.
London, June 10. $3.50 a. m.-China de-
clared war against the world when the
Iaku forts opened fire upon the inter-
national fleet. The accounts of what took
place are still unsatisfactory, the best
semi-official information being the fol-
lowing dispatch received at Berlin from
Che Foo:
Berlin, June 1S.-The German consul
at Che Foo telegraphs that a Japanese
torpedo boat from Taku has brought the
following: The Chinese laid torpedoes
in the Taku river and collected troops
from Shan Hel Kwan. The foreign com
mandeIs assembled on the Russian flag
ship and addressed an "ultimatum to the
com ms nHn1'S nT tho Iab1 f0vtS SnJD
moning them to withdraw their troops
before = o'clock June II. AT a. m. Jun
II the guns of the for.s opened fire, to
which the Russian, British, French and
japanese WaTShips replied. The bonn
bardment lasted seven hours. Two Brit
ish ships in the river between the forts
are reported to have been sunk. The tel
egraph line and railroad between Tien
Tsin and TAXI were destroyed. Commu-
nication by water is also threatened"
The unofficial narratives coming by
way of Shanghai vary and bear evidence
of experimenting the main facts with
guess work. One dispatch says tina,
American marines form part of the
storming force of 1900. An Associated
Press dispatch from Che Foo, dated yes
terday, says:
The forts on both sides of Taku are
now Occupied. The Chinese opened fire un.
expectedly. The casualties to the mixe6
force We're as follows: Killed, British
1; German, 3; Russian, 1, and French
/. Wounded, British, A; German, Z; Rus,
sian, As, and French. l.. The Chinese tor
pedo boats We're seized"
The Shanghai correspondent of tht
Daily Mail, telegraphing yesterday
says: The forts began firing in obser
vance to orders from Pekin, by advice o.
Kong vi president of the ministry O
war;. Several warships were struck b!
shells from the Pinch guns of the forts
The heavy Russian losses We're due t.
the blowing up of the magazines o
Mandshur. Four hundred Chinese ar
reported killed. The Chinese, who wer
retreating, fell into the hands Of tn
Russian land force"
from Che Foo: Two of the forts Wer
blown up. The 80 warships at Taku ag
gregated 200, 900 tons and carried NOR
than 800 guns
umn and it's retreat to Tien Tsin increase
it is presumed. the peril of the legation i
Pekin,. which is still isolated. althoug.
Shanghai forwards Chinese rumors tina
the legations We're attacked by mobs, VIII
We're moved down by machine guns, an
also m 1hat the m The Situation til ta at N in9a Kin
Chang is reported critical.
The British consul at Kin 'Kang has OF
dered all foreigners to leave ku Ling an
Nau King Chang. The powers are takin
prompt action.
Four thousand troops have been ordere
to China. 10000 French troops are Wait1n
Cochin China. and from 5000 to 5000 mo,
Russians have been ordered from POI
Arthur to Taku.
The Brussels correspondent Of the Stant
ard. in a dispatch dated Yesterday, says:
Russia. has massed 10000 men, with seve
batteries of artillery at Kiachta, with o.
ders to proceed to Maimathin, a Chimes
town contiguous to kiachta, and thence
advance along the telegraph route to tt
Moneol town of Urga, 200 miles south
Kiachta and $50 miles northwest of Pekin
The Shanghai correspondent of the Tin
The Shanghai correspondent of IL
Times, under yesterdays date, gives IL
following description, said to be from of
cial sources, of the action at Taku: