The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-30
FAMINE FEARED
IN NORTH CHINA
Winter Will Bring Terrible
Suffering.
THE SITUATION CRITICAL
Already There is Considerable Suffer
ing For Lack Of Food.
THE LAND IS DEVASTATED BY WAR
Nothing is Left Save Fallen Walls, Ruined
Homes and Wrecked Villages. Ameri-
can Soldiers Did Not Join in
the Looting.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.)
Tien Tsin, China, August 29.-General
apprehension was felt here of a famine
when the cold weather sets in. Foreign
residents os Tien Tsin do not hesitate to
predict terrible suffering among the ma
tives and military men who have looked
into conditions in the Pei-Ho valley are
inclined to believe that the fear of fam
inc is well-founded Already there is
considerable suffering, although fresh pro-
duce is coming in slowly and what the
result will be when frost puts an end TO
vegetation is not difficult to foresee. Rice
the great staple of China is no longer in
the market this far north. Every sack
of the white grain has been commander
ed or purchased by the allies, and the
natives, thus unable to buy it, must de-
pend on the charity of the forces. The
supply on hand is none too plentiful.
1t is practically impossible to even
roughly estimate the quantity but it is
stated to be considerably less than nor
NAL. Usually at this season the river is
crowded with vessels bringing the win
ters supply of rice from the South, but
now every available craft is in the ser
vice of the forces, transporting supplies
and materials, consequently there is lit
tie chance that any considerable quantity
of rice can arrive between now and the
freezing of the river. The situation is
conceded to be very critical. and the out
lool. ;s for great loss of life. At best
the military authorities, even with sys-
tematic distribution of food and acting in
concert, could relieve only a tithe of the
people, and no such arrangement or agree
ment is probable. At best transportation
in the winter is a difficult matter, and
every resource will be taxed to provide
for the big army which will be scattered
from the coast at Taku up to Peking. The
army must be fed. and fed it will be
while the natives will starve. Every ma
tion is rushing in supplies, there is not
an available boat but is pressed into ser
vice. and even now the lack of bottoms
is a serious one. BY December 1st the
Pei-Ho River will be frozen as we'll as
the Gulf of Taku. on which ice forms for
ten or twelve miles out. and superEu-
man efforts are being made to take advan-
tage of the remaining weeks of autumn
There has already been some informal
discussion IS to the means of keeping
communication by water open after ice
forms, with the result that there is a
tentative understanding that the Russian
force VIII bring in an ice boat. The
heavy tides prevent any great thickness
of ice in the gulf, and it is believed that
with 2 suitable vessel a channel can
be easily kept clear to Tong Ku the rail-
way terminal. The river is more seri-
Gus matter. and it is not likely that any
attempt will be made to keep it free. In
this way the railway will be taxed to its
utmost capacity.
All the governments are employing ma
tive labor freely, but the supply is so far
in excess of the demands that the percent
age of those who will thus be enabled to
live through the winter is extremely
small. The belief is general that starva-
tion cannot be avoided at this late day,
and even the most conservative foreign
residents at all conversant with ccndi-
tions, admit that the coming winter will
be terrible one in the Tien Tsin coun-
try.