Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1900-07-13
ALLIES BADLY
D|SORGAN|ZED
Discord Adds 10 the Gravity
of the Situation at
Tien Tsin.
FORCE Is HANDICAPPED

Safety OF the City Is ImperiIed BY a
Lack of Organization-Comm
of All Troops Is Necessary = Com
manders Work without Co-opera-
tion-Conferences of No Avail.
TEN TsIN, July 4, via SHANGHAI, July
IA homogeneous army of half the
strength of the allied forces could do
better work than is being done by them.
The operations are dangerously handi-
capped and the safety of the city is I'M
perilled by lack of organization and the
want of one commander to control all
the forces. The representatives OF the
several nations manage their civil and
military affairs largely without co-opera-
ton. The ranking officers of each ma
tionality has absolute jurisdiction over
the operations of his governments
troops Questions of policy are discussed
daily at international conferences, which
have not the power to enforce the wishes
of the majority.
Admiral Seymour method of COM
man ding is to make requests, which the
other commanders generally follow, but
there have been instances Of the rank
ing officers holding aloof from opera
tions of which they disapprove. There
is great need of more troops. The pres
ent force of 10, 900 men is attempting to
hold line 10 miles long around the
CITY. There is also great need of re-
building the railroad to Taku and get
ting artillery equal to the guns with
which the Chinese are daily lombard
ing the allies position.
Allies Lose 60 Men Killed.
The weeks work resulted in a sub
stantial gain for the Chinese, as the al
lies lost so or 60 men and succeeded in
accomplishing nothing. Yesterday furn-
ished new illustration OF the weak
ness of the present methods. major
ity of the commanders have agreed that
it was imperative to attack the native
city beyond the foreign settlement and
destroy the artillery therein which
menaced the settlements. The attack
was fixed for four days, but was post
poned because the Russian commander
considered his men unfit for duty after
their recent work. 1t was again fixed
for yesterday morning, but was post
poned because creditable reports were in
circulation that 900 regulars from the
northwest had reinforced the Chinese.
Meantime, the Chinese have removed
two big guns on the fort near to the ma
tive city and have planted four in the
open near the east arsenal miles away.
These shelled the city for four hours,
sending in more than 100 shells. They
got the range of the public buildings
and of the clubhouse, used as hospital,
aud dropped shells all about them. Some
of the shells failed to burst and others
had small radius of effectiveness.
Situation Is Chaotic.
In the absence of a concerted plan the
Russians sent few companies of Cos
sacks, with two field guns, and the
Japanese q battery of three 6-pounders,
and two companies of infantry support
ing the English 12-pounders from the
Terrible to silence them. The Terrible s
guns failed to get an effective position
and the Russians had one gun dis
mounted and four men killed early in
the engagement.
The Japanese are confident that they
silenced the guns in the open, but 1t APP
peared to the onlookers that these guns
fired the last shots as the Japanese were
retiring.
The Russians lost heavily and the
Japanse had one killed and IL wounded.
The Chinese threw few shells into the
city this morning to show that they still
were alive.
A British officer described the situa-
ton as chaotic. He said
1--WE have wasted many days in po-
likeness, and it is time we did some
thing"
Discord Among the Commanders.
There is no disagreement among the
commanders, but in the absence of a
definite head several of them are dis
posed to follow their own methods and
then simply abstain from operations
contrary to these methods.
The foreign population is greatly
aroused concerning this apparent apa-
thy. While the city is being bombarded
they are likely to suffer heavily and they
cannot understand the apparent negli-
gence of the governments to furnish re-
lief and why reinforcements are not
coming on faster. The Americans are
particularly dissatisfied because, though
they have one Of the smallest representa-
lions, their interests are seooud to none.
One experienced officer said:
cit is impossible to realize at home
that there has been more real war here
than in Cuba or the Philippines
The Germans have occupied and raised
their flag ever the Imperial university OF
Tien Tsin. The officers of the univer
sity are Americans. The viceroy decided
the property to them. CONSUL Ragsdale
has protested against the action Of the