The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-06
GERMANS ARE BEST DRILLED
But AMERICANS AND BRITISH HAVE
THE BEST EQUIPMENT.
Japanese Are the Most Active and In
dustrious, and Their Commissary
Service Is Unexce1led.
spondence of the Associated Press.


tary observation. of which the officers of
the various forces are taking keen ad-
vantage. This is especially noticeable of
the continental forces, whose STATS are
everywhere taking note of equipments and
methods There are now quartered in this
big camp what are said to be representa-
tive contingents of every military power.
Ii is a military congress as complete as
III devised only for display, and the con-
trast between the forces is very marked,
both in equipment, method and discipline,
yet at the same time observing officers
find little room for criticism of any par
ticular contingent of the Chinese expedi7
tionary force
In equipment and uniform there is APP
parently little question that the American
and British troops superior. The
sober business-like khaki is in strong
contrast to the snowy French and Italian
uniforms, while the Germans, otherwise Il
magnificent and picked body of men. are
Handicapped in comparison by their ILL
fitting clothing. The German uniform is q
mustard yellow khaki, apparently of very
inferior quality. The blouse is long and
loose, without pockets, the trousers loose
and no leggings worn by the infantry.
This is completed with a wide-brfmme5
straw hat, such as is seen in the southern
part of the States. turned up at the side
and fastened with corps badge One al
most overloOks the awkwardness or tina
uniform, however, in the splendid drill
and discipline of the kaiserS Chinese
army while their field equipment, though
a biz heavy is we'll up to date and COM
par es favoraoly TO that OF any other force
BY far the most picturesque troops here
are the British native regiments from
India At present Great Britain has no
white troops here except Il part OF the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers, dearly known IN
England the Duke OF Connaughts
own and a battalion of Australian Vol
unteer Naval Reserves. The show or
Tien-Tsin is the Sixteenth Bengal Lancers,
the Gentleman Regiment or India, oCs
Oh parade. MaSnliicentiy mounted on
countrybreds, superb riders. equipment as
perfect as care can make it, with lance
pennons fiuttering, the Sixteenth Is
regiment any nation could feel proud or.
The Indian cavalry are probably the heav-
| lest mounted troops in the world. Each
| man carries the long. heavy lance, re-
volver, carbine and heavy saber the
| uniform is khaki the blouse tight at the
| belt, loose cord trousers, russell leather
| leggings and the inevitable tIrban. The
Bombay Lancers are not INFERIOR ana the
| foot regiments, which include the RaJputS,
| the Punjabs and the Belochistans make
| splendid appearance. the men being tall
| and slender and carrying themselves SUI
| perbly.
The japanese are. however, probably the
most interesting studies for the military
men here. One loses sight of the rather
slcuchy white canvas uniforms and French
J high crowned caps i'm the machine-lfte drill
ana discipline of the Mikado's men. In
| discipline they easily ahead OF prac-
| tically all the other forces. The Japanese
soldier works none other does. He is
! always busy; he does not drink, and he is
] not in evidence on the streets Detach-
| ments of the little Whitehead chaps al
ways on the move. Wherever one goes in
| the surrounding country for many miles
! out he finds a Japanese outpost, their field
/ Typographical parties are always busy, and
! their commissary and quartermaster' de-
partments are wonderfully active and COM
| plete. Many officers have found much to
| admire in their transport system. There
are no great bales or boxes in the Japanese
| supplies. Everything is put up in compact
matting-bound bundles. none too heavy for
one man to handle. and the result is ex-
petition. 1t is the general opinion of OBJ
| servers that the Japanese soldier is the
| busiest, the quietest. the best disciplined
/ man i'm the Chinese armies.
The big German camp, which occupies the
| grounds and buildings formerly used by
| the American troops. lying east of the for
| eign concession, is easily the model of all
| the camps about Tien-Tsin. 1t has at
| tracted much attention. and nothing but
| favorable comment is heard. The Germans
1 have Scneme Tor use OF the shelter tent
| which is considered TO be ideal for warm
| weather. The pieces of canvas of an en-
| tire company dashed together and
erected in the shape of shed without
| partitions. 1t Is practically a roof and a
rear wall. and is usually erected i'm the
/ shape of two sides of square. the walls
| being to north and west. The German
| cooking equipment is complete in every de-
/ tail and they have wonderful outfit of
4 wagons and transports There are new de-
\ signs i'm field ambulances, very narrow and
| sprngy. wagonettes for general officers,
field post wagons and nearly every sort of
/ vehicle an. army can need. In variety and
| completeness of outfit the German repre-
| sentation is beyond comparison with any
other force here.
The question of transport is naturally the
| most interesting to military observers and
| in this connection the British have come
| In for much praise. As organized the
| British forces in China have the most eff
| ficient field transport for the character of
| campaigning they are called upon to per-
! form. Each company is complete with its
| own pack train. from which it is not sep
| arated. In common with the Japanese the
| British employ a large number OF coolies
| In fact. they have the largest non-com-
| Blatant force here, each regiment having
| its own coolie gang. who perform all camp
| labor This is made necessary. however,
| by the fact that the Indian regiments are
| composed of high caste men. The ranks Of
| the cavalry regiments are filled with blood
| relatives OF rajahs and princes. and these
4 men are never called upon for camp labor
| They are fighting men, essentially, and it
| is almost safe to say that every enlisted
man i'm the Sixteenth Bengals and the
| Bombays has his own servant and groom.
CHASTITY ROW OF HEADS
! The Ti-Lui expedition. which had been
| described in the Associated Press dis
patches. was absolutely unopposed. al
though the town is positively known to be
| a Boxer hotbed. The Peh-Tang forts
Yielded practically without resistance 4
recent cavalry reconnaissance beyond IT.
I.ui toward Ferg-Shans had a similar re-
/ suit Lieutenant Jansen. with detach-
ment of the Sixteenth Bengal Lancers, was
sent out TO feel the region and report as
| to the strength of the town to be attacked
/ He approached the bridge with a couple
! of men leaving the main force concealed in
"A Tnillet field which grew to the walls of
| the town Emerging from the field. he
/ found himself at the gate of the village.
/ Making the best OF it. he went boldly in,
1 and was received by the head men with
/ the assurance that they were not enemies
! OF the foreigner As proof of this asser-
/ ton they pointed TO a CHASTITY row of forty
| they said, We're the heads OF Boxers who
! had been executed. These recent events
| are construed As Indicative that Ii HING
| Chang's edict is being obeyed. and with
passive submission TO invasion little can
| be accomplished. in the opinion of military
| men. by further txpeditions. unless all the
villages are destroyed. The latter resort,