The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-07-24

Wednesday. and they attached no inn
portance to any bulletins or guarantees
from viceroy after a full month of
promiscuous mendacity.
The Figaro states that a private mes
sage has been received today which
states the Japanese minister has given
news OF himself in terms analogous
TO those Of Minister conger.
NEW YORK. July 2s.-An officer OF
H. NJ. S. Barfeur writing from Tal1u.
under date of June IS last. says:
.'Or Saturday the admirals met on
board the Russian flagship and deter
mined that the Taku forts must be
taken. The Chinese in them were in
formed that they must give them up
by o'clock on Sunday or they would
be attacked.
Five gunboats were all the force
available. the fleets being unable TO get
near enough. They were the Russian
Bobre and Horeetz. the German ntis.
the French Leon and the English Alger-
inc. The two British desuoyers. Fame
and the Whiting. were also available.
The Algerine had a most trying time
having been anchored for days under
the guns Of a fort capable of annihilat-
ing her at one discharge. The gun
boats were in the river and conSe-
quently could not get up behind the
forts. which are chiefly planned to fire
seaward But it was known that the
Chinese had mounted extra guns to
fire landward
''On Saturday little more than 1000
men were taken from the fleets and
conveyed up the river in tugs. the Chin
ese foolishly allowing them to pass the
forts. These men landed directly the
fighting commenced. and. making their
way across country. stormed the forts
from the rear. 1t was a bright moon
light night.
The Chinese commenced. They
opened fire at O'Clock. much to our
peoples surprise. The gun and tor
pedo boats moved directly to the part
Of the river settled on beforehand. and
there. keeping in motion. engaged the
forts. The two British destroyers went
direct to the Chinese torpedo depot.
where four toroedo boats were lying.
Each destroyer towed an armed boat,
and they were thus able to board all
four Chinese boats at he 5ame time.
overpowering their crews and securing
them. They then towed their captures
up above Tong Ku. allowing the Iltis
to come down.
All night tremendous fire went on
and at 6 o'clock it seemed we should
fail. but just after six the new south
fort blew up with terrific explosion,
shaking us like an earthquake. The
south fort still kept firing. but at 5
o'clock gave in.
What had happened during the
night was that the British and Japan
ese landing party had captured the
large north batteries by o'clock and
then turned those guns on the south
forts.
Strange to say, the gunboats suffer
ed very little; the shot passed over
them and did more damage at Tong Ku
than to them. One Russian boat cnly
was seriously hit. and she was put out
of action. had boiler explosion and
nearly sank. The Whiting was pierced
and Just escaped boiler explosion, a
five-inch shell being found lying in the
bent tubes Of her starboard after boiler
Three officers and four men were
wounded on board the Algerine. One
BarAeur man was killed and one was
wounded on shore. and the total British
loss during the night was one killed
and thirteen wounded.
1.-THE japanese commander on shorG
was killed and the captain of the II.
tbs had one foot shot Off He is getting
on well now. The ntis also lost hel
second lieutenant and five men. Tht
killed on board the Russian Bobre wa
over 20. Had the Chinese fired shel
that burst. the losses would have beer
very different. but either they did no
fire shell or else it was shell that sci
dom bursted.
"A Chinese cruiser forms part OF thu
fleet here. new and very powerful
ship. Had she dared she could hay'
done great mischief in the fleets. 70
the ships, though powerful, are nearl.
empty OF men and very helpless. Sh
has now been taken possession Of b.
the Germans. and her guns have beel
disabled"
,vrgv M yrt5r1 IJEaATJFN RAGE7