The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-19

LONDON, June 1s. $50 a. m.-China de-
clared war against the world when the
Taku forts opened fire on the international
fleet. The accounts of what took place are
still unsatisfactory. the best semi-official
information being the dispatch received at
Berlin from Che-Foo. 1t reads:
''The German consul at Che-Foo tele-
graphs that a Japanese torpedo boat from
Taku has brought the following: The
Chinese laid torpedoes in the Taku river
and collected troops from Shan-Hei-Kwan
The foreign commanders assembled on the
Russian flagship and addressed an ultima
tum to the commanders of the Taku forts.
summoning them to withdraw their troops
before 2 o'clock June II. AT a. m. the
guns of the forts opened fire, to which the
Russian. British. French and Japanese
warships replied. The bombardment lasted
seven hours. Two British ships in the
have been sunk. The telegraph line and
destroyed. Communication by water is
also threatened
Another dispatch from Berlin says: "a
semi-official dispatch from Che-Foo an
nounced that the Taku forts have been cap
tured after combined attack by the for
eign warships. Three men on the German
warship Iltis were killed and seven were
wounded The dispatch added that the
foreign settlements at Tien-Tsin were be-
ing fired into by the Chinese When the
dispatch left nothing had been heard from
the German detachment sent to Peking or
from the German legation there
MARINES RETURN TO TIEN-TsIN.
The British Admiralty Office received the
following official dispatch from Che-Foo.
under yesterdays date: 1.-The Japanese
man-of-war Teyashi. has just arrived from
Taku- She reports that the commander in
chief and troops are back at Tien-Tsin''
A special dispatch from che-Foo under
yesterdays date says: 1.-The forces of the
combined fleets occupied the Taku north
forts yesterday. after exploding maga-
zine. The British gunboat Algerine was
men were wounded. japan and Russia are
reported to be landing large force of
troops. All is quiet here
The unofficial narratives, coming by way
Of Shanghai. vary widely and bear internal
evidence Of supplementjng the main facts
with guess work. ont dispatch says the
sunboat Yorktown participated in the bonn
5ardment- Another asserss that American
marines formed part Of the storming force
Of 2ooe.
An Associated Press dispatch from Che
Foo. dated yesterday afternoon, says: The
forts on both sides of Taku are now oc-
,upied. The Chinese opened fire unex-
oectedly. The casualties TO the mixed force
we're as follows:
aKilled-British. 1; German. 3: Russian.
1; French. l.
"wounded-British. 4; German. 7; Rus
sian. 45: French. 1.
Chinese torpedo boats were seized"
The Shanghai correspondent of the Daily
Mail. telegraphing yesterday, says: The
forts began firing in observance to orders
from Peking. conveyed in a personal edict
of the Empress dowsger. by advice of
Ksng hi (president of the ministry of
war; Several warships were struck by
shells from the twelve-inch guns OF the
forts The heavy Russian losses were due
10 the blowing up OF the magazine at
Mandshur. Four hundred Chinese are re-
ported TO have been killed. The Chinese,
when -etreating. fell into the hands of the
Russian land force"
TWO FORTS BLOWN UP.
The Daily News has the following from
Che-Foo: Two OF the forts were blown
UP. The thirty-two warships at Taku ag-
sregated 10000 tons and carried more than
"a. guns"
The failure of Admiral Seymour's column
and IFS retreat 20 Tien-Tsin increase. II is
presumed. the peril OF the legations in Pc