The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-19
RUSSIAN LOSS WAS HEAVIEST
THIS WAS DUE TO EXPLOSION OF A
MAGAZINE DURING
ASSAULT
NOT MENTIONED
Losses Reported Are Confined to
British, German, Russian and
French Sailors and
Marines.

LONDON, June 49, $3.50 a m-China
declared war against the world, when
the Taku forts opened fire upon the in
ternational fleet The accounts of what
took place are still unsatisfactory, the
best semi-oficial news being a dispatch
received at Berlin from Che-Foo
The unofficial narratives coming by
way of Shanghai vary widely and bear
internal evidence OF supplementing the
main facts with guess work
One dispatch says that the Yorktown
participated in the bombardment, another
asserts that American marines formed
part of the storming force of 1000. An
Associated Press dispatch from Che Foo
dated yesterday, says:
THE forts on both sides of Taku are
now occupied. The Chinese opened fire
unexpectedly The casualties to the
mixed force were as follows: Killed
British l, German 3, Russian l and
French L Wounded-British A. German T.
Russian 45 and French l. A Chinese tor
pedo boat was seized"
ON ORDERS FROM PEKIN.
The Shanghai correspondent OF the
Daily Mail, telegraphing yesterday
says:
THE forts began firing in observance
of orders from Pekin, conveyed in a per-
sonal edict of the empress dowager, by
advice of Kang vi, president of the min
istry of war Several warships were
struck by shells from the twelve-inch
guns of the forts.
t1Tha baoUyv Rtrcsfap lOSs dino tO
the blowing up of the magazine a Mands-
hur. Four hundred Chinese are reported
to have been killed. The Chinese, when
retreating, fell into the hands of the
Russian land force"
The Daily News has the following from
Che Foo:
Two Of the forts were blown up. The
thirty-two %arships at Taku aggregated
100000 tons, and carried more than 300
guns
The failure of Admiral Seymour's col
umn and its retreat to Tien Tsin in
creases, it is presumed, the peril of the
legations In Peltin, which is still isolated
although Shanghai forwards Chinese
rumors that the legations were attacked
by mobs, who were moved down by
machine guns, and also that the members
of the legations We're massacred. The
British consul at Kiu kwang has ordered
all foreigners to leave Ku Ling and NaA
King Chang.
POWERS ACT PROMPTLY.
The powers are taking prompt action
Four thousand German troops have been
ordered to China; 1O.0OU French troops are
waiting to embark at Saigon, capital of
French Cochin-China, and from 1900 to
5000 more Russians have been ordered
from Port Arthur to Taku. This reinforce
ment, says the St Petersburg correspon-
dent Of the Daily Telegraph, is announced
in the st. Petersburg Gazette, the gov
ernment pointing out that Russia is send
ing so many troops solely for the sake
of peace ard humanity.
The Brussels correspondent Of the
Standard, in dispatch dated yesterday,
says:
Russia has massed 10000 men. with
seven batteries, at Kiachta, with orders
to proceed to Maimatchin, Chinese town
contiguous to kiachta, and thence to ad-
vance along the telegraphic route to the
Mongol town of Urga, go miles south Of
Kiachta and $50 miles northwest OF
Pekin"
ACTION AT TAkU.
The Shanghai correspondent OF the
Times under yesterdays date gives the
following description, said TO be from CT
flcial source, Of the action at 'raku.
"On the afternoon of the 18th, in View
of the large bodies of Chinese troops as
sembling at the forts and Of the facts
that torpedoes had been laid in the river,
and that all communications were inter
rupted, the naval commanders htld a
council and decided to send an ultimatum.
calling for the disbandment Of the troops.
and announcing that if this demand were
not compiled with before , a. IN. Of the
following day. the united squadron would
destroy the forts.
Shortly after midnight the forts
opened fire. The British, French, Ger
man, Russian and japanese warships re-
Continued on Fifth Page.